Tap the mic on the deck and say it the way you'd say it — SofaDeck 1.0.8 understands 40,000+ phrasings offline, plus every button, app and game you add. Here are the highlights; say “what can I say” on your phone for the full searchable list.
Direct installer .exe · 3.7 MB Store version signed by Microsoft No account Local network only Signed updatesSofaDeck installs on your Windows PC. Your phone is the remote — it works in the phone’s browser.One email from support@dixonappstudio.com. No list unless you tick the box. PrivacyOr on your PC, go to sofadeck.com/get
"new tab / close the tab / reopen the tab / tab 3"
Tab control in any browser (Pro).
"refresh / zoom in / go back a page / scroll down"
Page control; scrolling and single keys are free.
"copy / paste / undo / select all / save"
Editing shortcuts (Pro).
Typing
Say
What happens
"type <words> / dictate <words>"
Types the words into the focused window, keeping your capitals.
"press enter / never mind / new line"
Taps a single key. Combos like "press alt f4" need Pro.
PC and SofaDeck
Say
What happens
"lock the PC / screen off / screen off and stay ready"
Locks Windows, turns the display off, or keeps the PC awake with the screen dark.
"sleep / restart / shut down"
Always asks you to confirm on the phone first.
"sleep in 30 minutes / cancel the sleep timer"
Sleep timer.
"how's my PC doing / open the trackpad / presenter mode"
PC stats, the phone trackpad and other SofaDeck screens.
"open Spotify then volume 40"
Chain up to four commands with "then".
"what can I say"
Opens the full, searchable list on your phone.
Tips for reliable voice control
Name buttons like you'd say them. "Start Stream" beats "OBS-REC-1". Two or three distinct words are easiest to recognise.
Avoid near-duplicates. "Game mode" and "Gain mode" will get confused; rename one.
Tap, then speak. Start talking as soon as the listening screen appears; it stops by itself when you pause.
Close is fine, shouting isn't. Hold the phone at chat distance; speech recognition prefers a normal voice.
Check the transcript. The deck shows what it heard, so you can see whether a miss was the recognition or the command.
How it works
Speech recognition happens in your phone's browser, using the same engine as the phone's keyboard dictation, and SofaDeck receives the text (with the engine's runner-up guesses). If the browser can't recognise speech, the phone sends a short clip to your Windows PC, which recognises it offline. The PC then matches the text — your button labels and custom phrases first, then the built-in catalogue (generated from synonyms, so "turn it up", "louder" and "crank it up" all work), your apps and games, websites and searches — and runs the match. Misheard words snap to the closest command ("nest song" → next song). Nothing is recorded or kept.
If you'd rather keep your PC fully hands-free without a phone, Windows 11 has its own Voice Access feature. Our guide on controlling your PC with your voice compares the two and explains when each is the better fit, and our list of voice commands for Windows covers Voice access, Speech Recognition and voice typing (Win+H) side by side.
Voice questions
Does SofaDeck listen all the time?
No. It only listens after you tap the microphone button, for one command. There is no always-on wake word. The PC's own microphone is used only if you tap the mic on the PC's Deck page.
Where is my voice processed?
Normally your phone's browser does the speech-to-text with the phone's built-in speech service (on many phones that runs in Google's or Apple's cloud) and SofaDeck receives only the text. When the phone can't recognise speech, SofaDeck 1.0.8+ sends a short clip over your home network to your Windows PC, which recognises it offline with Windows speech recognition. Nothing is stored.
How many commands does SofaDeck understand?
More than 40,000 built-in phrasings in version 1.0.8 — many ways of saying each command, plus 90 websites, 30 search targets, Windows apps, folders and Settings pages — and every button, app and game you add. Say "what can I say" on the phone for the full, searchable list.
The microphone button does nothing. What do I check?
SofaDeck 1.0.8 shows the exact fix for your device when the microphone is blocked. Android: allow the microphone for the site (icon left of the address bar → Permissions) and for the Google app (Settings → Apps → Google → Permissions). iPhone: Settings → General → Keyboard → Enable Dictation, and aA → Website Settings → Microphone → Allow; home-screen web apps can't use speech, so open the page in Safari or use the PC's offline recogniser. Windows PC: Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone → turn on Microphone access, Let apps access your microphone and Let desktop apps access your microphone.
Can I add my own voice commands?
Every button can be triggered by saying its label, in Free and Pro. SofaDeck Pro also lets you add extra phrases for any button.
