[DOCS] Voice dictation troubleshooting omits macOS default input device change in long sessions

Documentation Type

Unclear/confusing documentation

Documentation Location

https://code.claude.com/docs/en/voice-dictation

Section/Topic

The "Common issues" troubleshooting list under the "Enable voice dictation" / "Troubleshoot" area, specifically the No audio detected from microphone entry. The troubleshooting guidance does not mention the v2.1.195 fix for macOS capturing silence after the default input device changes during a long-running session.

Current Documentation

The current troubleshooting bullet for silence says:

No audio detected from microphone: recording started but captured silence. Confirm the correct input device is set as the system default and that its input level is not muted or near zero. On Windows, open Settings → System → Sound → Input and select your microphone. On macOS, open System Settings → Sound → Input.

The bullet treats silence as a one-time device selection problem. There is no guidance about devices changing mid-session, no mention of re-running /voice, no mention of restarting the session after the input device changes, and no mention of the v2.1.195 fix that handles this case automatically.

What's Wrong or Missing?

Claude Code v2.1.195 fixed an issue where macOS voice dictation captured silence in long-running sessions after the default input device changed (for example, the user plugged in a headset, switched to AirPods, or the system handed the default to a different device). Before the fix, the audio capture pipeline would silently continue using the original input handle and record silence.

After the fix, voice dictation on macOS recovers automatically when the default input device changes during a session. The docs still frame silence as a static "the wrong device is selected" problem and do not tell users that:

1. The behavior was previously broken for long sessions on macOS even when the original device worked initially.
2. Re-selecting the input device mid-session is no longer necessary after v2.1.195.
3. The same fix does not apply on Windows or Linux, where the existing troubleshooting steps still apply.

Suggested Improvement

Expand the No audio detected from microphone bullet to mention the device-change case and the v2.1.195 fix:

No audio detected from microphone: recording started but captured silence. Confirm the correct input device is set as the system default and that its input level is not muted or near zero. On Windows, open Settings → System → Sound → Input and select your microphone. On macOS, open System Settings → Sound → Input. If the session has been running for a while and silence started after you changed the default input device (plugged in a headset, switched to AirPods, etc.), the macOS capture pipeline may have been holding the original device. Claude Code v2.1.195 fixes this case and recovers automatically. On earlier versions, restart the Claude Code session after changing the input device.

Impact

Medium - Makes feature difficult to understand

Additional Context

The troubleshooting list also covers Microphone access is denied and Voice input is failing repeatedly and has been paused but neither references the input-device-change scenario, so users currently have no doc-level pointer to the v2.1.195 fix when they hit silence after a device swap.

Affected Pages:
| Page | Context |
|------|---------|
| https://code.claude.com/docs/en/voice-dictation | "Common issues" troubleshooting list under voice dictation |

Total scope: 1 page affected