SpecEnvoy

EN·中文

‹ Back to StarlingType

StarlingType for Android

Full setup & user guide. Dictate in English and Chinese without switching languages; everything runs on your phone.

1. Install

StarlingType for Android is a direct .apk download (not on the Play Store yet). Because it's installed from outside the Play Store, your phone shows a few safety prompts along the way. They're all normal for any app installed this way — here's the whole path and what each prompt means.

1. In a real browser (Chrome, Samsung Internet…), tap Download StarlingType-Android-0.1.0.apk (≈104 MB).
2. "File might be harmful"? That's the standard browser warning for any app not from the Play Store. Tap "Download anyway." Nothing is wrong with the file — it's the StarlingType app.
3. Open the downloaded file (tap the download notification, or find it in Files / Downloads). Android may ask to allow installing unknown apps for your browser — turn that on once, then go back.
4. "App blocked to protect your device" (Google Play Protect)? Tap the small "Install anyway" link — not the big "Got it" button (that one cancels). Play Protect simply hasn't seen this app before because it's new and not on the Play Store.
5. Tap Install, then Open. 🎉

Stuck on "App not installed"? You probably already have an older or test build of StarlingType installed (a different signature blocks the install). Uninstall any existing StarlingType first — long-press its icon → Uninstall (or Settings → Apps → StarlingType → Uninstall) — then open the downloaded .apk again. If it still fails, re-download the file in your browser (a partial download from a chat app can be corrupt).

Requirements: Android 14 · 8 GB recommended (minimum Android 13) · ~280 MB one-time model download on first run (best on Wi-Fi) · phones & foldables.

2. First-run setup

When you open StarlingType the first time, a short wizard walks you through everything:

1. Welcome — a quick intro.
2. Download speech models (~280 MB) — tap Download. This is one-time; best on Wi-Fi. Wait for "✓ Models installed."
3. Microphone — tap Allow microphone. StarlingType only listens while you're dictating, and audio never leaves the phone.
4. Enable the keyboard — tap Enable keyboard, turn StarlingType on in the system list, then come back. (Needed only for the "type into any app" method — see section 6.)
5. You're all set — tap Finish. You'll land on the home screen.

You can re-run this any time from Settings → Re-run setup.

3. The three ways to dictate

StarlingType gives you three ways to dictate. Use whichever fits the moment.

A. Tap to dictate (zero setup) — copies to clipboard

Best for quickly capturing a thought to paste somewhere.

1. Open the StarlingType app.
2. Tap 🎤 Tap to dictate.
3. Speak after the chirp.
4. Your text is copied to the clipboard — switch to any app and paste.

B. The StarlingType keyboard — types straight into the field

Best for writing directly inside another app (messages, email, notes).

1. In any app, tap a text field so a keyboard appears.
2. Switch to the StarlingType keyboard (see section 6).
3. Tap 🎤 Dictate and speak → the words are typed into the field.
4. There's also a ⌨ Switch keyboard button to go back to your normal keyboard.

C. The Quick Settings tile — hands-free, from anywhere

Best for hands-free dictation. This is the only way to use wake words without opening the keyboard.

1. Add the StarlingType tile to Quick Settings (the panel you swipe down from the top). The easiest way: in the app, How to use → Add Quick Settings tile → confirm.
2. Tap the tile to turn it on — StarlingType now listens in the background.
3. Say a wake word (see below), then speak.
4. Your text is copied to the clipboard to paste.
5. Tap the tile again to turn it off.

4. Wake words

A wake word tells StarlingType "start listening." Say one, then talk.

Where wake words work:

• ✅ With the Quick Settings tile on (hands-free, from any app).
• ✅ In the StarlingType keyboard if you enable Settings → "Listen for wake word while keyboard is open" (uses more battery).
• For everything else, just tap 🎤 — no wake word needed.

5. Settings

Open Settings from the home screen.

• Language — System default / English / Chinese (see section 7).
• Keyboard copies to clipboard (instead of typing in place) — off by default. Leave it off and the keyboard types straight into the field. Turn it on only if a particular app rejects direct typing; then a 📋 Paste button appears on the keyboard to insert the text.
• Audio chirps — the sounds when recording starts/stops.
• Haptics — vibration feedback.
• Listen for wake word while keyboard is open — off by default. Lets you say a wake word instead of tapping 🎤 while the keyboard is up. ⚠️ Uses more battery (the mic stays on the whole time the keyboard is open).
• Wake-word sensitivity — higher = fewer false triggers; lower = easier to trigger. Applies the next time listening starts.
• Battery optimization — opens the system screen if you want to keep always-on dictation reliable.

6. Switching to the StarlingType keyboard

Android only lets you (not an app) switch the active keyboard. Two easy ways:

Easiest: In the StarlingType app, tap ⌨ Switch to StarlingType keyboard on the home screen — a system picker pops up; choose StarlingType.

While typing: Tap the keyboard icon that appears in the navigation bar (usually bottom-right) when a keyboard is showing, and choose StarlingType.

When you're done dictating, use the keyboard's ⌨ Switch keyboard button (or the same nav-bar icon) to go back to your normal keyboard.

7. Language (English / Chinese)

The whole app — buttons, onboarding, the keyboard, notifications — is available in English and Simplified Chinese.

Change it in Settings → Language:

• System default — follows your phone's language.
• English
• Chinese

The change applies across the app immediately; no restart needed.

8. Troubleshooting

The keyboard's mic types nothing. Make sure Settings → "Keyboard copies to clipboard" is off (the default) so it types in place. If it's on, dictation goes to the clipboard — tap 📋 Paste to insert it.

A wake word does nothing. Wake words only work with the Quick Settings tile on, or with the keyboard open and "Listen for wake word while keyboard is open" enabled. Otherwise tap 🎤.

The "Switch keyboard" button seems unresponsive. Tap it once and wait a moment for the system picker. If your phone hides the navigation-bar keyboard icon, use the in-app ⌨ Switch to StarlingType keyboard button instead.

Models won't download. You need a network connection for the one-time ~280 MB download. Try Wi-Fi, then Settings → Re-run setup to retry.

Always-on (the tile) has no notification. If you declined the notification permission, the background service still runs and still copies your dictation to the clipboard — there's just no visible notification. You can grant notifications later in the system app settings.