zen-browser
In the new window, voice input is not working. This prevents me from writing in the browsers.
Captchas
- [x] I have read the instructions.
- [x] I have searched existing issues and avoided creating duplicates.
- [x] I am not filing an enhancement request.
- [x] I have checked that this issue cannot be reproduced on Mozilla Firefox.
- [x] I have checked that this issue can be reproduced once I removed all my Mods and Custom CSS.
What happened?
I am unable to use voice dictation via the Windows + H shortcut. No text write in the new tab that opens, and the window closes immediately, preventing me from writing, including with the keyboard, in the browser.
Here are the steps to reproduce the problem:
- Click the "New Tab" button.
- Use the Windows + H shortcut to activate dictation.
- The tab window closes, making writing in the browser impossible and requiring it to be restarted
Version
1.11.4t (Firefox 137.0.2) (2025-04-17) (64 bits)
What platform are you seeing the problem on?
Windows - x64
What component is this issue related to?
URL Bar
Relevant log output if applicable
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/c1a9b5ac-5b73-4f55-972d-a84c25b0233c Note that it is important not to click in the text area of new tab , so simply press "new tab" and then directly use the Windows h shortcut; otherwise, the bug will not be reproducible.
Hi, @Lordlorio. I'm Dosu, and I'm helping the desktop team manage their backlog. I'm marking this issue as stale.
Issue Summary:
- Issue with voice input in Firefox version 1.11.4t on Windows x64.
- Using Windows + H shortcut for dictation closes the tab immediately.
- Problem occurs in the URL Bar component and persists without modifications.
- Bug is reproducible if the text area is not clicked before using the shortcut.
Next Steps:
- Please confirm if this issue is still relevant to the latest version of the desktop repository by commenting here.
- If there is no further activity, the issue will be automatically closed in 7 days.
Thank you for your understanding and contribution!
![dosubot[bot] avatar](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/in/324583?v=4 "Published by a pub.dev verified publisher"){kind=small}
Hi, I am currently using the zen Twilight version 1.13t (Firefox 138.0.4) (2025-05-18) (64-bit) and the bug is still present.
Hi, @Lordlorio. I'm Dosu, and I'm helping the desktop team manage their backlog. I'm marking this issue as stale.
Issue Summary:
- Original issue with voice input in Firefox version 1.11.4t on Windows x64.
- Using Windows + H shortcut causes the tab to close immediately.
- You confirmed the bug persists in zen Twilight version 1.13t (Firefox 138.0.4) (64-bit).
Next Steps:
- Please confirm if the issue is still relevant to the latest version of the desktop repository by commenting here.
- If no further updates are provided, the issue will be automatically closed in 7 days.
Thank you for your understanding and contribution!
Sorry to hear that. If you meant "the url-bar unfocuses" when you wrote the line:
The tab window closes, making writing in the browser impossible and requiring it to be restarted
Then I might have found some more info about this situation. However if you are instead encountaring an issue where the browser window closes and you have to reopen the browser, then this is not what I thought.
So please tell me: After you have pressed the Windows + H shortcut, what happens? Does the url bar loses focus thus preventing the dictation tool from inserting text. Or does the tab/browser window closes forcing you to reopen the tab/browser?
In case if you don't know, in this context focus means: Elements that you have selected by you via keyboard/mouse pointer. for example: When you type in your keyboard to search for something in a new tab, the url-bar is in focus. If you keep typing and what you type just doesn't appear in the url-bar, then the url-bar lost focus. I tried to give this explanation because I wanted to make sure you know what I meant.
Hi. I wouldn't really know how to explain it. But in fact, as soon as it starts wanting to write with the Windows H shortcut, then the window closes completely. And when I try to write manually with the keyboard, I can't write.
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/70d8f29c-5ca7-4899-986a-befa91f7d852
Hmm... This might be completely different than I thougt. I honestly don't know what's going on.
Maybe related to the same underlying URL bar (re)focus issue as seen in #8858
@Propheticus That was what I was suspecting. But in the video below the zen browser window seems to not lose focus the entire time time (you can even see that the caret keeps blinking)?? The new tab popup just stays there the whole time.
ksam1HQ0tT.mp4
What's worse is that I can't reproduce the same issue in my clean slate of windows and zen. (I am not putting the video directly over here because for some reason github will keep failing on me.)
https://drive.proton.me/urls/RPPETJA5BR#F3nGTjebCzxA
Am I using the voice input differently?
Note: As far as I know, the voice input actually does recognize zen url bar as input. Otherwise it would have gave a proper warning.
@Lordlorio Have you tried to speak english into the voice input? I see that your main language is possibly french. So maybe you tried speaking french and the voice input simply didn't recognized it because your system language is english. I know this might be a wild coincidence but maybe you have tried speaking english into firefox and french into zen? Which is maybe why you couldn't reproduce it in firefox. I wanted to make sure to rule out this possibility because it is kinda possible if you tried it on firefox only once.
@Murat-Karakaya Actually, I don't think it's related to speaking English. It used to work on the Zen browser and also on Firefox. The problem appeared since they added the new tab style.