Listening Window

The interval during which a voice assistant or speech-recognition system actively captures user audio after being activated (by wake word or button press). A short or fixed listening window causes premature cut-offs for users who pause while formulating speech — common for people with intellectual disabilities, stammers, dysarthria, cognitive load, or non-native fluency. Extending or dynamically adjusting the listening window (based on observed pause rate and speech rate) is a widely recommended accessibility modification. Exposing the listening window as an end-user-configurable setting, and providing a visible "still listening" cue, both improve usability for a wide range of users.