Help & Setup Guide

Everything you need to get SpeakCast running smoothly — from a simple laptop setup to a full church PA system.

⚡ Quick Start (2 minutes)

  1. Open SpeakCast in Google Chrome on your computer (HTTPS URL required for microphone)
  2. Sign in to your account
  3. Tap "I'm the Speaker" — a 4-digit session code appears
  4. Share the code with your listeners (text it, write it on a whiteboard, project it)
  5. Listeners open SpeakCast on their phones, tap "I'm a Listener", enter the code, put on headphones
  6. Tap START SPEAKING — you're live
Listeners never need an account. They just open the URL and enter your code.

🎙️ Setup Scenarios

⛪
Church / PA System
Best quality — connects to your existing sound system
🎤 Pulpit Mic  →  Mixing Board  →  PA Speakers (congregation hears)
                                   ↓ (aux/monitor out)
                                💻 Laptop (3.5mm line-in or USB audio)
                                   ↓
                                🌐 Chrome → SpeakCast → Translation
                                   ↓
                                📱 Listeners' phones (Spanish audio)
  • 1
    Run a cable from your mixing board's Aux Out or Monitor Send to your laptop's 3.5mm microphone input (or use a USB audio interface like a Focusrite Scarlett Solo for better quality).
  • 2
    Set your laptop's input device to the audio interface or line-in port (System Preferences → Sound → Input on Mac; Settings → Sound → Input on Windows).
  • 3
    In Chrome, allow microphone access for the SpeakCast tab. If Chrome shows a blocked mic icon, see the Troubleshooting section.
  • 4
    Start your session and do a test — have someone speak into the mic and confirm translation appears on screen.
  • 5
    Adjust the gain on your mixer's Aux send so the laptop receives a clean signal — not too hot (clipping) or too quiet.
Ask your sound engineer to set the Aux send to pre-fader so the laptop level is independent of the main PA volume.
💻
Built-in Laptop Mic
Simplest setup — no extra hardware needed
🎤 Your Voice  →  Laptop Built-in Mic  →  Chrome → SpeakCast
                                                                    ↓
                                                   📱 Listeners' phones
  • 1
    Place the laptop near you — within 2–3 feet for best recognition accuracy.
  • 2
    Speak clearly and at a consistent volume. The built-in mic works best in quieter rooms.
  • 3
    Avoid laptop fan noise — make sure the laptop is cool and well-ventilated. Fan noise can confuse speech recognition.
  • 4
    For larger rooms, consider a USB desktop microphone (Blue Yeti, Samson Q2U) for much better pickup distance.
Built-in mics struggle in large reverberant rooms (like sanctuaries). If translation accuracy is low, consider a USB mic or PA tap.
📡
Wireless Lapel / Handheld Mic
Maximum freedom of movement for the speaker
🎤 Wireless Mic  →  Receiver Unit  →  USB Audio Interface  →  Laptop → SpeakCast
  • 1
    Plug the wireless receiver's output (usually a 1/4" or XLR connector) into a USB audio interface (Focusrite Scarlett Solo, ~$120) or a direct XLR-to-USB adapter.
  • 2
    Set Chrome to use the USB audio interface as its microphone source. Some systems auto-detect it; others need manual selection in Chrome's microphone settings.
  • 3
    Check for latency — wireless systems add a small delay. SpeakCast's translation latency is separate from this, so total delay is still typically 1–3 seconds.
If you already have a wireless mic going into a PA, use the PA tap method instead (see Church / PA System above) — that's simpler than a separate audio interface.
🏢
Conference Room / Meeting
Works great for small group Bible studies, meetings, one-on-one
  • 1
    Use a USB conference mic (like a Jabra Speak or Anker PowerConf) for room-wide pickup. These have better noise cancellation than built-in mics.
  • 2
    Place the mic centrally if multiple people will speak.
  • 3
    Listeners can sit in the same room and just keep their phone volume low — the translation plays in their earbuds, not out loud.
  • 4
    For one-on-one conversations, simply pass the mic between speakers (though only the session owner can broadcast).

🎧 Listener Setup

Listeners need no account and no download. Here's what to tell them:

  1. Open http://speakcast.app/ (or your custom domain) in any browser on their phone
  2. Tap "I'm a Listener"
  3. Choose their language from the dropdown
  4. Enter the 4-digit session code you give them
  5. Tap Join Session
  6. Immediately tap "🔊 Tap to test audio" — this unlocks audio on their phone
  7. Put on headphones and listen
Have listeners test the audio button before the service starts. Once that's done, audio plays automatically for the entire session.
iOS Safari requires the user to tap something on the page before audio can play automatically. The "Test Audio" button handles this — make sure listeners tap it.

🔧 Troubleshooting

ProblemCauseFix
Mic grayed out in Chrome Chrome blocks mic on HTTP pages Use the HTTPS URL (e.g. speakcast.app). Or on desktop: go to chrome://flags/#unsafely-treat-insecure-origin-as-secure, add your URL, relaunch Chrome.
"Microphone not allowed" Chrome remembered a previous block Click the 🔒 lock icon in the address bar → Site Settings → Microphone → Allow. Refresh the page.
No audio on listener's phone Browser autoplay policy blocks audio Listener must tap the "🔊 Tap to test audio" button first. This unlocks audio for the session.
Translation is slow or inaccurate Poor internet connection or background noise Ensure both devices have strong WiFi/data. Reduce background noise. Speak clearly with brief natural pauses.
Phone screen goes dark mid-session Wake lock not supported or permission denied Go to phone Settings → Display → Screen Timeout → set to "Never" for the duration of the service. The green "Screen will stay awake" badge confirms Wake Lock is active.
Listener only hears future messages after unlocking phone Screen went dark despite wake lock Set the listener's phone screen timeout to the maximum (or "Never") as a backup. Some older Android phones don't support Wake Lock API.
Wrong voice or no Spanish voice Device doesn't have Spanish TTS voices installed Android: Settings → General Management → Language → Text-to-Speech → install Google Spanish. iOS: Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Voices → Spanish.
Translation stops mid-session Speech recognition timed out Tap STOP, then START SPEAKING again. If this happens often, keep speaking steadily — long silences can cause the recognizer to stop.
"Session not found" error for listener Session code expired or speaker disconnected Speaker must have the session open and active. Have the speaker refresh the page and share a new code.
Session code not working on Safari Safari iOS compatibility Listeners should use any browser on iOS. Speech recognition (speaker role) requires Chrome desktop — Safari on Mac also works for listeners only.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How many listeners can join at once? ▾
There is no hard limit built into SpeakCast. In practice, the number of listeners is limited only by your server capacity. For typical church use (10–200 people), performance should be excellent.
Does the listener need the same app or URL? ▾
Yes — listeners open the same URL as the speaker (your SpeakCast app address). They don't need to download anything, create an account, or pay. Just the URL and the session code.
How much delay is there between what I say and what listeners hear? ▾
Typically 1–3 seconds. SpeakCast translates on sentence breaks (periods, question marks, natural pauses) rather than waiting for full paragraphs. On a good internet connection, most users experience about 1.5 seconds of delay — close enough that body language still matches.
What languages can listeners choose? ▾
Currently: Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin), Tagalog (Filipino), Vietnamese, and Arabic. These cover the top 5 languages spoken by immigrants in the United States. More languages can be added — contact us if you need a specific language.
Does it work on iPhones? ▾
Listeners: Yes, iPhones work great as listener devices in any browser. Speakers: Safari on iOS does not support the Web Speech API (microphone/speech recognition). The speaker role requires Google Chrome on a Mac or Windows computer.
Can multiple people be speakers in the same session? ▾
Currently one active speaker per session. If a second person needs to speak, they would either need their own account and session, or you can pass the laptop between speakers and use the same session.
Is translation accurate? ▾
Translation is powered by the MyMemory API, which uses professional translation data. Quality is good for everyday speech, sermons, announcements, and conversational content. For highly technical or theological terminology, some words may be translated literally rather than contextually. Speak in clear, complete sentences for best results.
Is my voice data stored anywhere? ▾
Your voice is processed locally in your browser by the Web Speech API (Google Chrome's built-in service). SpeakCast only receives the transcribed text, not audio recordings. Text chunks are sent to the translation API for conversion and then broadcast to listeners. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
Can I use a wireless microphone? ▾
Yes. Connect the wireless receiver to your laptop via a USB audio interface (like a Focusrite Scarlett Solo) or a 3.5mm adapter. Then set Chrome to use that input as the microphone. Alternatively, tap the PA system — see the Church/PA setup scenario above.
What happens if the internet goes out mid-service? ▾
Translation requires an active internet connection. If the connection drops, the speech recognizer and translation API will stop working. Listeners will see a "Speaker disconnected" message. The session resumes automatically if the connection is restored and the speaker is still on the page.
Can I cancel my subscription? ▾
Yes, at any time from your Account page. Your access continues until the end of the current billing period.

🌐 Browser Support

Device / BrowserSpeaker RoleListener Role
Chrome (Mac/Windows)✅ Full support✅ Full support
Edge (Windows)✅ Full support✅ Full support
Safari (Mac)⚠️ Limited (may work)✅ Full support
Chrome (Android)⚠️ May work with HTTPS✅ Full support
Safari (iPhone/iPad)❌ Not supported✅ Full support
Firefox❌ Not supported✅ Full support
For the speaker role, always use Google Chrome on a Mac or Windows computer for the most reliable experience.