> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.augmental.tech/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Vox on Mac vs iPhone

> What works the same on both, and what is genuinely different.

Vox runs on both, and the device pairs with both. What differs is how text gets from
your voice into the app you are using, because macOS and iOS give apps very different
permissions.

## The short version

|                                             | Mac            | iPhone and iPad           |
| ------------------------------------------- | -------------- | ------------------------- |
| Dictate into any app                        | Yes            | Yes, through a Shortcut   |
| How text is inserted                        | Typed directly | Pasted from the clipboard |
| Notes                                       | Yes            | Yes                       |
| Voice commands                              | Yes            | No                        |
| App-specific profiles                       | Yes            | No                        |
| Use Vox as a microphone for other apps      | Yes            | No                        |
| Button shortcuts that send key combinations | Yes            | No                        |

## On Mac

Vox runs in the background and inserts text directly into whatever app has focus. It
can also present itself as a microphone, which is what lets tools like Superwhisper
and Wispr Flow record from your device. Buttons can send arbitrary keyboard shortcuts.

This is the full experience. If you have both, do your setup on the Mac.

## On iPhone and iPad

iOS does not let a third party app type into another app. Vox works around this with
the Shortcuts app: you trigger a Shortcut, Vox transcribes, the text lands on your
clipboard, and the Shortcut pastes it.

What this means in practice:

* **Your clipboard gets overwritten** each time you dictate. Whatever you had copied is gone.
* **There is a moment of visible handoff.** You will see the Shortcut run.
* **Vox cannot act as a microphone** for other iOS apps.

## Installing the iOS Shortcut

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Shortcut installer in Vox">
    In Vox, open **Settings** and find **Dictate To Text Field** under **Shortcuts**.
    Tap **Add to Shortcuts**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the Shortcut">
    The Shortcuts app opens with a pre-filled **Dictate To Text Field** Shortcut. Tap
    **Add Shortcut**, then return to Vox.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign it to the Action Button">
    Open iPhone **Settings**, then **Action Button**, choose **Shortcut**, and select
    **Dictate To Text Field**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  iOS may show an **Allow Paste?** confirmation the first time the Shortcut pastes into
  an app. Accept it. To avoid repeated prompts, open iPhone **Settings**, then **Apps**,
  choose the app you dictate into, and set **Paste from Other Apps** to **Allow**.
</Warning>

## Using both at once

Vox can be paired to multiple devices. Only one device is the active connection at a
time, and both Vox and the app provide ways to switch between paired devices.

Press the black button once to cycle between the last two devices. Vox attempts to
connect to the selected device if it is on and in range. You can also open the paired
device list in the app, choose a device, and let Vox connect to it when available.