Voice Chat on SoulrisAI — Cost, Limits and Fixing Common Problems
How voice chat is billed
Voice chat adds two things on top of an ordinary chat message, and each is billed separately from your wallet:
- Your recording. Speech-to-text is billed by how long your recording is.
- The spoken reply. Reading the AI's answer aloud is billed by how many characters are actually spoken, which is why shorter spoken replies cost less.
The AI's written reply is charged exactly as it would be in a normal chat, according to the tier or model you chose. Because every voice turn is made of those pieces, the voice cost is shown to you as it's charged rather than hidden inside one number. If you've ever wondered why money is set aside first and settled afterwards, holds vs. settlement explains it, and you can see each charge in your transaction history.
Why voice isn't on the free tier
Speech processing costs money on every single message, so voice chat needs a funded wallet. On the free tier you'll be asked to deposit instead. The reasoning is the same as for attachments, explained in why the free tier excludes attachments and premium models.
Limits to know about
- Recording length. There's a maximum length for one spoken message. If you go over, the app tells you the limit and asks you to send something shorter.
- Very short or silent recordings. On the web app, a recording with no speech in it, or an accidental tap, is thrown away before it's uploaded, so you aren't billed for it.
- Upload speed limits. Recordings can only be sent so many times per minute and per day. Normal conversation never gets near this, but a stuck button pressed repeatedly can. If you hit it, wait a moment and try again.
- Long spoken replies. If a reply is very long, the spoken version may stop at a cap. When that happens the app tells you, and the full text is always in the chat.
One thing worth knowing about billing
Once your recording has been accepted and turned into text, that step is billed even if you close the voice screen straight away. Closing the screen stops playback and stops listening, but it can't cancel a message the system has already started working on. If you tap stop while a reply is playing, the audio stops on your device, but the reply was still produced, so it's still billed and stays available to replay from your chat.
Fixing common problems
"Microphone access is blocked"
Your browser has remembered a past Deny. Open the site settings for SoulrisAI in your browser (usually the padlock icon next to the address), set Microphone to Allow, then reload the page. On a phone, check the microphone permission for the browser or app in your phone's settings.
"No microphone was found" or "Couldn't start the microphone"
Plug in or enable a microphone, and close other apps that might be using it, such as a video call. Then try again.
"This browser can't record audio"
Some very old or restricted browsers can't record. Update your browser or switch to a current one such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
"Couldn't upload that recording" or "Couldn't process that recording"
This is almost always a temporary problem. Try the message again. If it keeps happening, check your internet connection, and if it still fails, contact support and mention the time it happened.
"Didn't catch that"
SoulrisAI didn't hear speech. Speak a little closer to the microphone, or check you're not muted. In hands-free mode, two of these in a row pause listening and bring you back to tap-to-talk.
The reply doesn't play by itself
Some browsers, especially on iPhone, only allow audio after a tap. If that happens you'll see a Play reply button: tap it and the answer plays.
"Insufficient balance"
You need more wallet balance for the message. Top up and say it again. Your wallet balance is checked before a voice message is processed, so you aren't charged for something that couldn't complete. See insufficient balance mid-chat for how to top up without losing your place.
My spoken reply stopped partway
If your balance ran low, the reply may have been shortened. Why a reply sometimes stops early covers it.
Where to go next
If you haven't tried it yet, start with how to use voice chat. Prefer to type for now? How to start a chat covers the basics.