Hedy System Requirements

If Hedy won’t install, won’t launch, or behaves unexpectedly, the first thing to check is whether your device meets the minimum requirements. Hedy uses modern OS APIs for audio capture, on-device AI, and background operation — older systems can’t support these reliably.

Minimum Supported Versions

Hedy is not available as a native app for Linux, ChromeOS without the Play Store, or Windows 7/8. A web companion at web.hedy.ai lets you view, share, and manage existing sessions in any modern browser, but audio capture and transcription require one of the supported native apps above.

Every Platform Is a Full Release

All of Hedy’s apps are generally available. None of them is a beta, preview, or early-access build. The Windows app is a full release and has been since 2025. It is not in beta, and it has the same feature set as the macOS app: real-time transcription, live AI suggestions, summaries and detailed notes, topics, custom contexts and vocabularies, post-session chat, Local AI Processing, and system audio capture from Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet.

Platform differences come from what each operating system allows, not from one app being less finished than another. For example, macOS needs a Screen Recording permission to capture system audio while Windows does not, and on-device speaker labels appear live on Apple hardware but at the end of the session on Windows and Android. Pricing is identical on every platform.

How to Check Your iPhone or iPad Version

1. Open Settings

2. Tap General > About

3. Look for iOS Version (or iPadOS Version)

If you’re below iOS 17, open Settings > General > Software Update to upgrade.

How to Check Your Mac Version

1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen

2. Choose About This Mac

3. The macOS version appears next to the macOS logo (e.g., “macOS Sonoma 14.2”)

If you’re below macOS 14.2, open System Settings > General > Software Update to upgrade.

Note for Intel Macs: Hedy runs on both Apple Silicon (M-series) and Intel Macs as long as the OS meets the 14.2 minimum. Local AI Processing, however, requires Apple Silicon and isn’t available on Intel Macs, so on an Intel Mac Hedy uses cloud AI for analysis.

How to Check Your Android Version

1. Open Settings

2. Tap About phone (or About device)

3. Look for Android version

Path names vary slightly by manufacturer. On Samsung, the section is usually called Software information.

If you’re below Android 12, check Settings > System > Software update for available upgrades. Note that not all phones receive ongoing OS updates — if your manufacturer no longer supports your device, you may need a newer phone to run Hedy.

How to Check Your Windows Version

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog

2. Type winver and press Enter

3. A window appears showing your Windows version and build number

You need Windows 10 version 1809 (build 17763) or later, or any version of Windows 11. To upgrade, open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update (Windows 10) or Settings > Windows Update (Windows 11).

Windows also needs the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime (2015-2022, x64). Hedy’s on-device speech engine loads it when you start a session, not when the app opens. The installer carries its own copy and installs it for you when your PC doesn’t already have a recent enough version, so this is not something you need to get beforehand. It does ask for administrator permission when it runs.

If your Windows version qualifies but the installer still fails, work through download and installation issues on Windows. If Hedy installs but transcription is very slow, check the Windows GPU settings.

Why These Minimums?

Hedy depends on OS features that older versions don’t have:

• iOS 17: Required for the on-device speech and AI frameworks Hedy uses for low-latency transcription on Apple Silicon devices.

• macOS 14.2: Required by the macOS audio capture plugin Hedy uses to capture system audio during virtual meetings (Zoom, Teams, Meet). Earlier macOS versions don’t expose the CoreAudio APIs Hedy depends on.

• Android 12 (API 31): Required for modern foreground service rules that keep audio capture reliable in the background, plus the audio APIs needed for high-quality capture.

• Windows 10 build 17763+: Required for the Windows audio APIs (WASAPI loopback) Hedy uses to capture meeting audio reliably. Hedy is built against the Windows 10 19041 SDK, so some features run better on newer Windows versions, but 17763 is the binding minimum enforced by the installer.

Running Hedy on unsupported versions may appear to work in some cases, but audio capture, transcription, or background operation will be unreliable, and we cannot offer support.

Still having trouble? If your device meets these minimums and Hedy still isn’t working, contact us through the chat widget with your OS version and device model.