The push-to-talk dictation key bound to Fn / Globe works correctly on the built-in MacBook keyboard, but does not work on external (international / USB / 2.4G / Bluetooth) keyboards due to macOS and hardware limitations around the Fn key.
Because of this, users are forced to use a single modifier key, which is unreliable and conflicts with existing shortcuts.
The app needs support for multi-key shortcuts (e.g. Cmd + Ctrl, Cmd + D) to be usable with external keyboards.
Technical Explanation (important – this shows you know what you’re talking about)
On macOS:
-
The Globe (🌐) key is a hardware-level Apple-only key
-
On MacBooks, Globe is internally implemented on top of the Fn key and generates a special event
-
On external keyboards, the Fn key:
- Is handled at firmware level
- Does not emit reliable keyDown / keyUp events
- Cannot be consistently captured by third-party apps
-
Even system tools (and apps like Jarvis) show warnings such as:
“Push-to-talk behavior varies by keyboard/settings”
As a result:
Fn / Globe works on Apple keyboardsFn fails silently on external keyboards- This is a known macOS limitation, not a user configuration issue
🔁 Steps to Reproduce
-
Open Jarvis
-
Set Dictation Key → Function (fn)
-
Use built-in MacBook keyboard
- Hold Fn / Globe → Dictation works
-
Connect an external keyboard (USB / Bluetooth / 2.4G)
-
Hold Fn key
Expected Behavior
Users should be able to reliably trigger push-to-talk dictation regardless of keyboard hardware.
Actual Behavior
Fn / Globe works only on Apple keyboards.
External keyboards cannot trigger dictation due to OS-level limitations.
💡 Proposed Solution (this is the key ask)
Please add support for custom multi-key shortcuts for push-to-talk, such as:
Command + ControlCommand + OptionCommand + DControl + Space- Any user-defined key combination
Why this solves the problem
- Modifier combinations generate reliable keyDown / keyUp events
- No dependency on Fn / Globe
- No conflict with firmware-level keys
- Works across all keyboards
- Matches how professional apps (IDE, DAWs, screen recorders) handle push-to-talk
Workarounds (current state)
-
Using Option, Control, or Command alone works
-
But this causes:
- Shortcut conflicts
- Accidental triggers
- Poor ergonomics
-
Multi-key support would eliminate these issues completely
Environment
Closing
This is not a request to “fix Fn”.
This is a request to work around macOS’s known Fn/Globe limitations by allowing multi-key shortcut bindings, which would immediately solve the issue for all external keyboard users.
The push-to-talk dictation key bound to
Fn / Globeworks correctly on the built-in MacBook keyboard, but does not work on external (international / USB / 2.4G / Bluetooth) keyboards due to macOS and hardware limitations around the Fn key.Because of this, users are forced to use a single modifier key, which is unreliable and conflicts with existing shortcuts.
The app needs support for multi-key shortcuts (e.g.
Cmd + Ctrl,Cmd + D) to be usable with external keyboards.Technical Explanation (important – this shows you know what you’re talking about)
On macOS:
The Globe (🌐) key is a hardware-level Apple-only key
On MacBooks, Globe is internally implemented on top of the Fn key and generates a special event
On external keyboards, the Fn key:
Even system tools (and apps like Jarvis) show warnings such as:
As a result:
Fn / Globeworks on Apple keyboardsFnfails silently on external keyboards🔁 Steps to Reproduce
Open Jarvis
Set Dictation Key → Function (fn)
Use built-in MacBook keyboard
Connect an external keyboard (USB / Bluetooth / 2.4G)
Hold Fn key
Expected Behavior
Users should be able to reliably trigger push-to-talk dictation regardless of keyboard hardware.
Actual Behavior
Fn / Globe works only on Apple keyboards.
External keyboards cannot trigger dictation due to OS-level limitations.
💡 Proposed Solution (this is the key ask)
Please add support for custom multi-key shortcuts for push-to-talk, such as:
Command + ControlCommand + OptionCommand + DControl + SpaceWhy this solves the problem
Workarounds (current state)
Using
Option,Control, orCommandalone worksBut this causes:
Multi-key support would eliminate these issues completely
Environment
macOS: (fill your version)
Keyboard:
Jarvis version: (fill version)
Closing
This is not a request to “fix Fn”.
This is a request to work around macOS’s known Fn/Globe limitations by allowing multi-key shortcut bindings, which would immediately solve the issue for all external keyboard users.