What you’ll learn
- What voice capture does – speak any task, FOCO transcribes and processes it.
- Why ADHD brains often need voice – typing has more activation cost than people realize.
- How FOCO’s voice capture works – one tap, speak, done.
- When voice helps most – moments of high overwhelm, low energy, or hands-busy.
- Where it fits – first input into the FOCO workflow, before task breakdown.
How voice capture works
Tap and hold the mic
One button on the home screen. Available from any iOS / Android share sheet.
Say what’s stuck
No need to plan the sentence. Just describe the moment. Transcription is on-device when possible.
Get five steps back
Auto-flows into task breakdown. Three seconds from “I can’t” to a five-step plan.
What voice capture does
You open FOCO. Tap the mic. Say what’s stuck: “I can’t start writing the proposal.” Release. FOCO transcribes it, treats it as a task, and runs it through task breakdown automatically.
Three seconds from “I cannot start” to a five-step plan with time estimates, without touching the keyboard.
Why ADHD brains often need voice
Typing has hidden activation cost
Finding the field, deciding what to type, forming the sentence – the pre-typing cost is invisible until ADHD low-executive-function moments make it the wall.
Spoken thought is closer to actual thought
Internal monologue is verbal, not written. Voice skips the translation step from thought to prose – expensive for already-stretched ADHD working memory.
Hands-busy moments are real
Walking. Holding a baby. Cooking. Driving hands-free. The moments tasks feel most stuck are often when typing is also impossible. Voice handles them.
How FOCO’s voice capture works in detail
One tap, speak, done
Open FOCO. Mic button is on the home screen. Tap and hold to speak, release to send. The mic is also accessible via iOS / Android share sheets – you can voice-capture a stuck task from anywhere on your phone.
Transcription happens on-device when possible
iOS and Android both have on-device speech-to-text. FOCO uses it when available – your voice never leaves your phone. For complex or long utterances, the app may fall back to server transcription with explicit permission.
Auto-flows into task breakdown
By default, voice capture treats whatever you said as a stuck task and runs it through breakdown. If you wanted something else (a note, a reminder), you can tap to switch modes after the fact. Default is the most common use case.
You can edit the transcript before processing
If the transcription got something wrong, you see it before FOCO acts on it. Tap to edit, then confirm.
When voice capture helps most
The overwhelm moments
You’re frozen. The thought of opening an app and typing feels like its own task. Voice removes that layer of friction.
The walking-around moments
A stuck task occurs to you while you’re moving – at the gym, on a walk, between meetings. You don’t want to lose the thought but typing is impractical. Voice keeps the thought alive without breaking your motion.
The low-energy moments
Tired, foggy, post-meal slump. Even simple text entry feels disproportionate. Voice keeps FOCO accessible when energy is low.
The hands-busy moments
Holding a baby. Stirring something. Cleaning. Voice captures stuck tasks the moment they arise instead of waiting for “later” (which often becomes “never” with ADHD).
How it pairs with other FOCO features
Voice capture is the input. Everything else is downstream – task breakdown generates the steps, time estimates calibrate each step, focus mode runs the timer, and the mascot stays present while you do the work.
Voice is just the lowest-friction way in.
FOCO is live on Google Play
The Android app is out now. Download FOCO free on Google Play → iOS is coming next.
FAQ
Does FOCO record my voice?
No. Voice is transcribed to text in real time, then the audio is discarded. Only the text version is processed and stored. On-device transcription means your voice never leaves your phone in most cases.
What if my accent or speech pattern is hard to transcribe?
iOS and Android transcription has improved dramatically. Most accents and speech patterns work well. You see the transcript before FOCO processes it – you can correct any mistakes before they affect the breakdown.
Can I use voice for things other than task breakdown?
Yes – voice notes, brain dump entries, quick reminders. Default is task breakdown because it’s the most common need, but you can switch modes after dictating.
Is voice capture in the free version?
No. Voice capture is a paid mobile app feature. The free web tools at /adhd-tools/ are text-input only.
Does voice work when I’m offline?
On-device transcription works offline (iOS 17+ and recent Android). Task breakdown requires connectivity since it uses AI processing – that step happens when you reconnect.