# Dictating on a Mac with AirPods: choosing the microphone, and why the sound drops

Canonical page: https://flit.fyi/airpods-dictation-mac

> Dictating with AirPods on a Mac: set Microphone source in Keyboard → Dictation. Why audio quality drops while the AirPods microphone is on, and the fix.

[Atta 🐬](https://attacomsian.com)

Founder, Flit

October 6, 2026

The short answer

Mac Dictation listens through whatever Microphone source says in System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation. To dictate through AirPods, choose them there by name; to keep them out of it, choose the Mac’s own microphone. If your music turns thin and quiet when you dictate, that is Bluetooth: Apple explains that when the headphones’ microphone is in use, Bluetooth switches to a mode with reduced audio quality until the microphone is released. Flit, a local dictation app for Mac, has its own microphone setting, so you can dictate through the Mac’s microphone while the AirPods keep playing.

## How to choose the microphone for Dictation

1. Connect your AirPods to the Mac and put them in.
2. Choose Apple menu → System Settings and click **Keyboard** in the sidebar.
3. Go to **Dictation** and click the menu next to **Microphone source**.
4. To dictate through the AirPods, choose them by name. To keep listening to audio at full quality, choose the Mac’s built-in microphone instead.
5. Click into a text field, start Dictation and say a sentence to test it.
6. If no words appear, open System Settings → Sound → Input, select the same microphone, speak, and check that the input level moves.

A Mac with no built-in microphone, such as a Mac mini, has to use the AirPods or another external microphone.

There are two separate questions here: which microphone Dictation is using, and why the sound in your ears changes when it starts. The first is a setting. The second is how Bluetooth works, and the same setting is the way around it.

## What you notice, and why

| What you notice                                 | Why                                                                   | What to do                                                                |
| ----------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Music goes thin and quiet when Dictation starts | The AirPods microphone is in use, so Bluetooth is in its two-way mode | Set Microphone source to the Mac’s microphone                             |
| Static or popping while dictating               | Apple lists this as part of the same mode switch                      | The same, or pause the audio while you dictate                            |
| Sound stays poor after you stop                 | Something is still using the AirPods microphone                       | Quit apps that use it, close Sound settings, and select the AirPods again |
| Dictation hears the room, not you               | Microphone source is on another device                                | Choose the AirPods by name                                                |
| Dictation stops when the AirPods connect        | On Automatic, the source can change                                   | Choose a microphone by name, not Automatic                                |
| No words appear at all                          | The wrong input, or a low level                                       | Sound → Input: check the device and the level                             |

## Why the sound quality drops

Apple’s page on [Bluetooth headphones and sound quality](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102217) explains it. Bluetooth has two modes. The first is for listening to higher-quality audio. The second is for speaking through the microphone and listening at once, and in that mode "audio quality is reduced until the microphone is no longer in use". Apple adds that volume is reduced too, and that you might hear static or popping.

So the drop is not a fault in the AirPods or in Dictation. It happens with any app that opens the headphones’ microphone, which is why the same thing happens on a video call.

## If the sound does not come back

The quality returns when nothing is using the headphones’ microphone. If it stays poor, Apple’s steps are these.

1. Quit any apps that use the microphone of your Bluetooth headphones, such as video conferencing or chat apps.
2. Make sure System Settings is not open and showing your Sound settings.
3. Click Control Center in the menu bar, then click Sound.
4. Select the Mac’s internal speakers, then select your AirPods again.

## Automatic, or a microphone by name

On Automatic, [Apple says](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-dictation-mh40584/mac) the Mac listens to the device you are most likely to use for Dictation. That is convenient until the guess changes, for example when AirPods connect in the middle of a sentence.

Choosing by name removes the guess. The cost is that you have to change it yourself when you move between a desk with a microphone and a laptop on its own.

## Getting a clean signal

Whichever microphone you choose, [Apple’s troubleshooting page](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mchlc480652b/mac) lists the same basics: raise the input volume in Sound → Input if the level barely moves, keep the microphone clear of clothing, speak at a normal volume, and cut background noise. It notes that a headset microphone may help in a noisy room.

## A microphone setting of its own

Flit is a separate dictation app, and it chooses its microphone separately from the rest of the Mac, in Settings → General.

- Pick the Mac’s built-in microphone in Flit, and the AirPods microphone is not used while you dictate.
- Or pick the AirPods, if you are away from the Mac’s microphone.
- With hold-to-talk, Flit records only while the key is down.
- Everything runs on the Mac, and nothing you say is sent anywhere.
- Flit is free for 7 days with every feature on, then $19 once, with no account and no subscription.

Good to know

- If you choose the AirPods as Flit’s microphone, Bluetooth switches mode while you hold the key, the same as with any app. Flit cannot change that.
- Flit does not set or change the Mic Mode in Control Center.
- Apple’s Dictation is free and already on your Mac. If it does what you need, you do not need Flit.
- Flit runs on a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later, and its voice model is a download of about 0.5 to 2.3 GB that you choose once.
- Flit’s spoken commands, such as "new paragraph", are in English today.

[Download for Mac](https://flit.fyi/download) macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon

## Questions people ask

### Can I use AirPods for dictation on a Mac?

Yes. Connect them, then choose them by name under System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation → Microphone source.

### Why does my music sound bad when I dictate with AirPods?

Because the AirPods microphone is in use. Apple explains that Bluetooth then switches to a mode for speaking and listening together, in which audio quality and volume are reduced until the microphone is no longer in use.

### How do I stop my Mac using the AirPods microphone?

For Dictation, set Microphone source in Keyboard → Dictation to the Mac’s built-in microphone. For everything else, choose the input under System Settings → Sound → Input.

### How do I change the microphone for dictation on a Mac?

Open System Settings → Keyboard, go to Dictation, and choose a device from the Microphone source menu.

### Why does dictation not hear me through my AirPods?

Check that the AirPods are the selected Microphone source, then open Sound → Input, select them, and see whether the input level moves when you speak.

### Is there a dictation app that lets me choose its microphone?

Yes. Flit is a local dictation app for Mac with its own microphone setting, so it can listen through the Mac’s microphone while your AirPods keep playing. Flit is free for 7 days with every feature on, then $19 once, with no account and no subscription.

## In the glossary

- [Input volume](https://flit.fyi/glossary/microphone-input-volume)
- [Mic Mode](https://flit.fyi/glossary/mic-mode)
- [Dictation](https://flit.fyi/glossary/dictation)
- [Push-to-talk](https://flit.fyi/glossary/push-to-talk)

## More guides

- [How to dictate on a Mac](https://flit.fyi/how-to-dictate-on-mac)
- [Mac dictation not working](https://flit.fyi/mac-dictation-not-working)
- [Globe key opens the emoji picker](https://flit.fyi/globe-key-opens-emoji-picker-mac)
- [Mac dictation keeps stopping](https://flit.fyi/mac-dictation-keeps-stopping)
- [Mac dictation commands](https://flit.fyi/mac-dictation-commands)
- [Voice Control vs Dictation](https://flit.fyi/voice-control-vs-dictation-mac)
- [Mac dictation keyboard shortcut](https://flit.fyi/mac-dictation-keyboard-shortcut)
- [Change the dictation language](https://flit.fyi/change-dictation-language-mac)