"No spoken audio" error when transcribing a file

Last updated: September 25, 2026

If you see a "No spoken audio" error after uploading a recording to CoLoop, this article explains why it happens and how to fix it. The error may appear inside a longer message that includes "defaultMessage":"No spoken audio.".

Why this happens

"No spoken audio" means CoLoop couldn't detect any speech in the file, so it can't transcribe it. When our support team checked files that showed this error, they usually found a problem with the original recording:

  • The recording is silent. There is no sound you can hear.

  • The recording only plays white noise, with no speech.

  • The file is a very short clip, just a few seconds long, with no audio in it.

  • The file didn't upload properly or is corrupted.

How to fix it

  1. Find the original file you uploaded (the raw recording) and play it on your computer with the sound on.

  2. Listen for speech. If you hear silence or only white noise, the recording itself has no speech, and CoLoop won't be able to transcribe it. Check with whoever made the recording whether there is another copy with sound. [needs confirmation]

  3. If you can hear speech, upload the file to CoLoop again. As long as the file isn't corrupted and has audio, CoLoop will be able to transcribe it.

If that doesn't work

If the file plays with clear speech on your computer but still shows "No spoken audio" after you upload it again, contact support@coloop.ai. Include the resource ID and the correlation ID (it starts with req_) from the error message. [needs confirmation]

Recorded at a research facility? We've seen facility recordings that play normally but show "No spoken audio" because the facility had its audio channel wires mixed up. Our support team can correct these files and upload them again for you. If one file from a facility has this problem, the other files from that facility will probably have it too, so let support know how many files from that facility you expect to upload.

Good to know

  • Your other files may be fine. When one file shows this error, the other files in the same upload have often transcribed and are just waiting for you. Click Review on a file to see what CoLoop has understood, then confirm and name your speakers. Some files may also ask you to confirm the number of speakers or to choose to proceed with the length of the file.

  • Using a facility? Run a sound check before your sessions, or bring your own recording device. [needs confirmation]

  • Seeing a different error? If the message says "No audio streams found" or that the file may be corrupted, see My audio or video file hasn't uploaded correctly?