diff --git a/public/icons/icon-voicechat-96x96.png b/public/icons/icon-voicechat-96x96.png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dbf8c589d
Binary files /dev/null and b/public/icons/icon-voicechat-96x96.png differ
diff --git a/public/manifest.json b/public/manifest.json
index dd998673d..a2bf3fcf9 100644
--- a/public/manifest.json
+++ b/public/manifest.json
@@ -66,6 +66,18 @@
           "type": "image/png"
         }
       ]
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "New Voice Chat",
+      "url": "/?newChat=voiceInput",
+      "description": "Start a new chat with voice input",
+      "icons": [
+        {
+          "src": "/icons/icon-voicechat-96x96.png",
+          "sizes": "96x96",
+          "type": "image/png"
+        }
+      ]
     }
   ]
 }
diff --git a/src/apps/chat/AppChat.tsx b/src/apps/chat/AppChat.tsx
index 9d692104d..5dca3ec93 100644
--- a/src/apps/chat/AppChat.tsx
+++ b/src/apps/chat/AppChat.tsx
@@ -61,7 +61,8 @@ export const CHAT_NOVEL_TITLE = 'Chat';
 
 
 export interface AppChatIntent {
-  initialConversationId: string | null;
+  initialConversationId?: string;
+  newChat?: 'voiceInput';
 }
 
 const scrollToBottomSx = {
@@ -200,23 +201,6 @@ export function AppChat() {
       showNextTitleChange.current = true;
   }, [navigateHistoryInFocusedPane]);
 
-  // [effect] Handle the initial conversation intent
-  React.useEffect(() => {
-    if (Release.IsNodeDevBuild && intent.initialConversationId === 'null')
-      return openConversationInFocusedPane(null! /* for debugging purporse */);
-    intent.initialConversationId && openConversationInFocusedPane(intent.initialConversationId);
-  }, [intent.initialConversationId, openConversationInFocusedPane]);
-
-  // [effect] Show snackbar with the focused chat title after a history navigation in focused pane
-  React.useEffect(() => {
-    if (showNextTitleChange.current) {
-      showNextTitleChange.current = false;
-      const title = (focusedChatNumber >= 0 ? `#${focusedChatNumber + 1} · ` : '') + (focusedChatTitle || 'New Chat');
-      const id = addSnackbar({ key: 'focused-title', message: title, type: 'center-title' });
-      return () => removeSnackbar(id);
-    }
-  }, [focusedChatNumber, focusedChatTitle]);
-
 
   // Execution
 
@@ -485,6 +469,32 @@ export function AppChat() {
   useSetOptimaAppMenu(focusedMenuItems, 'AppChat');
 
 
+  // Effects
+
+  // [effect] Handle the conversation intent
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    // Debug: open a null chat
+    if (Release.IsNodeDevBuild && intent.initialConversationId === 'null')
+      openConversationInFocusedPane(null! /* for debugging purporse */);
+    // Open the initial conversation if set
+    else if (intent.initialConversationId)
+      openConversationInFocusedPane(intent.initialConversationId);
+    // Create a new chat if requested
+    else if (intent.newChat !== undefined)
+      handleConversationNewInFocusedPane(false, false);
+  }, [handleConversationNewInFocusedPane, intent.initialConversationId, intent.newChat, openConversationInFocusedPane]);
+
+  // [effect] Show snackbar with the focused chat title after a history navigation in focused pane
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    if (showNextTitleChange.current) {
+      showNextTitleChange.current = false;
+      const title = (focusedChatNumber >= 0 ? `#${focusedChatNumber + 1} · ` : '') + (focusedChatTitle || 'New Chat');
+      const id = addSnackbar({ key: 'focused-title', message: title, type: 'center-title' });
+      return () => removeSnackbar(id);
+    }
+  }, [focusedChatNumber, focusedChatTitle]);
+
+
   // Shortcuts
 
   const handleOpenChatLlmOptions = React.useCallback(() => {
diff --git a/src/apps/chat/components/composer/Composer.tsx b/src/apps/chat/components/composer/Composer.tsx
index cba326b78..cf270b64c 100644
--- a/src/apps/chat/components/composer/Composer.tsx
+++ b/src/apps/chat/components/composer/Composer.tsx
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import SendIcon from '@mui/icons-material/Send';
 import StopOutlinedIcon from '@mui/icons-material/StopOutlined';
 import TelegramIcon from '@mui/icons-material/Telegram';
 
+import type { AppChatIntent } from '../../AppChat';
 import { useChatAutoSuggestAttachmentPrompts, useChatMicTimeoutMsValue } from '../../store-app-chat';
 
 import { useAgiAttachmentPrompts } from '~/modules/aifn/agiattachmentprompts/useAgiAttachmentPrompts';
@@ -36,7 +37,7 @@ import { createTextContentFragment, DMessageAttachmentFragment, DMessageContentF
 import { estimateTextTokens, glueForMessageTokens, marshallWrapDocFragments } from '~/common/stores/chat/chat.tokens';
 import { getConversation, isValidConversation, useChatStore } from '~/common/stores/chat/store-chats';
 import { getModelParameterValueOrThrow } from '~/common/stores/llms/llms.parameters';
-import { launchAppCall } from '~/common/app.routes';
+import { launchAppCall, removeQueryParam, useRouterQuery } from '~/common/app.routes';
 import { lineHeightTextareaMd } from '~/common/app.theme';
 import { optimaOpenPreferences } from '~/common/layout/optima/useOptima';
 import { platformAwareKeystrokes } from '~/common/components/KeyStroke';
@@ -125,6 +126,7 @@ export function Composer(props: {
 
   // external state
   const { showPromisedOverlay } = useOverlayComponents();
+  const { newChat: appChatNewChatIntent } = useRouterQuery<Partial<AppChatIntent>>();
   const { labsAttachScreenCapture, labsCameraDesktop, labsShowCost, labsShowShortcutBar } = useUXLabsStore(useShallow(state => ({
     labsAttachScreenCapture: state.labsAttachScreenCapture,
     labsCameraDesktop: state.labsCameraDesktop,
@@ -398,6 +400,14 @@ export function Composer(props: {
     });
   }, [speechInterimResult]);
 
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    // auto-start the microphone if appChat was created with a particular intent
+    if (appChatNewChatIntent === 'voiceInput') {
+      toggleRecognition();
+      void removeQueryParam('newChat');
+    }
+  }, [appChatNewChatIntent, toggleRecognition]);
+
 
   // Other send actins
 
diff --git a/src/common/app.routes.ts b/src/common/app.routes.ts
index d076c6b6d..cef1afe03 100644
--- a/src/common/app.routes.ts
+++ b/src/common/app.routes.ts
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ export async function launchAppChat(conversationId?: DConversationId) {
       pathname: ROUTE_APP_CHAT,
       query: !conversationId ? undefined : {
         initialConversationId: conversationId,
+        // newChat?: 'voiceInput',
       } satisfies AppChatIntent,
     },
     ROUTE_APP_CHAT,
@@ -97,4 +98,19 @@ export function launchAppCall(conversationId: string, personaId: string) {
     },
     // ROUTE_APP_CALL,
   ).then();
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
+
+/// Query Params utilities
+
+export function removeQueryParam(key: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  const newQuery = { ...Router.query };
+  delete newQuery[key];
+  return Router.replace({ pathname: Router.pathname, query: newQuery }, undefined, { shallow: true });
+}
+
+/*export function removeQueryParams(keysToRemove: string[]): Promise<boolean> {
+  const newQuery = { ...Router.query };
+  keysToRemove.forEach(key => delete newQuery[key]);
+  return Router.replace({ pathname: Router.pathname, query: newQuery }, undefined, { shallow: true });
+}*/