Scam With Your Friends settings: speech, call recording and AI keys

What is in the Speech tab?

Update 0.1.78 (patch notes posted October 19, 2026; announced in Discord on October 18) added a dedicated Speech settings tab. It holds:

• Call language: the language you speak with callers.
• Speech recognition: how your voice is turned into text. The choices are below.
• Qwen3 TTS: the higher-quality caller voices.
• Automatic microphone leveling: on by default since Update 0.1.73. Turn it off to set the phone's mic level yourself from 50% to 200%.
• Caller filler words: optional filler phrases in caller speech.

Whisper, Moonshine or Deepgram?

The 0.1.78 notes say the built-in recognition stays available and is recommended for English and Spanish. The game also switches on its own:

• PCs without AVX (0.1.78) or AVX2 (0.1.82) use Moonshine automatically for supported languages.
• If Whisper fails to load or recognize speech, supported languages switch to Moonshine for that session without changing your saved choice (0.1.82). Whisper startup and recognition now time out after 15 seconds.

Qwen3 TTS needs a strong PC

Hotfix 3 (October 16) made Qwen3 TTS require a compatible GPU. The 0.1.78 notes fixed it rejecting PCs whose usable memory was slightly below an advertised 16 GB RAM or 8 GB graphics memory, which shows roughly where the bar sits. If Qwen3 takes more than 20 seconds to start speaking, the game uses its other voice system for that session and keeps your saved preference. Since 0.1.82 a failed Qwen3 setup no longer blocks hosting or joining. It is not available on Windows ARM or Snapdragon PCs. On launch day the developers asked non-English players to let the Qwen3 download finish on the main menu.

Call recordings and privacy

The game records calls as video clips. Update 0.1.78 added Disable Call Saving: with it on, new recordings are no longer kept as permanent clips. The end-of-day boss review still uses temporary recordings, so recording does not stop entirely. Players report the saved clips land in Documents\Scam With Your Friends\Videos; see save files for that folder.

Other privacy-related settings from the patch notes:

• First-launch EULA and privacy notice (0.1.78). It explains online AI calls, local recordings, multiplayer sharing and browser privacy. Hosting, joining and Steam invites wait until you accept. Your acceptance is saved and you can reopen the terms from the main menu.
• EULA and Privacy Policy links in settings, plus language selection and browser privacy controls on the agreement screen (0.1.78). The official site links the same two documents.
• Browser privacy confirmation (Hotfix 2, October 16): the game asks before opening or restoring the in-game browser, and leaving your computer closes its browser session.

Family Friendly mode

Update 0.1.82 (October 19, 2026) strengthened Family Friendly mode. With it on:

• It applies to caller openings and ongoing conversations, including changes made during a call.
• The boss-review narration follows the host's Family Friendly setting.
• The in-game browser is blocked.
• Private caller photos in PrivateMail and AnyViewer are replaced with a placeholder; open photos refresh when the setting changes.

When the mode was first added and exactly what it filters word by word have not been announced.

Official Backend or your own OpenRouter key?

By default the AI callers run on the Official Backend. The developers said on launch day (October 15) that "unlimited AI usage is priced into the game for everyone" and that there is also a "bring your own AI key option so you can try any models you want". The Steam page lists OpenRouter as the third-party AI service.

Players report the setup works like this: the host creates an API key at openrouter.ai and pastes it into the game's settings, switching the AI backend away from the built-in one (thread 1, thread 2). The developers have not published a step-by-step guide.

• It is optional. You do not need a key to play.
• Since 0.1.78 the game shows a persistent warning when the host's personal OpenRouter key is missing or rejected, with instructions to replace it or switch back to Official Backend.
• What a key costs depends on your OpenRouter account; the patch notes do not cover pricing.

If you see "AI service temporarily unavailable", start with fixes: Update 0.1.82 improved AI reliability and recalibrated usage checks.

Deepgram speech recognition

Deepgram is an optional online speech recognition added in 0.1.78. You use your own Deepgram account and API key. Your speech audio goes directly to Deepgram, usage is charged to your Deepgram account, and the key stays saved on your computer. Since 0.1.82 a persistent warning appears when the key is missing or rejected. Built-in recognition remains available.

Controls and controller

• Steam lists full controller support, including DualShock and DualSense (since launch).
• Hot Fixes (October 15): stick drift no longer takes over the mouse; press a controller button to switch to controller input.
• Update 0.1.73 fixed incompatible saved keybindings that made button actions fail.
• Update 0.1.82 added an "I'm stuck" control hint to the HUD.
• Players report F being bound to both fart and the third-person toggle (thread).