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Set up InkSpoke on iOS

This page gets InkSpoke onto your iPhone and ready to dictate. You'll install the app, walk a short six-page setup, and — the key step — enable the InkSpoke keyboard so you can talk into any app. No account is required to start.

1. Install from the App Store​

Open the App Store on your iPhone, search for InkSpoke, and tap Get to install it like any other app. You can also find the link from inkspoke.app.

When it finishes, open InkSpoke and the first-launch setup starts automatically.

2. The first-launch setup (6 pages)​

The first time you open InkSpoke, it walks you through six pages. Each page has a Continue button (and a context-specific action on the pages that need one), with a Skip control in the top-right corner on every page except the last. If you skip something, you can come back to it later — nothing here is one-time-only.

Here's what each page does:

Page 1 — Welcome​

A quick introduction: Voice to Text, and the reassuring headline No account required. Nothing to configure — tap Continue.

Page 2 — Your Industry​

InkSpoke shows a two-column grid of industry presets, plus an Other… option that opens a free-text box. Your pick tailors the starting vocabulary and style so transcription and AI refinement begin closer to the words you actually use. Choose the closest match, or skip it.

Page 3 — Microphone Access​

InkSpoke can't hear you without the microphone, so this page requests it. Tap Grant Mic Access and approve the iOS prompt.

Microphone is required to dictate

Dictation won't work until you allow microphone access. If you skip it here, you can grant it later in iOS Settings → InkSpoke → Microphone — no reinstall needed.

Page 4 — Selected-Text Capture​

This page introduces the InkSpoke keyboard and gives you a short guide to enable it. The keyboard is what lets you dictate — and, with Full Access, work with selected text — inside any other app. Tap Open Keyboard Settings to jump straight to the iOS keyboard settings, or I've already done this if the keyboard is set up. Full instructions are in the next section below.

Page 5 — AI Models​

InkSpoke explains that it uses its built-in Platform models by default, and that your Pro trial includes all models. There's nothing to choose here — it's just letting you know where your speech is processed to start. You can change models later in Settings → AI Models.

Page 6 — Ready to Go​

The final page confirms you're set up. Tap Start Using InkSpoke to open the recording home screen.

You can re-run this any time

Skipped a page you now want, or want a refresher? Re-run the whole setup from Settings → General → Re-run onboarding.

3. Enable the InkSpoke keyboard​

The keyboard is what makes InkSpoke work everywhere — in Messages, Mail, Safari, your notes app, anywhere you can type. iOS requires you to add it manually, so this is the one step worth doing carefully.

  1. Open the iOS Settings app and go to General → Keyboard → Keyboards.
  2. Tap Add New Keyboard… and choose InkSpoke from the list.
  3. Tap InkSpoke (now shown in your keyboards) to open its options.
  4. Turn on Allow Full Access and confirm.
Why "Allow Full Access" is required

An iOS keyboard extension can't record audio on its own, and it can't reach the main InkSpoke app without Full Access. When you tap Start on the keyboard, InkSpoke hands off to the main app to capture your voice, then injects the finished text back at your cursor — that round-trip needs Full Access. It's also what lets the keyboard work with selected text. Without it, the keyboard can't dictate.

Here's roughly what the setup guidance looks like inside the app on Page 4:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                    Skip  →   │
│                                              │
│            Selected-Text Capture             │
│   Turn on the InkSpoke keyboard to dictate   │
│   and work with selected text in any app.    │
│                                              │
│   1. Settings → General → Keyboard           │
│   2. Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → InkSpoke │
│   3. Tap InkSpoke → Allow Full Access        │
│                                              │
│        [   Open Keyboard Settings   ]        │
│             I've already done this           │
│                                              │
│   ● ● ● ●  ○ ○           Page 4 of 6         │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
The shortcut button

Open Keyboard Settings tries to deep-link straight to the iOS keyboard screen. On some iOS versions it lands on InkSpoke's own Settings page instead — if that happens, just open the Settings app yourself and follow the path above.

Permissions at a glance​

Beyond the microphone, InkSpoke asks for a couple of other permissions only when you actually use the feature that needs them. Nothing is requested up front that you don't need.

PermissionWhen InkSpoke asksWhy it needs it
MicrophoneDuring setup, or the first time you recordTo hear you and transcribe your speech to text.
CameraWhen you scan a desktop pairing QR codeTo read the QR code that pairs your phone with the desktop app.
Local NetworkWhen you look for a desktop to sync withTo discover your InkSpoke desktop on the same Wi-Fi network.
Keyboard "Allow Full Access"You turn it on yourself in iOS SettingsLets the keyboard reach the main app for the voice round-trip and work with selected text.

You only encounter Camera and Local Network if you pair with a desktop — see Syncing mobile with desktop.

No account needed​

InkSpoke works right away with no sign-up. Your phone gets an anonymous device identity and a Pro trial that unlocks all models, so you can try everything before deciding on a plan. The trial is a Pro-level allowance with an audio cap rather than a hard paywall — see The free trial for what's included.

Signing in is optional and only needed if you want to tie your subscription to an account. You can do it any time later from Settings → General → Account.

Power users

Everything the setup pages touch can be changed afterward without re-running it. Permissions live in iOS Settings, your default models live under Settings → AI Models, and the keyboard can be added or removed from iOS Settings → General → Keyboard at any point. Re-running onboarding is just the guided path, not the only one.

Next steps​