Transcription fails every now and then (detailed info inside)

[ghzgod]

🐛 Bug Report

Describe the bug

For roughly the last ten Voice Ink releases, transcription frequently vanishes after I stop recording. I press the button, speak, stop, and the floating bubble simply closes—no text appears and nothing is added to history. There is no error dialog. I have to repeat verbally my message again which always works the 2nd time around.

To Reproduce

1. Launch Voice Ink and start a recording with default settings.
2. Speak for about five seconds using the built-in microphone.
3. Press the button to stop the recording.
4. Repeat. Every few attempts the bubble disappears without producing text.

Expected behavior

The bubble should remain visible, show the transcription, and the entry should be saved to history.

Screenshots

(none – the bubble disappears instantly so there’s nothing to capture)

📋 IMPORTANT: System Information

Copy the system information from VoiceInk's Dashboard tab (there's a copy button 📋 next to the "Feedback or Issues?" button) and paste it here. This includes all technical details needed for debugging.

Voice Ink 1.60 (build 160) – issue present across ~10 previous updates
macOS 14.8.1 (23J30)
MacBook Pro (Mac14,6) – Apple M2 Max, 32 GB RAM
Input: Built-in microphone (44.1 kHz)
Output: Built-in speakers (44.1 kHz)
Low Power Mode: Off

Logs and Error Messages

AudioQueueObject.cpp:5942  DetermineMetadataTimestamp unable to obtain valid timestamp, estimate:117124.000000
AudioQueueObject.cpp:5942  DetermineMetadataTimestamp unable to obtain valid timestamp, estimate:114820.000000
AQMEIO_HAL.cpp:2791  BuiltInMicrophoneDevice: Abandoning I/O cycle because reconfig pending (1).
AVAudioSession: category flip 201 -> 501 around each failure

Attachments: voiceink-log.txt, VoiceInkSample.txt, audio-devices.txt

Additional Context

• Frequency: Intermittent (roughly every 2–4 recordings)
• Impact: Prevents successful transcription; no history entry is created
• Workarounds: None found. Issue persists after reboot, reinstall, deleting ~/Library/Application Support/com.prakashjoshipax.VoiceInk.
• Recent Changes: None specific—behavior has persisted across approximately the last ten Voice Ink updates.

VoiceInk Debug Information

• voiceink-log.txt: 30 minutes of log show filtered to VoiceInk & coreaudiod.
• VoiceInkSample.txt: 5-second /usr/bin/sample VoiceInk capture taken moments after a failure.
• audio-devices.txt: system_profiler SPAudioDataType snapshot showing current audio device setup.
• Symptoms match Console errors (DetermineMetadataTimestamp + BuiltInMicrophoneDevice: Abandoning I/O cycle) whenever the bubble disappears.

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• [x] I have checked existing issues to avoid duplicates
• [x] I have tried restarting VoiceInk and my Mac
• [x] I have included all relevant environment and configuration details

Thank you!

audio-devices.txt voiceink-log.txt VoiceInkSample.txt

[Beingpax]

I can't replicate this issue. Can you go to the settings and turn off "mute system audio during recording" feature, and see if it fixes the issue?

[ghzgod]

Yeah I'm sure you can't replicate it, because if you could I know you probably would have it fixed. I did change the setting you requested. I'd done this before, but I did it again and I'm still having the same issue. It's really strange because when it fails, I start over and say everything I said the previous run, but I can talk for a very long time and the transcription doesn't fail the immediate 2nd time after it fails the first time. I'm using it now to speak for this comment, and it's already failed two times.