Helping a family member?

Turn on the microphone for Katha

Katha can’t record a story without permission to use the microphone. If the phone asked and the answer was no, you can turn it on in Settings. Do these steps on the phone that has Katha.

On that phone, Katha shows a screen that says Microphone needs your permission, or a helper screen with a QR code for this page. The words may be in another language.

Four steps

  1. 1

    Tap ‘Open Settings’

    It is the button near the bottom of the Katha screen. It opens Katha’s page in the phone’s Settings.

  2. 2

    Find ‘Permissions’ or ‘App permissions’

    Tap it. You may need to scroll down a little.

  3. 3

    Turn on the microphone

    Tap Microphone, then choose Allow only while using the app. On some phones it just says Allow, or there is a switch to turn on.

  4. 4

    Come back to Katha when you’re done

    Katha’s help screen closes by itself once the microphone is on. Then tap the big Record button to start the story.

Another way: from the phone’s Settings

Use this if Katha is closed or you can’t see the Open Settings button. The names differ a little from phone to phone.

  1. Open the phone’s Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps (on some phones, Apps & notifications).
  3. Tap Katha. If it isn’t in the list, tap See all apps, or type Katha into the search bar at the top of Settings.
  4. Tap Permissions (or App permissions).
  5. Tap Microphone, then choose Allow only while using the app.
  6. Go back to Katha and tap the big Record button.

If the phone has stopped asking

If Don’t allow was tapped twice, or Don’t ask again was chosen on an older phone, Android stops asking. Tapping Record in Katha will not bring the question back.

Nothing is broken. Settings is now the only place to turn the microphone on, and the steps above still work.

If the help screen is still there

Then the microphone is still off. Go through step 3 again and choose Allow only while using the app, not Ask every time.

Why Katha needs the microphone

To record a story, Katha needs permission to use the microphone. It uses the microphone only while someone is recording, after they tap to start. It does not listen at any other time.

Our Privacy Policy explains how recordings are stored and shared.

Still stuck?

Email us. Tell us the make and model of the phone, and what you see on the screen.

kathalabs.help@gmail.com