Skip to content

Android Setup

This guide covers configuring Konele on your Android device to use your self-hosted Whisper server.

Prerequisites

  • Whisper Server running and accessible via Tailscale
  • Android device on the same Tailscale network
  • Your server's Tailscale IP (e.g., 100.64.1.42)

Install Tailscale

  1. Install Tailscale from Play Store
  2. Sign in with your Tailscale account
  3. Ensure the VPN is connected (check for the Tailscale icon in your status bar)

Enable Always-on VPN

Tailscale disconnects after phone restarts. To keep it always connected:

Settings → Network & internet → VPN → Tailscale ⚙️ → Always-on VPN

Install Konele

Konele (K6nele) is an open-source speech recognition app for Android. Install from any of these sources:

Source Link
Google Play Konele on Play Store
F-Droid Konele on F-Droid
GitHub Latest APK release

Configure Konele

Step 1: Open Settings

  1. Open the Konele app
  2. Tap the settings icon (⚙️) in the top-right corner

Konele main screen

Step 2: Navigate to Recognition Services

  1. In Settings, scroll down to find Recognition services
  2. Tap to open it

Konele settings - tap Recognition services

Step 3: Select Fast Recognition Service

  1. Find Kõnele (fast recognition) in the list
  2. Tap on it to configure

Recognition services - tap Kõnele fast recognition

Step 4: Configure the WebSocket Server

  1. Tap on Server URL
  2. Enter your Whisper server URL:
ws://YOUR_TAILSCALE_IP:9002

Replace YOUR_TAILSCALE_IP with your server's Tailscale IP (e.g., 100.94.38.126).

Server URL configuration

Step 5: Set Audio Format (Critical)

The audio format must match what the server expects:

  1. Find the Content-Type setting
  2. Set it to:
audio/x-raw, layout=(string)interleaved, rate=(int)16000, format=(string)S16LE, channels=(int)1

Audio Format

Using the wrong audio format will result in garbled transcriptions or silence.

Step 6: Set as Default Service

  1. Go back to Recognition services and languages
  2. Tap Default recognition service
  3. Select Kõnele (fast recognition)

Enable as Input Method

To use Konele as a voice keyboard in any app:

Step 1: Enable in Android Settings

  1. Open Android Settings
  2. Go to System → Languages & input (or search for "keyboard")
  3. Tap On-screen keyboard or Virtual keyboard
  4. Tap Manage keyboards
  5. Enable Kõnele speech keyboard

Step 2: Use Voice Input

When typing in any app:

  1. Tap the keyboard switcher icon (usually in the navigation bar or keyboard)
  2. Select Kõnele
  3. Tap the microphone button to start speaking
  4. Speak clearly, then pause
  5. Your transcription appears in the text field

Test Your Setup

  1. Open any app with a text field (e.g., Notes, Messages)
  2. Switch to Konele keyboard
  3. Tap the microphone and say something
  4. Verify the transcription appears

If it works, you'll see your spoken text appear after a brief pause.

Troubleshooting

Connection Failed

  • Check Tailscale: Ensure both devices show as connected in the Tailscale app. After a phone restart, open the Tailscale app to reconnect.
  • Verify server is running: On your server, check systemctl status whisper-server or docker ps
  • Test connectivity: From your phone's browser, try accessing http://YOUR_TAILSCALE_IP:9002 (it won't load a page, but shouldn't timeout)

Connection Lost After Phone Restart

Tailscale doesn't auto-reconnect after a phone restart unless you enable Always-on VPN. Open the Tailscale app to reconnect, or enable Always-on VPN (see Install Tailscale section above).

No Transcription / Empty Results

  • Verify the WebSocket URL is correct (including /client/ws/speech path)
  • Check the Content-Type is set exactly as shown above
  • Look at server logs for errors

Garbled Transcription

  • Audio format mismatch - double-check the Content-Type setting
  • Try a larger Whisper model on your server (medium or large-v3)

Slow Transcription

  • Use a GPU on your server if available
  • Try a smaller model (tiny or base) for faster results
  • Reduce network latency by hosting the server closer to you

Next Steps