speech to text for apple

iPhone User Guide

• iPhone models compatible with iOS 17
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• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (3rd generation)
• iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 15 Plus
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• Setup basics
• Make your iPhone your own
• Take great photos and videos
• Keep in touch with friends and family
• Share features with your family
• Use iPhone for your daily routines
• Expert advice from Apple Support
• What’s new in iOS 17
• Turn on and set up iPhone
• Wake, unlock, and lock
• Set up cellular service
• Use Dual SIM
• Connect to the internet
• Sign in with Apple ID
• Subscribe to iCloud+
• Find settings
• Set up mail, contacts, and calendar accounts
• Learn the meaning of the status icons
• Charge the battery
• Charge with cleaner energy sources
• Show the battery percentage
• Check battery health and usage
• Use Low Power Mode
• Read and bookmark the user guide
• Learn basic gestures
• Learn gestures for iPhone models with Face ID
• Adjust the volume
• Silence iPhone
• Find your apps in App Library
• Switch between open apps
• Quit and reopen an app
• Multitask with Picture in Picture
• Access features from the Lock Screen
• Use the Dynamic Island
• Perform quick actions
• Search on iPhone
• Get information about your iPhone
• View or change cellular data settings
• Travel with iPhone
• Change sounds and vibrations
• Use the Action button on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
• Create a custom Lock Screen
• Change the wallpaper
• Adjust the screen brightness and color balance
• Keep the iPhone display on longer
• Use StandBy
• Customize the text size and zoom setting
• Change the name of your iPhone
• Change the date and time
• Change the language and region
• Organize your apps in folders
• Add, edit, and remove widgets
• Move apps and widgets on the Home Screen
• Remove or delete apps
• Use and customize Control Center
• Change or lock the screen orientation
• View and respond to notifications
• Change notification settings
• Set up a Focus
• Allow or silence notifications for a Focus
• Turn a Focus on or off
• Stay focused while driving
• Customize sharing options
• Type with the onscreen keyboard

Dictate text

• Select and edit text
• Use predictive text
• Use text replacements
• Add or change keyboards
• Add emoji and stickers
• Take a screenshot
• Take a screen recording
• Draw in documents
• Add text, shapes, signatures, and more
• Fill out forms and sign documents
• Use Live Text to interact with content in a photo or video
• Use Visual Look Up to identify objects in your photos and videos
• Lift a subject from the photo background
• Subscribe to Apple Arcade
• Play with friends in Game Center
• Connect a game controller
• Use App Clips
• Update apps
• View or cancel subscriptions
• Manage purchases, settings, and restrictions
• Install and manage fonts
• Buy books and audiobooks
• Annotate books
• Access books on other Apple devices
• Listen to audiobooks
• Set reading goals
• Organize books
• Create and edit events in Calendar
• Send invitations
• Reply to invitations
• Change how you view events
• Search for events
• Change calendar and event settings
• Schedule or display events in a different time zone
• Keep track of events
• Use multiple calendars
• Use the Holidays calendar
• Share iCloud calendars
• Camera basics
• Set up your shot
• Apply Photographic Styles
• Take Live Photos
• Take Burst mode shots
• Take a selfie
• Take panoramic photos
• Take macro photos and videos
• Take portraits
• Take Night mode photos
• Take Apple ProRAW photos
• Adjust the shutter volume
• Adjust HDR camera settings
• Record videos
• Record spatial videos for Apple Vision Pro
• Record ProRes videos
• Record videos in Cinematic mode
• Change video recording settings
• Save camera settings
• Customize the Main camera lens
• Change advanced camera settings
• View, share, and print photos
• Use Live Text
• Scan a QR code
• See the world clock
• Set an alarm
• Change the next wake up alarm
• Use the stopwatch
• Use multiple timers
• Add and use contact information
• Edit contacts
• Add your contact info
• Use NameDrop on iPhone to share your contact info
• Use other contact accounts
• Use Contacts from the Phone app
• Merge or hide duplicate contacts
• Export contacts
• Get started with FaceTime
• Make FaceTime calls
• Receive FaceTime calls
• Create a FaceTime link
• Take a Live Photo
• Turn on Live Captions in a FaceTime call
• Use other apps during a call
• Make a Group FaceTime call
• View participants in a grid
• Use SharePlay to watch, listen, and play together
• Share your screen in a FaceTime call
• Collaborate on a document in FaceTime
• Use video conferencing features
• Hand off a FaceTime call to another Apple device
• Change the FaceTime video settings
• Change the FaceTime audio settings
• Change your appearance
• Leave a call or switch to Messages
• Block unwanted callers
• Report a call as spam
• Connect external devices or servers
• Modify files, folders, and downloads
• Search for files and folders
• Organize files and folders
• Set up iCloud Drive
• Share files and folders in iCloud Drive
• Use an external storage device, a file server, or a cloud storage service
• Share your location
• Meet up with a friend
• Send your location via satellite
• Add or remove a friend
• Locate a friend
• Get notified when friends change their location
• Notify a friend when your location changes
• Turn off Find My
• Add your iPhone
• Add your iPhone Wallet with MagSafe
• Get notified if you leave a device behind
• Locate a device
• Mark a device as lost
• Erase a device
• Remove a device
• Add an AirTag
• Share an AirTag or other item in Find My on iPhone
• Add a third-party item
• Get notified if you leave an item behind
• Locate an item
• Mark an item as lost
• Remove an item
• Adjust map settings
• Get started with Fitness
• Track daily activity and change your move goal
• See your activity summary
• Sync a third-party workout app
• Change fitness notifications
• Share your activity
• Subscribe to Apple Fitness+
• Find Apple Fitness+ workouts and meditations
• Start an Apple Fitness+ workout or meditation
• Create a Custom Plan in Apple Fitness+
• Work out together using SharePlay
• Change what’s on the screen during an Apple Fitness+ workout or meditation
• Download an Apple Fitness+ workout or meditation
• Get started with Freeform
• Create a Freeform board
• Draw or handwrite
• Apply consistent styles
• Position items on a board
• Search Freeform boards
• Share and collaborate
• Delete and recover boards
• Get started with Health
• Fill out your Health Details
• Intro to Health data
• View your health data
• Share your health data
• View health data shared by others
• Download health records
• View health records
• Monitor your walking steadiness
• Log menstrual cycle information
• View menstrual cycle predictions and history
• Track your medications
• Learn more about your medications
• Log your state of mind
• Take a mental health assessment
• Set up a schedule for a Sleep Focus
• Turn off alarms and delete sleep schedules
• Add or change sleep schedules
• Turn Sleep Focus on or off
• Change your wind down period, sleep goal, and more
• View your sleep history
• Check your headphone levels
• Use audiogram data
• Register as an organ donor
• Back up your Health data
• Intro to Home
• Upgrade to the new Home architecture
• Set up accessories
• Control accessories
• Control your home using Siri
• Use Grid Forecast to plan your energy usage
• Set up HomePod
• Control your home remotely
• Create and use scenes
• Use automations
• Set up security cameras
• Use Face Recognition
• Unlock your door with a home key
• Configure a router
• Invite others to control accessories
• Add more homes
• Get music, movies, and TV shows
• Get ringtones
• Manage purchases and settings
• Get started with Journal
• Write in your journal
• Review your past journal entries
• Change Journal settings
• Magnify nearby objects
• Change settings
• Detect people around you
• Detect doors around you
• Receive image descriptions of your surroundings
• Read aloud text and labels around you
• Set up shortcuts for Detection Mode
• Add and remove email accounts
• Set up a custom email domain
• Check your email
• Unsend email with Undo Send
• Reply to and forward emails
• Save an email draft
• Add email attachments
• Download email attachments
• Annotate email attachments
• Set email notifications
• Search for email
• Organize email in mailboxes
• Flag or block emails
• Filter emails
• Use Hide My Email
• Use Mail Privacy Protection
• Change email settings
• Delete and recover emails
• Add a Mail widget to your Home Screen
• Print emails
• Get travel directions
• Select other route options
• Find stops along your route
• View a route overview or a list of turns
• Change settings for spoken directions
• Get driving directions
• Get directions to your parked car
• Set up electric vehicle routing
• Report traffic incidents
• Get cycling directions
• Get walking directions
• Get transit directions
• Delete recent directions
• Get traffic and weather info
• Estimate travel time and ETA
• Download offline maps
• Search for places
• Find nearby attractions, restaurants, and services
• Get information about places
• Mark places
• Share places
• Rate places
• Save favorite places
• Explore new places with Guides
• Organize places in My Guides
• Clear location history
• Look around places
• Take Flyover tours
• Find your Maps settings
• Measure dimensions
• View and save measurements
• Measure a person’s height
• Use the level
• Set up Messages
• About iMessage
• Send and reply to messages
• Unsend and edit messages
• Keep track of messages
• Forward and share messages
• Group conversations
• Watch, listen, or play together using SharePlay
• Collaborate on projects
• Use iMessage apps
• Take and edit photos or videos
• Share photos, links, and more
• Send stickers
• Request, send, and receive payments
• Send and receive audio messages
• Animate messages
• Send and save GIFs
• Turn read receipts on or off
• Change notifications
• Block, filter, and report messages
• Delete messages and attachments
• Recover deleted messages
• View albums, playlists, and more
• Show song credits and lyrics
• Queue up your music
• Listen to broadcast radio
• Subscribe to Apple Music
• Play music together in the car with iPhone
• Listen to lossless music
• Listen to Dolby Atmos music
• Apple Music Sing
• Find new music
• Add music and listen offline
• Get personalized recommendations
• Listen to radio
• Search for music
• Create playlists
• See what your friends are listening to
• Use Siri to play music
• Change the way music sounds
• Get started with News
• Use News widgets
• See news stories chosen just for you
• Read stories
• Follow your favorite teams with My Sports
• Listen to Apple News Today
• Subscribe to Apple News+
• Browse and read Apple News+ stories and issues
• Use Offline Mode to read downloaded News content
• Manually download Apple News+ issues
• Listen to audio stories
• Solve puzzles in Apple News
• Solve crossword and crossword mini puzzles
• Solve Quartiles puzzles
• Search for news stories
• Save stories in News for later
• Subscribe to individual news channels
• Get started with Notes
• Add or remove accounts
• Create and format notes
• Draw or write
• Add photos, videos, and more
• Scan text and documents
• Work with PDFs
• Create Quick Notes
• Search notes
• Organize in folders
• Organize with tags
• Use Smart Folders
• Export or print notes
• Change Notes settings
• Make a call
• View and delete the call history
• Answer or decline incoming calls
• While on a call
• Have a conference or three-way call on iPhone
• Set up voicemail
• Check voicemail
• Change voicemail greeting and settings
• Select ringtones and vibrations
• Make calls using Wi-Fi
• Set up call forwarding
• Set up call waiting
• Block or avoid unwanted calls
• View photos and videos
• Play videos and slideshows
• Delete or hide photos and videos
• Edit photos and videos
• Trim video length and adjust slow motion
• Edit Cinematic mode videos
• Edit Live Photos
• Edit portraits
• Use photo albums
• Edit, share, and organize albums
• Filter and sort photos and videos in albums
• Make stickers from your photos
• Duplicate and copy photos and videos
• Merge duplicate photos and videos
• Search for photos
• Identify people and pets
• Browse photos by location
• Share photos and videos
• Share long videos
• View photos and videos shared with you
• Watch memories
• Personalize your memories
• Manage memories and featured photos
• Use iCloud Photos
• Create shared albums
• Add and remove people in a shared album
• Add and delete photos and videos in a shared album
• Set up or join an iCloud Shared Photo Library
• Add content to an iCloud Shared Photo Library
• Use iCloud Shared Photo Library
• Import and export photos and videos
• Print photos
• Find podcasts
• Listen to podcasts
• Follow your favorite podcasts
• Use the Podcasts widget
• Organize your podcast library
• Download, save, or share podcasts
• Subscribe to podcasts
• Listen to subscriber-only content
• Change download settings
• Make a grocery list
• Add items to a list
• Edit and manage a list
• Search and organize lists
• Work with templates
• Use Smart Lists
• Print reminders
• Use the Reminders widget
• Change Reminders settings
• Browse the web
• Search for websites
• Customize your Safari settings
• Change the layout
• Use Safari profiles
• Open and close tabs
• Organize your tabs
• View your Safari tabs from another Apple device
• Share Tab Groups
• Use Siri to listen to a webpage
• Bookmark favorite webpages
• Save pages to a Reading List
• Find links shared with you
• Annotate and save a webpage as a PDF
• Automatically fill in forms
• Get extensions
• Hide ads and distractions
• Clear your cache and cookies
• Browse the web privately
• Use passkeys in Safari
• Check stocks
• Manage multiple watchlists
• Read business news
• Add earnings reports to your calendar
• Use a Stocks widget
• Translate text, voice, and conversations
• Translate text in apps
• Translate with the camera view
• Subscribe to Apple TV+, MLS Season Pass, or an Apple TV channel
• Add your TV provider
• Get shows, movies, and more
• Watch sports
• Watch Major League Soccer with MLS Season Pass
• Control playback
• Manage your library
• Change the settings
• Make a recording
• Play it back
• Edit or delete a recording
• Keep recordings up to date
• Organize recordings
• Search for or rename a recording
• Share a recording
• Duplicate a recording
• Keep cards and passes in Wallet
• Set up Apple Pay
• Use Apple Pay for contactless payments
• Use Apple Pay in apps and on the web
• Track your orders
• Use Apple Cash
• Use Apple Card
• Use Savings
• Pay for transit
• Access your home, hotel room, and vehicle
• Add identity cards
• Use COVID-19 vaccination cards
• Check your Apple Account balance
• Use Express Mode
• Organize your Wallet
• Remove cards or passes
• Check the weather
• Check the weather in other locations
• View weather maps
• Manage weather notifications
• Use Weather widgets
• Learn the weather icons
• Find out what Siri can do
• Tell Siri about yourself
• Have Siri announce calls and notifications
• Add Siri Shortcuts
• About Siri Suggestions
• Use Siri in your car
• Change Siri settings
• Contact emergency services
• Use Emergency SOS via satellite
• Request Roadside Assistance via satellite
• Set up and view your Medical ID
• Use Check In
• Manage Crash Detection
• Reset privacy and security settings in an emergency
• Set up Family Sharing
• Add Family Sharing members
• Remove Family Sharing members
• Share subscriptions
• Share purchases
• Share locations with family and locate lost devices
• Set up Apple Cash Family and Apple Card Family
• Set up parental controls
• Set up a child’s device
• Get started with Screen Time
• Protect your vision health with Screen Distance
• Set up Screen Time
• Set communication and safety limits and block inappropriate content
• Set up Screen Time for a family member
• Charging cable
• Power adapters
• MagSafe chargers and battery packs
• MagSafe cases and sleeves
• Qi-certified wireless chargers
• Use AirPods
• Use EarPods
• Apple Watch
• Wirelessly stream videos and photos to Apple TV or a smart TV
• Connect to a display with a cable
• HomePod and other wireless speakers
• Pair Magic Keyboard
• Enter characters with diacritical marks
• Switch between keyboards
• Use shortcuts
• Choose an alternative keyboard layout
• Change typing assistance options
• External storage devices
• Bluetooth accessories
• Share your internet connection
• Allow phone calls on your iPad and Mac
• Use iPhone as a webcam
• Hand off tasks between devices
• Cut, copy, and paste between iPhone and other devices
• Stream video or mirror the screen of your iPhone
• Start SharePlay instantly
• Use AirDrop to send items
• Connect iPhone and your computer with a cable
• Transfer files between devices
• Transfer files with email, messages, or AirDrop
• Transfer files or sync content with the Finder or iTunes
• Automatically keep files up to date with iCloud
• Intro to CarPlay
• Connect to CarPlay
• Use your vehicle’s built-in controls
• Get turn-by-turn directions
• Change the map view
• Make phone calls
• View your calendar
• Send and receive text messages
• Announce incoming text messages
• Play podcasts
• Play audiobooks
• Listen to news stories
• Control your home
• Use other apps with CarPlay
• Rearrange icons on CarPlay Home
• Change settings in CarPlay
• Get started with accessibility features
• Turn on accessibility features for setup
• Change Siri accessibility settings
• Open features with Accessibility Shortcut
• Change color and brightness
• Make text easier to read
• Reduce onscreen motion
• Customize per-app visual settings
• Hear what’s on the screen or typed
• Hear audio descriptions
• Turn on and practice VoiceOver
• Change your VoiceOver settings
• Use VoiceOver gestures
• Operate iPhone when VoiceOver is on
• Control VoiceOver using the rotor
• Use the onscreen keyboard
• Write with your finger
• Keep the screen off
• Use VoiceOver with an Apple external keyboard
• Use a braille display
• Type braille on the screen
• Customize gestures and keyboard shortcuts
• Use VoiceOver with a pointer device
• Use VoiceOver for images and videos
• Use VoiceOver in apps
• Use AssistiveTouch
• Adjust how iPhone responds to your touch
• Use Reachability
• Auto-answer calls
• Turn off vibration
• Change Face ID and attention settings
• Use Voice Control
• Adjust the side or Home button
• Use Apple TV Remote buttons
• Adjust pointer settings
• Adjust keyboard settings
• Control iPhone with an external keyboard
• Adjust AirPods settings
• Turn on Apple Watch Mirroring
• Control a nearby Apple device
• Intro to Switch Control
• Set up and turn on Switch Control
• Select items, perform actions, and more
• Control several devices with one switch
• Use hearing devices
• Use Live Listen
• Use sound recognition
• Set up and use RTT and TTY
• Flash the indicator light for notifications
• Adjust audio settings
• Play background sounds
• Display subtitles and captions
• Show transcriptions for Intercom messages
• Get live captions of spoken audio
• Type to speak
• Record a Personal Voice
• Lock iPhone to one app with Guided Access
• Use built-in privacy and security protections
• Set a passcode
• Set up Face ID
• Set up Touch ID
• Control access to information on the Lock Screen
• Keep your Apple ID secure
• Use passkeys to sign in to apps and websites
• Sign in with Apple
• Share passwords
• Automatically fill in strong passwords
• Change weak or compromised passwords
• View your passwords and related information
• Share passkeys and passwords securely with AirDrop
• Make your passkeys and passwords available on all your devices
• Automatically fill in verification codes
• Automatically fill in SMS passcodes
• Sign in with fewer CAPTCHA challenges
• Use two-factor authentication
• Use security keys
• Manage information sharing with Safety Check
• Control app tracking permissions
• Control the location information you share
• Control access to information in apps
• Control how Apple delivers advertising to you
• Control access to hardware features
• Create and manage Hide My Email addresses
• Protect your web browsing with iCloud Private Relay
• Use a private network address
• Use Advanced Data Protection
• Use Lockdown Mode
• Use Stolen Device Protection
• Receive warnings about sensitive content
• Use Contact Key Verification
• Turn iPhone on or off
• Force restart iPhone
• Back up iPhone
• Reset iPhone settings
• Restore all content from a backup
• Restore purchased and deleted items
• Sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone
• Erase iPhone
• Install or remove configuration profiles
• Important safety information
• Important handling information
• Find more resources for software and service
• FCC compliance statement
• ISED Canada compliance statement
• Ultra Wideband information
• Class 1 Laser information
• Apple and the environment
• Disposal and recycling information
• Unauthorized modification of iOS

Dictate text on iPhone

With Dictation on iPhone, you can dictate text anywhere you can type it. You can also use typing and Dictation together—the keyboard stays open during Dictation so you can easily switch between voice and touch to enter text. For example, you can select text with touch and replace it with your voice.

Dictation requests are processed on your device in many languages—no internet connection is required. When dictating in a search box, dictated text may be sent to the search provider in order to process the search.

Note: Dictation may not be available in all languages or in all countries or regions, and features may vary.

When using Dictation, cellular data charges may apply. See View or change cellular data settings on iPhone .

Turn on Dictation

Turn on Enable Dictation. If a prompt appears, tap Enable Dictation.

To learn more about how Apple protects your information and lets you choose what you share, tap About Dictation & Privacy below Dictation, or see the Apple Privacy website .

Tap in the text field to place the insertion point where you want to begin dictating text.

To insert an emoji or a punctuation mark, or perform simple formatting tasks, do any of the following:

Say the name of an emoji, such as “heart emoji” or “smiley face emoji.”

Say the name of the punctuation mark, such as “exclamation point.”

Say a formatting command such as “new line” or “new paragraph.”

When you use a keyboard for another language, you can use Dictation in that language as well. See Add or change keyboards on iPhone .

Turn off Dictation

Turn off Enable Dictation.

How to Convert Voice to Text on an iPhone: A Step-by-Step Guide

Converting voice to text on an iPhone is a simple process that involves using the built-in dictation feature. By tapping on the microphone icon on the keyboard, users can speak into their device and have their words automatically transcribed into text. This functionality is handy for sending quick messages or taking notes without typing.

After completing the action, the transcribed text will appear in the text field, ready for editing or sending. The iPhone will use its voice recognition software to convert your spoken words into written text accurately.

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced world, efficiency is key. Whether you’re a busy professional trying to stay on top of emails or a student taking notes in class, sometimes typing out everything just isn’t feasible. That’s where voice-to-text technology comes in, and for iPhone users, it’s built right into the device. Converting voice to text on an iPhone can save you time, reduce the strain of typing on a small keyboard, and even help capture thoughts when you’re on the go.

This feature is particularly relevant for those who have disabilities that make typing difficult or impossible. For others, it’s a matter of convenience and speed. Regardless of why you might use it, knowing how to convert voice to text on your iPhone is a useful skill that can improve your productivity and communication.

Step by Step Tutorial on How to Convert Voice to Text on an iPhone

Before we dive into the steps, let’s understand what we’re aiming for here. By following these steps, you will enable your iPhone to take your spoken words and turn them into written text in any text field that brings up the keyboard.

Step 1: Enable Dictation

Go to your iPhone’s Settings, tap General, tap Keyboard, and then toggle on the switch for Enable Dictation.

Dictation is a feature that needs to be turned on before you can use it. It uses Apple’s servers to process your voice and convert it to text. Ensure you’re connected to the internet when you’re using dictation for the best results.

Step 2: Use the Microphone Icon

When you’re ready to speak, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard.

The microphone icon is usually located to the left of the spacebar on your iPhone’s keyboard. Tapping it will signal to your iPhone that you’re about to dictate text.

Step 3: Speak Clearly into the Microphone

Begin speaking clearly and at a moderate pace. Your iPhone will start transcribing your words into text.

Remember to enunciate your words clearly and avoid speaking too quickly. This helps the voice recognition software accurately transcribe your speech.

Step 4: Review and Edit the Transcribed Text

After you finish speaking, tap the keyboard icon to return to typing mode and review your transcribed text. Make any necessary edits.

The dictation feature is pretty accurate, but it’s not perfect. Always review the text to ensure there are no errors before sending or saving it.

Additional Information

Using voice-to-text on an iPhone can be a game-changer for many users, but there are a few tips to keep in mind for the best experience. For one, be aware of your surroundings. If you’re in a noisy environment, the iPhone may have trouble picking up your voice accurately. Also, consider the privacy of your conversations – speaking aloud may not be the best option in public spaces.

Another useful tip is to learn the commands for adding punctuation or special formatting. For example, saying “comma” or “period” while dictating will add the respective punctuation marks. This can save time during the editing process. Additionally, you can add a new line by saying “new line” or “next line.”

Lastly, remember that while converting voice to text on your iPhone is convenient, it’s not always the most appropriate method for every situation. Consider the context and choose the best tool for the job.

• Enable Dictation in Settings
• Use the Microphone Icon on the Keyboard
• Speak Clearly into the Microphone
• Review and Edit the Transcribed Text

Frequently Asked Questions

What if the microphone icon is not showing on my keyboard.

Make sure Dictation is enabled in your settings. If it is and you still don’t see the microphone, try restarting your iPhone.

Can I use voice-to-text with third-party apps?

Yes, most apps that utilize the iPhone’s keyboard will allow you to use the dictation feature.

How much data does voice-to-text use?

The data usage is minimal, but it’s best to use the feature while connected to Wi-Fi if you have a limited data plan.

Can I dictate in other languages?

Yes, the iPhone supports dictation in multiple languages. You may need to add the language in your keyboard settings first.

Is there a time limit to how long I can dictate?

There is a short pause limit, so if you stop speaking for a while, it may end the dictation session. However, you can tap the microphone icon again to continue.

Converting voice to text on an iPhone is a powerful tool that can significantly enhance your productivity and communication. Whether you’re a professional, student, or someone with typing difficulties, mastering this feature can make life a little easier. Remember to speak clearly, be mindful of background noise, and always review your text for errors. With practice, you’ll be dictating like a pro in no time. So why not give it a try and see how it can benefit you?

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

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iPhone Dictation: How to Use Voice-to-Text

These days, hands-free iPhone operations are easier than ever. Siri commands can take care of almost all your iPhone dictation needs. But if you want to mostly  dictate text instead of using a keyboard , you can also enable dictation on your iOS device. We'll show you how to send texts and emails via Siri, how to enable dictation, and more.

Related:  How to Search Message Conversations on iPhone: iMessage, Facebook & Whatsapp

How to Use Siri Text-to-Speech to Send a Text

• How to Enable Dictation on Your iPhone

Common Voice-to-Text Commands for Dictation

Talk-to-text on your iPhone is incredibly helpful when sending a text message. To send a text through Siri: 

• Start dictating right away, or wait for Siri to respond with, "What do you want to say?"

You can also try using Siri to add events to the Calendar app, create reminders in the Reminders app, and even dictate a brief email. 

How to Enable iPhone Dictation

If you want to use your voice-to-text on iPhone to do more than send a quick text or add an item to a list, you'll want to enable iPhone dictation. This will allow you to more easily use voice typing to compose longer messages, create entire lists in Notes or Reminders, edit events in the Calendar app, and more. You can use dictation in most apps that have a keyboard. For more great iPhone talk-to-text tricks, check out our free  Tip of the Day !

Here's how to enable dictation, also known as voice-to-text, on your iPhone:

Now you're ready to dictate your response by using the voice-to-text iPhone commands. Frustratingly, there is no voice command to delete mistakes. If you want to delete something you'll either have to start a whole new note or text or tap the screen to select the text you want to replace and then tap the microphone to dictate the corrections.

Here's a short list of voice commands we've found useful with both Siri and dictation:

• quote … end quote: to put quotations around a phrase say, "Quote," then say the phrase, and then say, "End Quote" to close the quotation.
• new paragraph: begins a new paragraph.
• new line: begins a new line of text.
• smiley:  inserts :-)
• frowny: inserts :-(
• winky:  inserts ;-)

These commands will help you go hands-free with your texts, notes, and more. Give these tips a shot and with practice, you'll have Siri or dictation doing the work for you in no time! Next, learn what to do if iOS 16 Dictation isn't working .

Author Details

Conner Carey

Conner Carey's writing can be found at  conpoet.com . She is currently writing a book, creating lots of content, and writing poetry via  @conpoet on Instagram. She lives in an RV full-time with her mom, Jan and dog, Jodi as they slow-travel around the country. 

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How to Turn on Voice to Text on iPhone

• iPhone’s Dictation feature provides voice-to-text for users.
• This handy Accessibility feature is also easy to enable.
• Dictation can be the most useful for quickly sending Messages.

Wondering how to turn on voice-to-text on iPhone? Well, wonder no more. Since the inception of the iPhone, Apple has consistently delivered new Accessibility features within various iterations of iOS. From small things, such as being able to change the size of the font, to larger things, such as Assistive Touch and Siri, Apple ensures that the iPhone is as accessible as it possibly can be. Fortunately, for those that need it, or simply want to have it, the iPhone does have a rather powerful voice-to-text feature. 

With that in mind, I’m going to take a look at this iPhone Dictation feature, which is one way to get voice-to-text on iPhone. In addition to going over how to enable the feature, I’ll show you some iPhone voice commands, and what to do if voice-to-text on iPhone is not working. I also cover a few tips and tricks you can implement to have a better experience using your device Dictation. For those that need it, a good speech tool can be extraordinarily helpful, so let’s take a look at this screen keyboard replacement. 

Why Opt for Voice to Text on iPhone?

Apple has made it easy for those that want to dictate to their iPhone rather than navigate their onscreen keyboard. For those that have an iPhone X or later (as well as the second-generation iPhone SE), you have the option to dictate your speech rather than use keyboard inputs. This can be particularly useful for those that would rather input text via voice dictation rather than using the onscreen keyboard, and it also serves as a useful Accessibility feature . 

However, be aware that Dictation is not available in all countries or regions. The feature may also vary by region. You can view the list of languages that are available on Apple’s website . You may also need a software update to enable Dictation. Ensure your device is up to date by navigating to Settings > General > Software Update . Also, remember that Dictation may require an internet connection. 

How Do I Activate Voice to Text?

To activate voice-to-text, there’s a series of steps you need to follow, which mainly involves finding Dictation in Settings. 

Time needed:  1 minute

Follow these steps to enable Dictation or Voice-to-Text.

That’s all there is to it! You now have access to your iPhone’s dictation tools. To use Dictation Mode, simply tap the microphone icon on your keyboard. Essentially, continue to use your iPhone as you would normally, only you will now press the microphone icon rather than typing keys on your onscreen keyboard. Note that dictation has automatic punctuation, though you are able to turn it off via Settings > General > Keyboard > Auto-Punctuation . If you are using iOS 16, you can say the name of any emoji to add the emoji in dictation.

There’s no set length to a voice dictation, though you can stop a dictation at any time by tapping the mic icon again, or simply stop talking for thirty seconds. If you need to disable the feature, you can always go back into your keyboard settings but remember that you need to tap the microphone button to activate the feature. 

Getting the Most Out of iPhone Dictation and Voice to Text

Using Dictation is as simple as tapping the microphone button, though you should be aware that it will move depending on what app you are using. For example, within Messages, the microphone icon is actually right next to the text input box. Typically, the mic icon can be found at the bottom of your keyboard, so remember this distinction.

Using Dictation, you can switch between texting and talking at any point during your input. You can even begin speaking, start typing and then go back to speaking. Just like when using your keyboard, you can double-tap words to highlight and select them, or you can press and hold the spacebar to move the cursor around within the text field. Essentially, Apple makes it easy to use the keyboard, Dictation or a combination of both. 

Also, remember that there are voice commands for creating certain special characters. Consult our article on using Mac Dictation to view these special characters, which allows you to use the Punctuation and Special Character commands for Dictation. Also, remember that you can disable Auto-Punctuation within this dictation feature. 

Tips for Seamless Dictation

If you’re looking for the best Dictation accuracy, there are a couple of things you should keep in mind. First, try to ensure that you are in a quiet environment, as this will produce the best audio quality for this speech feature. Having an area free of distractions is going to help your device manage your Dictation requests.

Another good tip is to consider your speech speed and Dictation functionality. While the feature is beyond capable of interpreting speech, you may still want to try an even-paced voice when first using it. Try to go a tad slower than your typical voice, keeping a consistent pace as you talk. You might have an issue with your speech at the start, but it shouldn’t take too long to get the hang of the speech function. 

Why Is My Voice To Text Not Working on My iPhone?

If you are having issues with Dictation, there are a couple of things you can try. First, ensure that you are using an iPhone that supports the feature, and make sure to check for any software updates that may be available. You can always check for an iOS update by going to Settings > General > Software Update . Below, I also cover other issues you may experience. 

Why Can’t I Enable Voice Texting?

You should also ensure that your Siri speech models are downloaded to your iPhone. You can check this by navigating to Settings > Siri & Searc h. Below your Siri & Dictation History, it should say “Voice input is processed on iPhone”. If you do not see this, make sure Siri is enabled by turning on the Listen for “Hey Siri”. If you are using iOS 17, you will also just be able to say “Siri” to enable Siri .

Looking for the Listen for “Hey Siri” feature is also important, as it can be another way to fix Dictation issues. Disabling Siri and then reenabling it can be a solution to Dictation not working. Navigate to Settings > Siri & Search , and ensure Listen for “Hey Siri” and Allow Siri When Locked are disabled and then enabled.

You can also try changing the language. Some users are reporting that having English (United Kingdom) doesn’t work for them, but it does work when switched to English (United States). This can be found in the Siri & Search menu under Language. Lastly, you can also try putting your iPhone in Airplane Mode and then turning off Airplane Mode. This will soft reset your network settings. 

If you find that Dictation is not working with a third-party app, note that the app may not support this feature. While the most popular apps in the Apple App Store won’t have this problem, more obscure apps potentially might. 

Having the ability to dictate your ideas to your iPhone can be particularly useful, especially as an Accessibility feature . As mentioned, be sure to experiment with the feature a couple of times before attempting to use it daily; you will get a lot more mileage out of this built-in text-to-speech feature if you have experience using it. The more you use the feature, the higher chance you and your phone have of developing higher dictation quality. Of course, if you found this article helpful, or you have your own ideas and thoughts, feel free to share them in the comments below. 

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Dictation in iOS 16 is so good you’ll want to use it every day–here’s how

You’ve been able to dictate text to your iPhone instead of typing for a very long time, and over the years it has occasionally gotten better. But with iOS 16 , the dictation features are taking a huge step forward in usability—so much so that you might actually start using it all the time. As long as you have an iPhone with an A12 Bionic chip or better (that’s an iPhone XS), you’ll be able to seamlessly talk and type or edit, which makes the entire dictation “workflow” a lot smoother. Automatic punctuation can add commas, periods, and question marks. And you can add emoji via voice, too.

Here’s how to make the most of these awesome new dictation features to speed up your typing.

Just tap the mic

You start using dictation the same way you would in earlier versions of iOS: just tap the microphone icon in the lower right corner of your keyboard. You’ll notice in Messages, the mic icon is right in the text entry field, replacing the old voice memo button.

Then, simply start talking. In nearly any text entry area other than Search fields, words will start appearing as you speak but the keyboard will remain on screen, with the microphone button highlighted.

While you’re speaking, you can switch to typing at any time, then just resume speaking to keep entering text that way. Alternate between typing and speaking freely–once you get the hang of it, it’s quite fast. You can double-tap words to select them, press and hold on the space bar to move around the cursor like a trackpad; all the usual text entry controls are always right there, you can just speak now in addition to tapping and swiping.

You’ll notice a small “stop dictating” microphone icon right next to the text cursor. Tap that, or the microphone icon at the bottom of the keyboard, to stop dictating. Dictation will also stop automatically if there’s a long stretch of silence.

Talking tips

Dictation works best if you annunciate clearly and speak at a regular pace. It’s a little different than speaking casually, but it’s worth the effort for the improved speed.

There are a host of commands you can give to format text or type special characters. While the new auto-punctuation feature (see below) will attempt to correctly insert commas, periods, and question marks, other punctuation can be added just by speaking. Here’s a list of some of the most useful formatting commands. Just speak them as you talk, such as “In iOS 16 comma dictation is incredibly useful exclamation point”.

You have been able to add a couple of different emojis in dictation for years, mostly just smiles and frowns, but iOS 16 greatly expands the number. You’ll have to experiment a little to find which descriptions correspond with the right emoji, but the key is to say “emoji” after it. If you want to type the word “shrug,” say “shrug.” But if you want to type 🤷‍♂️ then say “shrug emoji.”

Important settings

There are two important settings to know about for dictation. Open Settings > General > Keyboard and then scroll down to the Dictation section to find them. The first will turn off the dictation feature entirely. This is generally not necessary–Apple will sometimes send voice samples back to its servers to improve dictation quality, but the phrases are brief and anonymized, it’s not like there’s an open mic recording your every word. Simply not entering dictation mode is enough to keep it inactive.

The other toggle turns the auto-punctuation feature on or off. This is a new feature for iOS 16 and it attempts to insert commas, periods, and question marks intelligently by paying attention to your phrasing and tone of voice. It’s a little hit-and-miss in the iOS 16 beta, so if you find that whatever time this saves you is offset by all the corrections you make, just turn it off.

Author: Jason Cross , Senior Editor

I have written about technology for my entire professional life - over 25 years. I enjoy learning about how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.

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How-To Geek

How to type with your voice on iphone and ipad.

Need to jot down a complex idea on your iPhone or iPad but don't want to type it out? Try using Apple's built-in dictation mode. It's quick and easy to use. Here's how.

Quick Links

How to use formatting and punctuation while dictating, apple dictation privacy.

If you have a complex idea you'd like to jot down quickly on your iPhone or iPad, you can simply speak it with your voice thanks to Apple's built-in dictation feature. Here's how to use it.

Any time you're in an app where you can input text with the keyboard, you can use voice dictation instead of typing. To do so, tap the text input field so that your on-screen keyboard pops up. Next, tap the small microphone button located to the left of the space bar.

(If you don't see the microphone icon on your keyboard, make sure that  Dictation is enabled on your device . To do so, launch Settings, then navigate to General > Keyboard and turn "Enable Dictation" on. And if your on-screen keyboard doesn't appear , then you likely have an external Bluetooth keyboard connected.)

After tapping the microphone button, the on-screen keyboard will be replaced with a moving waveform made out of lines that change based on how loudly you're talking. As you speak, words will appear on the screen once your device has recognized them.

When you're all done speaking, tap the keyboard button at the bottom of the screen, and dictation mode will end.

The on-screen keyboard will reappear, and you can use it to add to or edit your dictation input. If you ever need to get back into dictation mode, just tap the microphone button again.

While using dictation on the iPhone, you might wonder how to do things like start a new line or enter punctuation. In those cases, you'll need to speak out your commands or the names of the punctuation characters. Here are some examples.

• Numbers: If you'd like to enter a number as a numeral instead of as a word, say "numeral" before you speak the number. For example, saying "numeral 4" will print a "4" on the screen rather than the word "four."
• Punctuation and Symbols: If you want to use punctuation, say the name of the punctuation character. For example, "period," "comma," "question mark," "exclamation mark," and "hyphen" all produce their special equivalent characters on the screen instead of the words themselves. Similarly, you can say "asterisk," "ampersand," "hashtag," and more to get the proper symbols on the screen.
• Line Breaks: To go to a new line (like pressing Return on a keyboard), say "new line." You can also say "new paragraph" to insert a new paragraph break.
• Emoticons: You can speak out several old-school emoticons, such as "smiley face" :-), "frowny face" :-(, and "winky face" ;-), and they will appear on the screen as the proper symbols.
• Capital Letters: To capitalize a single letter, say "cap," then the letter. To turn on capitalizing the first letter of every word, say "caps on" (and disable with "caps off"). To make the next word entirely capitalized, say "all caps" before you speak the word. And to switch caps lock on, say "all caps on." You can disable it by saying "all caps off."

When you dictate on your iPhone or iPad, be aware that recordings of your voice and other data are being sent to Apple if you are connected to the internet. That's because Apple's ever-improving voice recognition algorithms in the cloud can generally do a better job than an on-device solution. Apple claims that this dictation data is not linked to your Apple account and is not sold or used to build a marketing profile.

If you are offline, dictation will still work, but only in your region's main language. Still, you might find that it doesn't work as well as the online version. If absolute privacy is an issue, you can avoid using dictation or disable dictation completely in Settings by visiting General > Keyboard and switching "Enable Dictation" to "off."

Still, Dictation on the iPhone is a powerful feature to have, and it works very well compared to dictation technologies of the past, so experiment and have fun!

Related: How to Remove the Microphone Button from Your iPhone Keyboard

How to Use Dictation on a Mac for Voice-to-Text Typing

Here's how to use the dictation feature on your Mac to type without using a keyboard.

Typing isn't for everyone. If you have clumsy fingers or difficulty spelling, typing might be your least favorite part of using a computer. Fortunately, you can use the built-in dictation software on your Mac to speak what you want to type instead.

Unlike Voice Control---which is Apple's fully-featured accessibility tool---dictation is easy to use. It's also so accurate at translating your voice that some of the best dictation software developers, like Dragon Dictate, stopped making their own dictation apps for Mac to compete with it.

How to Use Dictation on a Mac

Double-press the Fn button to start dictating on your Mac. You should see a microphone icon appear or hear a macOS confirmation tone. If this is your first time using Dictation, click OK in the popup window to confirm you want to use it.

After activating Dictation, start saying what you want to type to see it appear on screen. Dictation ignores pauses in your speech, allowing you to take a moment to compose your thoughts. However, this does mean you need to dictate your own punctuation, which we explain below.

Apple suggests you dictate in short bursts of 40 seconds or less. This keeps your Mac from falling behind, since you can speak much faster than it can process what you say.

You can dictate text anywhere you'd usually type on your Mac. That includes writing documents, using Spotlight or search bars, entering web addresses, and composing emails. If that sounds useful, you might want to take a look at these dictation apps for your Android phone as well.

Use any of the following methods to stop dictating:

• Press Fn again
• Click Done beneath the microphone

Your dictated words appear underlined while your Mac is processing them. After you stop dictating, they'll reformat themselves, and any words your Mac was unsure of appear underlined in blue. Click these words to pick an alternative option or type it out manually if it was wrong.

The more you use Dictation, the better your Mac gets at understanding your voice. This means you'll see fewer mistakes and words underlined in blue less often.

How to Add Punctuation and Format Your Dictation

Chances are that you need to add punctuation to your dictation to make sure it's formatted correctly. This is easy to do while dictating your text by saying the particular punctuation marks you want to add.

For example, to dictate the following text:

Hello, my name is Dan. How are you?

You need to say:

Hello comma my name is Dan period how are you question mark

Apple includes a long list of over 50 punctuation marks, typography symbols, currency signs, mathematical signs, and voice commands you can use with Dictation in the macOS user guide. Visit Apple's voice dictation commands page to take a look at the list yourself.

Along with adding punctuation, you can also use a small set of voice commands to change the formatting of dictated text on your Mac. These commands include capitalization, line breaks, and even typing without spaces.

Say the following voice commands to format text with Dictation:

• New Line: Equivalent to pressing the Return key once
• New Paragraph: Equivalent to pressing the Return key twice
• Caps On/Off: Types the following words in "Title Case"
• All Caps On/Off: Types the following words in "ALL CAPS"
• No Space On/Off: Types the following words "withoutspaces" (useful for website URLs)

Troubleshoot Dictation Problems on Your Mac

Dictation is a fairly simple tool, but it doesn't work all the time. There are a few different problems that might stop you from being able to use Dictation on your Mac. Here's what they are and how to fix them.

Change the Dictation Shortcut

If nothing happens when you double-press the Fn button, you might have changed the Dictation shortcut on your Mac. You can change this shortcut to whatever you like, or check what the new shortcut is and use that instead.

To do so, open System Preferences and go to Keyboard > Dictation . Open the Shortcut dropdown menu and choose the dictation shortcut you want to use. To create your own, click Customize , then press the keyboard shortcut you'd like.

Test Your Internet Connection

Your Mac requires an active internet connection to use Dictation. This is because Apple processes your voice on its servers---using the latest language data---rather than locally on your Mac.

Without an internet connection, the microphone icon appears with three dots in it, but vanishes before you can start dictating.

To make sure your internet connection is working, try streaming a video on YouTube. To fix problems with your connection, restart your Wi-Fi router and follow our steps to get your Mac connected to Wi-Fi again . Contact your internet service provider for more help.

Choose a Different Microphone to Use

As you dictate, you should see a white bar in the microphone icon that fluctuates with the loudness of your voice. This shows the microphone input on your Mac. If nothing appears in the microphone, your Mac can't hear you. You need to use a different microphone to fix it.

Go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation . Open the dropdown menu beneath the microphone at the left of the window to choose a different microphone. If you can't see your microphone, make sure it's connected with the latest drivers installed.

Change the Dictation Language

To dictate in a different language, you need to add that language in System Preferences and select it from the Dictation icon. Using the wrong language results in a lot of mistakes, as Dictation will use regional spellings or replace what you said with similar-sounding words from another language.

In System Preferences , go to Keyboard > Dictation and open the Language dropdown menu. Click Add Language and check the box next to whichever languages you want to use. Make sure you choose the appropriate region if your language is used in multiple countries.

The next time you activate Dictation, you should see the current language displayed beneath the microphone icon. Click it to change to another dictation language instead.

How to Make Dictation as Private as Possible

Dictation communicates with Apple's servers to convert your speech to text. This means it's never completely private, as explained by the popup message that appears when you enable Dictation for the first time. That said, there are still steps you can take to reclaim as much Dictation privacy as possible.

To change the data Dictation uses, open System Preferences and click on Security & Privacy . Go to the Privacy tab and scroll down to select Analytics & Improvements in the sidebar. Disable the option to Improve Siri & Dictation to stop Apple from storing or reviewing your future Dictation recordings.

Apple usually does this to help improve Dictation. Even with this option disabled, you still need to delete existing recordings from Apple's servers. Go to System Preferences > Siri and click Delete Siri & Dictation History to do so.

Do More With Your Voice Using Voice Control

Although many people confuse the two, Dictation and Voice Control are two separate features on your Mac. As we've explained, Dictation allows you to convert your speech to text, adding punctuation and line breaks where necessary. But Voice Control unlocks an entire world of voice commands that control your Mac.

If you want to save documents, switch applications, open menus, and do much more with your voice, you need to use Voice Control. This is primarily an accessibility tool; it lets anyone control a Mac using nothing but their voice. Take a look at our Mac Voice Control guide to learn how it works.

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Some people can type hell for leather, but we have to agree that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. How would it be if you could type as fast as you speak? Well, why think when you can execute! While iPhone’s native Notes app can handle your basic transcribing needs, it lacks added functionality.

So, here’s a list of the best speech-to-text apps for your iPhone!

• dictate2us Record & Transcribe
• Rev Voice Recorder & Memos
• Day One Journal

1. Evernote: Notes organizer – Editor’s choice

Evernote is a widely used application for note-taking. However, it serves multiple purposes like clipping articles, scanning documents, and also allows adding content (pictures, videos, audio, etc.) with notes.  

Open the virtual keyboard and tap the mic below the return key to dictate text. You can now dictate, and it’ll not only be converted but also sync across your devices.

If you’re a student, you can use the app to take notes, track them, and even create separate notebooks. Further, you can also bring people, projects, and ideas together with shared Spaces. This is especially helpful for businesses or if you are working on a group project. Evernote also has multiple other features and is free to use.  

• Scan and convert handwritten notes
• Transcription works flawlessly
• Numerous useful templates
• Note linking
• Excellent organization system
• Cannot save data offline
• Lean cloud storage
• Cannot sync with more than 2 devices with the basic plan

Price : Free (In-App Purchases start at $10.00)

2. dictate2us Record & Transcribe – Fastest transcription service

Dicatate2us is one of the leaders in transcription services, and you can get the audio transcribed within an hour regardless of the time, 365 days a year. You can record letters, reports, case notes, interviews, etc.  

All you need to do is save a recording which will get uploaded to the platform. A person, yes, an actual person, will sit and transcribe the audio, after which an editor will check if there are errors, and then the Google doc file will be sent to you.  

Dicatate2us can be downloaded for free, and you get a $15 free trial credit. After the trial ends, you are charged a minute rate depending on the turnaround time. D2U uses military-grade encryption, so you need not worry about confidential data being hacked.

• Military-grade encryption
• Fast turnaround time
• $15 Trial credit
• Can’t transcribe instantly

Price : Free ($15 trial credit) 

3. Transcribe: Speech to Text – Instant transcription

Some people repeatedly listen to their voice memos as reminders. However, listening to the whole message to get to something you want to hear might be a time-consuming event, and Transcribe comes in. It is among the fastest transcription apps. A tap of a button is all it takes to transcribe your audio or video files. 

It lets you transcribe any voice or video file into text. All is done with the help of AI. You get 15 minutes of the free trial, after which you will need to either upgrade to the Pro version or buy add-on hours. Transcribe Pro offers features like exporting files in TXT, PDF, and DOCX formats. You also get 5 hours of transcription every month and can save up to 50GB of files on its cloud.  

• Instant transcription
• Supports both audio and video files
• Supports multiple file formats
• Not great for longer duration transcriptions
• Users have reported frequent app crashes

Price : Free (In-app purchase starts at $4.99)

4. Rev Voice Recorder & Memos – Simplified design

Rev Voice is yet another transcription service that people have employed to transcribe audio. The company claims a 99% plus accuracy rate alongside fast turnaround times. You can get a 30-minute recording transcribed under 12 hours.  

The Rev Voice app has a clean and minimal user interface. Besides transcribing audio, it also lets you record audio, trim the audio, etc. You can use the recorder in the background, and it will automatically pause when you receive a call.  

While the application is free to download, Rev charges 1 credit for a minute of audio transcribed, and if you avail of their services through their website, it’ll cost you $1.50 for a minute of audio transcribed. You can also view the progress of your order, and once done, you’ll receive it in your email inbox and the app.

• Affordable rates
• Effortless editing
• High accuracy rate
• The subscription model would make the service more appealing
• Turnaround times are longer

Price : Free (1 credit costs $1.99)

5: Dictation: Speech to text – Translate your transcription

Dictation serves one purpose, converting speech to text, and it does the job quite decently. But there are instances where it might miss a few words. You can not only record audio in the app but also import audio files.

Further, translation is a unique feature offered by Dictation. It supports over 40 languages. All you have to do is tap a button to translate the transcribed text.

The app also has iCloud Synchronization. Once turned on, you can dictate text from your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, etc.

Besides, you can also share the text across several social media platforms like Twitter, WhatsApp, etc. However, the app is infested with ads. You will need to upgrade to the pro version to get rid of ads, costing $17.49 per year.

• Translation with support for 40 languages
• Works flawlessly across multiple iOS devices
• Cluttered UI 
• Infested with ads 

Price : Free (Pro version costs $4.99 per month)

6. Day One Journal: Private diary – Journalling made fun

If you want to get into the habit of maintaining a daily journal but have been postponing the idea for a long time because you find writing to be a tedious process, Day One Journal is here to help. You can add notes to your journal at any time of the day as the app provides speech-to-text services.

It’s not just words; you can also add videos and images alongside handwritten entries or drawings to your journal. However, this feature is limited to the premium version. You can also take notes from your Apple watch. If that was not enough, you could also send text messages or emails to your journals.  Pretty impressive, right?

• Easy to use
• Supports and integrates images, videos, etc., in the journal
• Can only be used as a diary

Price : Free (Premium costs $5.99 per month)

7. Otter: Transcribe voice notes – Best for businesses

Otter works flawlessly for transcribing text and is an excellent tool for personal use. But it shines more when put to use in a corporate environment. You can automatically take notes (through speech to text), save these notes, and share them with everyone on the team.

Another great feature of Otter is that it provides live captioning to the deaf or people with special needs. The app also lets users highlight text, and the punctuation is quite accurate.

The integration of Otter with iOS helps you start recording through Siri shortcuts and syncs notes with the iOS calendar, contacts, etc. You can also record with AirPods. The app offers all these features for a limited amount of time as a free trial, after which the Pro subscription offers 6000 transcription minutes per month. A great overall app for businesses!

• Caters to specially-abled users
• Great iOS integration
• The free plan is good for personal use
• Transcription is a hit or miss for longer audio files
• No support for images in notes

Price : Free (Premium Costs $16.99 per month) 

Wrapping up!

Well, this was my list of the best speech-to-text apps for iPhone and iPad, which are beneficial for both students and professionals. If you found the right speech-to-text app that suits your requirements, share your thoughts in the comments below!

• Best translation apps for iPhone and iPad
• Best voice changer for Mac
• Top alarm apps for iPhone and iPad
• Best voice recorder apps for iPhone

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How to dictate on a Mac computer, using the voice-to-text dictation feature that can type out your speech

• You can dictate on a Mac computer so that your computer types out your speech. 
• But before you can start using dictation, you'll have to enable it via your Mac's System Preferences, and decide the shortcut you'll use to turn it on, as well as the language it will dictate in.
• Here's how to set up and use the dictation feature on a Mac computer.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

Voice-to-text is a helpful feature for those who are often out and about.

And for those who have a Mac computer, you can take that feature and use it in your everyday workflow. The key is a built-in feature known as dictation. 

But before you can take advantage of dictation, you'll have to enable it. After that, it works similarly as any voice-to-text feature, any you may be able to access more in-depth voice commands to format your document.

Here's how to set it up and start using it.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Macbook pro (from $1,299.99 at best buy), how to set up dictation on a mac.

1. Click the Apple logo in the top-left toolbar, then choose "System Preferences."

2. Select "Keyboard."

3. Toggle over to "Dictation" in the menu at the top of the window.

4. Next to "Dictation" select "On" and if desired, turn on enhanced dictation by ticking the corresponding box — this allows you to use additional commands, like bold, italics, underline, copy, delete, and undo — and dictate without an internet connection (enhanced dictation is only available for those with OS X Mavericks v10.9 or later ).

5. Set the language and create the desired shortcut.

How to dictate on a Mac

Once you've enabled the dictation feature, here's how to use it:

1. Open a document.

2. Place your cursor to the desired location for your dictation.

3. Use the shortcut you established when setting up dictation; alternatively, you can also select "Edit" and then "Start Dictation."

4. Start talking.

You should see a microphone icon appear on the screen after you start the feature. 

As you speak, it's important to remember to say your desired punctuation out loud, otherwise you'll end up with a long, run-on sentence. To stop dictation, click "Done" below the microphone icon.

Related coverage from  How To Do Everything: Tech :

How to easily record audio on your mac using either of its 2 simple recording apps, how to uninstall apps on a mac computer in three different ways, how to create folders on a mac computer and organize your files, how to set an alarm or event reminder on a mac using the calendar app.

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Best Dictation Software For Mac of 2024 (Free & Paid)

Why spend hours typing when you can dictate text in less than half the time? Speech recognition technology can save you time, money and stress so we tested and reviewed the most accurate dictation apps for Mac of 2024.

Whether you’re a business report writer, lawyer, secretary, author, journalist, technical writer or medical professional you’ll find Mac compatible speech-to-text software here that saves you valuable time and fits your budget.

In our research and testing, we found that the best dictation software on a Mac is Otter (Free) which offers incredible levels of accuracy and speed especially for transcribing conversations or meetings.

Quick Navigation

1. Otter (Free)

2. dragon dictate (best for accuracy), 3. macos dictation (best apple app), 4. macwhisper (best for writers), 5. google voice typing (best google app), 6. microsoft word (best for microsoft office), 7. dictation.io (best free web app), 8. onenote for mac (best for note taking), 9. speechnotes (best for chrome), 10. deepscribe (best for medical dictation), what is dictation software, why use dictation software, do macs have a dictation tool, dictation microphones to enhance recognition, useful dictation tips.

In our tests, we found Otter was the best dictation app for Macs overal l thanks to its impressive accuracy, ease of use on a Mac and generous free forever plan too .

Otter can be used for any kind of dictation although it has positioned itself more recently as an “AI meeting assistant” for transcribing meetings and sales meetings with tight integration with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.

Most importantly though, it was the only dictation tool that came close to the industry standard tool Dragon Dictate (see review below) in terms of accuracy and speech-to-text recognition.

It also works in any browser on a Mac whereas Dragon Dictate will only work on a Mac in a virtual machine running Windows since Nuance has discontinued the Mac desktop version.

Otter has many useful touches for meetings such as Speaker Identification which is ideal for transcribing Zoom meetings as it automatically detects different voices and transcribes them separately.

Otter also allows you to import audio and video files which it will then transcribe automatically.

It also includes a feature called “Otter AI chat” which allows you to chat within the app to other Otter meeting members and teammates to get instant answers to meeting questions.

Although there’s no desktop app, there is a Chrome extension for Otter which automatically detects if you’re about to enter a Zoom Meeting, Google Meet or Google Calendar appointment.

The Otter app also offers one of the best free plans with 300 minutes of dictation per month although there’s a limit of 30 minutes per session.

However, you’ll need to subscribe to Otter Pro starting at $10 per month for up to 1,200 minutes for transcription per month with a limit of 90 minutes per transcription.

The Otter Business Plan allows you to use Otter in multiple meetings at the same time for up to 6,000 minutes with a limit of 4 hours per conversation or meeting.

If you pay annually, the pricing plans are 40% cheaper so it’s well worth doing as you’re almost getting it for half price over paying monthly.

Enterprise plans are available on request for company wide deployments.

Our advice is to try the free version of Otter to see just how well it transcribes, meetings and just about anything you throw at it on your Mac.

Pricing: Free for 300 minutes/Plans starting from $10/month

Although Dragon Dictate is the industry standard when it comes to dictation, the reason it only comes second on our list is that Nuance discontinued the Mac version back in 2018.

However, you can still use the Windows version of Dragon Dictate on a Mac by running Windows on your Mac using a virtual machine.

Even though this adds an extra layer of software, we still think its worth doing because of the amazing accuracy and sophistication Dragon Dictate offers compared to any other dictation tool.

Dragon products use unique Deep Learning technology that actually learn your accent and speaking style to deliver accuracy rates of up to 99%.

In fact Microsoft was so impressed by Nuance’s range of products including Dragon Dictate that it bought Nuance for $16 billion in 2021.

The big downside for Mac users is that to use it, you need to run Windows on your Mac.

By far the easiest and best way to run Dragon Dictate on a Mac is by using Parallels which makes it simple to install Windows on a Mac.

In fact, one of the World’s leading Dragon Dictate teachers Scott Baker recommends using the Windows version of Dragon on a Mac because the Windows version of Dragon has more features anyway.

In particular, the Windows version gives you more control when tweaking and refining texts compared to on macOS.

Dragon Professional is ideal for office environments as it’s optimized for reducing background noise such as in cubicles. It also has Smart Format Rules which understand how you want phone numbers, dates, abbreviations and other data to appear.

Another nice touch is that you can import audio clips from a device such as your iPhone and Dragon Professional will transcribe it into text.

The accuracy isn’t quite as good as live dictation but it’s a lot faster than typing it out. This is especially useful for journalists who have to record and transcribe long interviews.

With Dragon Professional, there is also an option to listen to audio playback of your own dictation with the associated text highlighted on the screen making it easier than ever to proofread while supporting multi-tasking.

Dragon Dictate Professional also integrates with many word processing software on Mac too including Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Scrivener and more.

Note that Nuance has discontinued the Home Edition of Dragon Dictate and you can now only get Dragon Professional Individual and Dragon Legal.

Unless you’re in the legal profession, we strongly recommend going with Dragon Professional Edition not least because it allows you to dictate directly in Microsoft Office and other apps.

There’s also Dragon Anywhere which is the mobile version of Dragon Dictate.

Pricing: $699

Dictation is Apple’s own free dictation app (and the equivalent of WSR – Windows Speech Recognition) that has been a feature since macOS Sierra.

Up until macOS Mojave, Dictation used it’s own voice recognition system but from macOS Catalina onwards, it now relies on Siri.

The good news for those concerned about privacy is that on Apple Silicon Macs with the M1, M2 and M3 chips, you can transcribe offline as long as your language is supported by Apple for offline dictation.

However, on older Intel Macs, anything you dictate in Apple Dictation is sent back to Apple’s servers so it may not be suitable if you want to dictate personal or confidential information.

Apple’s Dictation tool in macOS has improved significantly over the years and although it can’t compare to professional dictation apps, it’s free and works on your Mac desktop.

Dictation also works in many word processors on a Mac , messenger apps and just about any app that allows you to type.

By default it’s only suitable for dictations of 30 seconds or less but you can turn-on Enhanced Dictation for unlimited transcriptions.

To enable Apple Dictation in macOS Ventura and Sonoma:

• Go to the Apple () logo in the top left of your screen and select > System Preferences > Keyboard
• Click on the Dictation Tab
• Switch Dictation “On”

In macOS Catalina, Big Sur and Monterey Enhanced Dictation has been removed by default because anything you dictate is now translated by Siri.

Siri is far more accurate than the old Enhanced Dictation engine in macOS and even allows you to dictate offline on a Mac for supported offline languages.

If you want to delete your dictation history in Siri at any time:

• Go to the Apple Menu > System Preferences > Siri
• Click Delete Siri and Dictation History

If you’re still using High Sierra or Mojave, you can also dictate offline without being connected to the internet by activating “Enhanced Dictation” in the Dictation tab.

Be aware though that this requires 422MB of disk space to download some additional tools before it can work on your Mac.

You then simply configure a language and hotkey to start dictation or you can even activate it with a keyword. You can use this to start dictation in any application.

Dictation works with any app including Office applications (although not Google Docs which has its own voice recognition feature – see below).

What we also like in Apple Dictation is that the voice controlled formatting commands are quite extensive and you can even create your own customized commands.

Dictation also supports over 60 languages including English, Arabic, Chinese and Spanish.

If you’re looking for a free desktop dictation tool on your Mac that works offline for major languages, macOS Dictate is definitely worth trying.

Pricing: Free

MacWhisper is a free tool that uses the incredible power of OpenAI to quickly and accurately transcribe interviews, conversations, meetings and lectures on your Mac.

MacWhisper has a Mac desktop app and apart from the free version, is also available as a one off purchase for €29 for batch transcriptions and many other added features.

MacWhisper is very basic but supports dragging and dropping audio files for transcribing and can even export transcripts for subtitles in .srt and .vrt format.

The app also allows you to dictate offline – all transcription is done on your device using a local OpenAI model and nothing is sent to servers to protect your privacy.

MacWhisper supports over 100 languages and works on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. However, because the processing power required to transcribe is quite high, we recommend an Apple Silicon Mac with an M1, M2 or M3 chip.

If you want a free, offline app for basic dictation then MacWhisper is one of the best free dictation apps we’ve tried on a Mac.

You can buy MacWhisper direct from the developer Jordi Bruin or from the Mac App Store .

Pricing: Free/€29 one off purchase for Pro version

Not many people are aware that Google Docs has a surprisingly powerful free voice recognition engine which not only transcribes speech to text but also allows you to change the formatting of documents with voice commands.

Google Docs Voice typing is arguably even more accurate than Apple Dictation and it has now been updated to work with most browsers, such as the latest versions of Firefox, Edge and Safari.

To activate Google Docs Voice Typing, open any Google Doc and go to Tools > Voice typing… and click on the microphone that appears to start transcribing.

Google Docs Voice Typing is pretty accurate for a free online text-to-speech tool.

Probably the most impressive thing though is the an extensive list of commands for formatting text.

You can simply say things like “go to end of paragraph” or “create bulleted list” to perform formatting actions. Note that formatting commands are only available in English but the voice engine recognizes over 50 languages.

If you’re a Microsoft 365 subscriber then did you know you can use the speech to text function in Microsoft Word for Mac?

Microsoft Word is surprisingly good at recognizing speech and transcribing text as it is continuously being improved by being trained with Microsoft’s huge user base and artificial neural networks.

MS Word’s in-built dictation tools are easy to use:

• Go to Home > Dictate in Microsoft Word for Mac
• Click on the Dictate button and wait for the red button to appear
• Start talking and Word will transcribe your speech in real time

You can also use voice commands for punctuation and formatting.

Currently it only supports a few languages although Microsoft are adding to this all the time.

If you’re unsure about getting a Microsoft 365 subscription, check out our look at Microsoft 365 vs Office for Mac .

Pricing : Requires Microsoft 365 subscription

Dictation.io is a web based dictation platform that works on any browser on a Mac and supports over 100 languages.

The service is based on Google Speech Recognition so the accuracy is very good and its very quick at transcribing text.

Because of this though, Dictation.io only works in Google Chrome – it’s not compatible with Safari or Firefox and it also does not work on mobile devices.

Dictation.io saves all of your transcriptions in the browser so nothing is saved online unless you click “Publish” in which case, your transcriptions will be available publicly.

Other options include the ability to save transcriptions in a text file, tweet them, play the audio of it, email it and print it.

You have to grant Dictation.io permission to use your Mac’s internal microphone in Chrome too although this is only activated when you’re using Dictation.io.

You can’t dictate offline with Dictation.io either so you need to be online all the time.

OneNote For Mac is Microsoft’s note taking software for Mac and Windows and the Mac version now supports dictation.

If you’ve already got Microsoft Office For Mac or Microsoft 365 account then you’ll already have OneNote on your Mac.

Of course, OneNote isn’t really suitable for dictating letters and essays but it’s ideal for jotting down notes, memos and conducting research for later.

The dictate feature in OneNote for Mac allows you to format and organize text from speech and uses artifical intelligence (AI) to transcribe speech to text.

OneNote For Mac dictation also supports auto-punctuation although you can disable this.

OneNote for Mac dictation supports 50 languages and you can also filter out swear words or profanity.

To use dictation in OneNote for Mac follow these instructions:

• Go to Home > Dictate while signed into Microsoft 365 on any Mac with a Microphone which includes MacBooks.
• Wait for the Dictate button to activate.
• Start speaking and you will see text appear in OneNote.

You can find more information on how to dictate in OneNote for Mac here .

You can also read about some excellent alternatives to OneNote for Mac here .

Speechnotes is a cheap and cheerful online speech-to-text service which works in Google Chrome and on Android devices.

Speechnotes actually uses Google’s own voice recognition engine so it’s basically just an enhanced version of Google Docs Voice Typing tool.

There’s also a Speechnotes Chrome extension which allows you to voice type directly into any website including Gmail, WordPress and most other text fields.

Speechnotes claims to be a free alternative to Dragon Naturally Speaking and although the accuracy can’t really compare with Dragons products, it’s pretty good. Unlike Dragon Dictate, Speechnotes also can’t be used to voice control your Mac either.

Speechless gives you the advantages of Google’s voice recognition engine but with the added advantage of things like an Android app although there’s no iPhone app.

Pricing: Free / Plans starting from $1.9/month

Medical professionals need specialist dictation tools and privacy protections and DeepScribe is the best medical dictation software for Mac users.

DeepScribe works via iOS apps for iPhone and iPad but anything that is recorded and transcribed on it is then available on your Mac.

DeepScribe uses AI to filter out small talk and irrelevant parts of conversations with patients, doctors, nurses and doesn’t require prompting when you want it to record.

The AI used by DeepScribe has been trained on more than 2 million patients as it has the biggest database of medical conversations in the world.

The aim of DeepScribe is to remove the administrative burden from Clinicians so that they can spend more time with patients and giving care.

DeepScribe also integrates with EHR solutions including AdvancedMD, AthenaHealth, ClaimPower and many others. The AI technology in DeepScribe is also HIPAA compliant and protected by multi factor authentication and user access restrictions.

Pricing: On Request

Dictation tools enable your Mac to translate spoken words into written text which enables you to write much more than typing alone.

The average person can only type anything up to 1,000 words in half an hour.

However, most people can speak up to 4,000 words in the same time period – that equals a massive potential increase in your productivity especially if you’re having to do tediously jobs like transcribing meetings or business conversations.

Text to speech is already in everything from Siri to Google Docs although professional dictation apps offer much greater accuracy as they actually learn how you talk.

There are many reasons to use dictation software on your Mac but some of the most important ones are:

• It increases productivity as you can talk much faster than you can type.
• It saves valuable time transcribing meetings and other tedious tasks.
• Dictation is safer for you. Excessive typing is one of the most common reasons for repetitive strain injury on hands and the more people type on both keyboards and mobile phones, the bigger the problem is getting. Other keyboard related injuries on the rise include Tendonitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Quadriplegia.
• You can note down things hands free (for example when cooking, eating, doing the laundry etc).
• It prevents you forgetting ideas that you meant to type out later. It’s an especially good way for creative writers to get all their ideas down on paper without editing along the way.
• It’s more confidential than dictating notes to a secretary or colleague.
• Dictating cuts down on scribbled notes on pieces of paper if you want to go paperless .

Since macOS Catalina including Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura and Sonoma you can dictate on a Mac using macOS Dictation.

Dictation is based on the Siri personal assistant tool and although it doesn’t do a bad job of transcribing text, using macOS Dictation to dictate on a Mac is not as accurate as professional dictation software.

Because its based on Siri which is still mainly designed as a personal assistant to launch apps, answer questions and generally speed-up your workflow, Apple is slowly moving Siri closer towards being a more viable dictation option for Mac users.

macOS Dictation is now available in 64 languages although only major languages such as English, Spanish and Chinese work offline.

Note also that only Apple Silicon Macs can process data in macOS Dictation offline. Anything you dictate in macOS Dictation on Intel Macs is sent via Apple’s servers.

For more on this, check out our guide on how to dictate offline on a Mac .

In these reviews, we tested a combination of offline and online dictation programs that can be used on a Mac.

Note that web-based voice recognition and voice-to-text recognition apps all require a permanent internet connection in order to work and no not work for offline dictation

The in-built microphone on Macs is good but you’ll definitely get better results by using an external microphone or dictation headset.

External mics and headsets not only pick up your voice better because the microphone is closer to your mouth, but they’re better at reducing background noise.

You’ve got three different options when it comes to dictation devices: Wired Headsets , Wireless Headsets and Desktop Microphones .

The best option for you obviously depends on whether you want to wear something on your head, walk around, or just speak into a mic next to your Mac.

A good Wired Headset for dictation is the AAAPrice noise cancelling USB headset which is optimized for Dragon Dictate although works with any dictation program.

If you like to walk around, buy a Wireless Headset but just be careful with the range as it can vary wildly depending on the model. One of the best we’ve seen is the Logitech Wireless Headset which has an impressive Bluetooth range of up to 300 feet.

If you prefer not to wear something, Microphones deliver just as good results although you may find yourself craning over the desktop ones more than sitting up straight like you can with a headset.

Dictation microphones vary in price with basic ones like the FIFINE USB microphone going for around $20 ranging up to the professional handheld Nuance PowerMic microphone costing over $200.

Dictation in itself can be a strange experience if you’ve never done it before. It can feel strange at first talking to a computer and hearing the sound of your own voice constantly.

There’s a few other things to be aware of specifically related to the way dictation apps work too.

• The most important thing in any dictation app is how accurate it is at recognizing your voice. You will inevitably have a certain amount of correction to do whichever app you choose but the more accurate it is, the less errors you’ll have to correct. Most apps require you to do a certain amount of speaking first before using it so it can familiarize itself with your voice and accent.
• All dictation apps have their own commands and way of working. Some definitely feel easier to use than others and once you get used to the way one works, it’s a pain to switch software at a later date.
• Dictation obviously limits when and where you can work. If you’re in a public space such as on a train or even in an open plan office, it’s less private to dictate not to mention more complicated due to background noise.
• You’ll make more mistakes constructing sentences dictating rather than typing. On a keyboard, you have more time to think, go back and revise, delete etc. It’s harder to formulate sentences perfectly thinking off the top of your head but the advantage is your output is more “uncensored”.
• Try to avoid filler words like “erm”, “so..” and “OK” because editing these out later is a real pain. It’s actually much harder than you think to avoid filler words as it’s such a natural part of most people’s speech. Try to just take a pause or be silent instead while you think what you’re going to say next. To help avoid filler words, before you start dictating, have a rough plan of what you’re going to say.

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If you want to keep Dragon working, don’t upgrade to Sonoma.

I had kept Dragon 6 working natively on my sequence of Macbooks Pros and MacOS versions until updated to Sonoma recently. Now Dragon flags errors when it opens. I’ve been very lucky keeping it working this long. I now have to decide whether to buy a Windows Version of Dragon and to install it on a Parallels VM.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Did you have a Time Machine backup of your previous version of macOS? If so you can roll back to it easily. If not, you can also use Recovery mode on your Intel Mac to roll back to Ventura or use a bootable installer of Ventura.

I’m looking to buy a new MacBook next month and would really like to be able to use Dragon Professional 16 on it, having had no luck with other dictation software so far. I have some questions I hope you can help with: Is running it on Windows 11 via Parallels the best option to do this? What Macbook specs would you recommend for this set up? I’d prefer to spend extra and get one will run it all easily and last me a good while than skimp on price/specs and end up needing to upgrade again

Yes, that would be your best option. Presuming you’re buying a new Apple Silicon MacBook Pro with M1, M2 or M3 chip you would only be able to run Windows ARM on it . Although Dragon Dictate doesn’t work natively in Windows ARM, Windows ARM can translate Intel only apps like Dragon Dictate to work on a Mac. In terms of Specs, any new MacBook Pro will more than be enough for running Windows Dragon Dictate although we’d probably avoid the latest 14 inch M3 model as it may be a little bit lightweight for running Parallels .

Otter’s free plan now only allows 300 mins free.

Thanks for the update.

I’m looking for some dictation software, but when I attempted to use Siri I encountered the problem mentioned above, that it cuts out every few seconds. My main concern though is that it states in the T&Cs that everything you write in it is sent to Apple, ostensibly to improve the product. This makes it of no use where other people’s confidentiality and privacy is concerned. The purpose I want dictation software for is very much to do with confidentiality obligations. I don’t think the article above mentions that as an issue at all. I imagine there will be other providers of dictation software who have the same policy as Apple/Siri, but this issue doesn’t feature in your reviews. Any guidance would be welcome.

It used to be possible to dictate offline on a Mac with the “Enhanced Dictation” feature but it was removed from macOS Catalina onwards. With products such as Dragon Dictate however, once they are installed and activated you don’t need to be online to dictate as all the language packs and speech recognition tools are downloaded on your desktop.

Re 10.15 Catalina at least: Apple Dictation under Siri is a huge step backwards: it is not usable: It times out regardless of your speaking (and of the above steps, ie turning it on in Preferences.) AND now, ANY TIME YOU TOUCH THE KEYBOARD it turns off. Previously you could use the keyboard AND Dictation. Now it is “beep beep” while you’re trying to think and compose. Unusable in my opinion. Since these were clearly conscious choices, and since usability is a company strength, my cynical side suspects they must have opted to aggressively cut open server threads for the sake of ??? increasing their profits. Sorry but I really liked what was there.

Why do you say that the best dictation software for Mac is Dragon, when Dragon is NOT available for mac?

Because you can use it on a Mac by using Parallels which allows you to run Windows on your Mac. This is made pretty clear in the article. Even if there’s no native Mac version, Dragon is sill the best dictation software in terms of accuracy and voice recognition.

That’s fair. What isn’t exactly clear, at least to me, is whether you can actually use the Parallels/Windows Dragon directly in Mac apps? Your post mentions something about Desktop Publishing software which seems to imply that, but it isn’t clear how it really works, or if it does with ease. Otherwise, one would have to get Mac versions of all apps and install them inside the Parallels Windows instance, which isn’t really the same thing as having Dragon usable on Mac. If I’m going that route, I might as well go ahead and switch to a native Windows device because I’ll be using Windows as the primary OS.

Yes only Windows applications in Parallels will work with Dragon. Depending on the license you have though, some software and apps such as Microsoft Office allow you to install more than one installation within Windows and macOS on the same license. But in some cases, you may have to purchase the Windows version of the app too in order to use it with Dragon.

Dragon Dictate Professional 15 will not run in Parallels and MacOS if you are running an Apple CPU such as the M1 or M2 chip. Dragon Dictate will not run on the Windows ARM version.

Dragon Naturally Speaking does run in Parallels running Windows ARM as long as you’re using Parallels 18.0.1 or later. Windows ARM can “translate” Intel only software to work in Windows ARM including Dragon. There was an issue with Dragon not working in Parallels 18 running Windows ARM initially but an update to Parallels fixed it.

Having bought Dragon 6.0.8 for Mac years ago, I still have it running very well natively on my MacBook Pro with OS 13.1. I’ve successfully migrated it several times with both hardware and software updates.

Not much help to others, I know.

I agree with Andy – excellent dictation on Mac. Sadly I had to stop using it because my older Mac OS version was 32 bits vs. the news ones 64 bits. (And the 6.0 version is probably no longer available. The big picture is: Microsoft has bought Dragon from what I hear – and then ‘killed’ the MacOS version… Is this fair competition?

It can be a little buggy but I am still able to use Dragon Dictate 4.04 on my MacBook Air running Monterey 12.2.1. With each Mac OS update I worry that it will fail to work but it’s still going strong, for which I am thankful.

Your Instruction for Mac For High Sierra IS WRONG! In systems Preferences, there is NO “Dictation and Speech”!!! There is Only ‘SirI’!

If you go to the Apple () logo in the top left of your screen and select > System Preferences > Keyboard you will see the Dictation Tab where you can Switch Dictation to “On”.

They are greedy and determined to make us give them all our data. They took off the ability to easily dictate off line in the last two upgrades/. Just greedy. and I do not like them acc essing everything. It is just so wrong.

I agree, but Tim Cook doesn’t see the advantage in this? But, then, Apple is trying to be a force unto itself and to hell with everyone else. Mistake.

It is really frustrating that Apple and Dragon can’t work together to provide dictation for the Mac equal to that available for Windows. Apple should accept that developing their own software to match Dragon is not cost effective and the best way for them would be to partner with Dragon. Apple are just that bit too proud, I suppose.

I have a new Air M1 and an older Mac laptop w Dragon on it. Parallels on the Air was a nightmare, so I dictate w Dragon on the older Mac and transfer it over to my new Air. Can’t be bothered with all the special software I had to download and install bc I have an M1. Why hasn’t Mac come up with a Dragon version of their own? Are they still in the “I’m typing all of this” dark ages?

Mac Version 4 is ancient… I used to have Mac Version 5 way back in 2015. His boastful post is nearly useless for this decade and what’s currently available.

Unfortunately, Mac’s dictation feature is extremely buggy to the point of being unusable. At first it only worked in just a few apps for me, then, without me changing anything, it quit working altogether. Voice commands like “paste that” still work everywhere but actual dictation of text is completely non-functional. It’s hard to believe that it’s 2021 and a leader like Apple fails so badly at accessibilty.

I should have said “Unless you use Parallels”, of course. I am a Parallels user, but for me Dragon works fine natively

I’m using Dragon 6.0.8 (14812) on Mac OS 11.4 and it works fine. Fortunately, Dragon has been preserved through each Mac Book Pro replacement. It has survived through transfers of accounts and apps using Migration Assistant. I very much doubt if there is a now way of installing Dragon on any Big Sur Mac.

It’s Mac Version 4.0.4 (13062).

Surprise. Dragon Dictate is working seamlessly on my Mac with Big Sur. It had been balky with Catalina but Big Sur somehow brought it back to life. No need for Parallels at this juncture.

Can you confirm which version of Dragon Dictate you’re using as the latest version 15 is Windows only?

So, in reality, there is no way to really just point a cursor in a document or mail and just start voice-typing on a Mac? I have Dragon, but it seems not to work in Catalina. Version 5.5 I have Parallels but don’t have a PC version of Dragon… for $200+ dollars. Seems Mac is behind on this important ability.

Very interesting article.

I have PARALLELS and know the DRAGON software well. My hesitation: many anecdotal reports were that it was hard to dictate from DRAGON on Windows to Mac applications

If this hurdle could be overcome, I would buy & install DRAGON WINDOWS in a heartbeat.

All the best,

Hello Andy, Thanks for your helpful comments. I am using the latest version of Parallels. I was trying to use the on-line install when I ran into difficulties. Since then Nuance have provided me with a temporary direct download ling for the complete .exe file and I am glad to say the installation has worked and I now have Dragon 15.61 running in my VM environment. My next challenge is now to make the necessary changes so I can dictate in English and in German. Cheers Hans

I am fortunate that I have Dragon running on Big Sur without recourse to Parallels, but I do use Parallels a lot for other things. It is no surprise that Nuance don’t support Dragon on Parallels. However, most Windows apps are oblivious to being run on Parallels. Dragon might differ because of the complexity of audio being routed through the Mac to the Windows virtual machine or the download process is sensitive to being run on a VM. The latter seems to be your current problem. Is the download just a download of an install package or an online install process, I wonder. If the former, you might try the download on a ‘pure’ Windows PC and copy the install package over. Are you using Parallels 16.1.2 the latest? Good luck!

Thank you for the clear article. I have followed your advice but have found that the Parallels/Windows 10 based approach is quite difficult to install. I have been trying for several days to download the Dragon Pro exe file and have not succeeded. I have tried three different browsers, have disabled the Windows Firewall but it simply does not work for me. The Nuance Download manager displays the message ‘creating download’ and gets stuck there without any progress. Nuance support are trying to help but make it quite clear that the Dragon on Windows on Parallels is not a supported environment. I would be grateful for any suggestions how to resolve this.

I am using MacOS 14.02. Do you know if Dragon Dictate professional works on this version?

As stated in the article, the Mac version has been discontinued. You need to run Windows on your Mac in order to install it but yet, it will work running Windows in macOS 14.02

I would be interested if the author of this nice article actually has used Dragon Professional for Windows on a Mac using Parallels? It sounds so nice. However, I bought Parallels and Dragon Professional…the Parallels was fine (although the fan ran constantly) but the Dragon on it never worked well and transferring to WOrd on Mac side was so clunky. I gave up trying (I have a day job!!). I am back using Dragon for Mac on Mojave with my wonderful library of words that I have trained over 10 years. It works fine. I am afraid to upgrade though and am looking for anyone who has tried it on M1 chip Macs.

Worth observing that some have had trouble installing Dragon 6.0.x on Catalina or even earlier MAC OS versions.

I originally installed an earlier version of Dragon, perhaps as much as 10 years ago. Since then I have taken every Dragon upgrade and every MAC OS upgrade including the Big Sur Public Beta and used Migration Assistant when I bought each new Mac. I’ve been lucky, perhaps.

It’s likely anyone wishing to do a clean install of Dragon on Catalina will fail.

Anyone who has Dragon 6.0.8 running on Mojave is likely to be able to get it working on Catalina or Big Sur by adopting my approach. Do NOT try going direct from Mojave to Big Sur.

Like some others, I have found that Dragon 6.0.8 works satisfactorily with Mac OS Catalina, despite support having been withdrawn by Nuance. Dragon remains my dictation tool of choice on the Mac.

In the last month, I have installed the Mac OS 11 ‘Big Sur’ public beta and I find Dragon still works.

There were a few problems selecting the microphone to dictate with, but that is just a change to Big Sur’s bluetooth selection.

I am dictating using my AirPods rather than a headset. I am usually in a quiet environment.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with it. Interesting that you’ve managed to get it to work with macOS Big Sur already.

Let’s face it: we Mac/IOS users continue to be at a disadvantage when it comes to dictation software. Ever since Nuance discontinued Dragon Dictate in 2018 we’ve had little to turn to. Apple’s current built-in dictation software (Catalina) is about where Dragon Dictate was around 2012 – it doesn’t “learn” or improve with us very well and you can’t even easily copy or download the commands for it found in Preferences.

We can hope for improvement with upcoming Big Sur and IOS 14, but chances are Apple will continue its traditional emphasis on gaming, glitz, and the creative arts other than serious writing. For serious long form writing beyond the memo we’re stuck with using the ancient Dragon Dictate 6, patching something else together, or paying a couple hundred dollars to install Parallels and Windows and buying the latest version of Dragon Naturally Speaking 16 for PC. Why bother using a Mac for dictation with all this going against us?

My setup: MacBook pro dec 2016; Catalina; MS Word 2019 standalone version (not 365); LG 5K display w/mic and camera; iPhone

OK, so this is how I do it: 1. record memo on iPhone Voice Memos 2. use airdrop to move memo to MacBook 4. Open Word 5. ->Edit -> Start Word Dictation 6. open and play the memo 7. watch Word listen to it and type it into the document

Pretty cool.

Obviously, I can just dictate straight into Word, but this is how I can input a memo made on my phone. I also played the memo on the iPhone in front of the microphone, and that worked too.

Interesting solution. It’s a bit long winded for most users but if you find the accuracy is good, then it’s a clever workaround.

My Mac version of Dragon crashed after many years of use. So installed Parallels and Windows 10. I installed Dragon Professional on this. I crashed after a day or two; when I called for support, Dragon said they did not support Dragon on Parallels. They offered to return my payment, which I accepted. Does anyone know if Dragon will run successfully under Bootcamp. Maybe I could try again with Dragon Professional, it worked well until it totally crashed and would not load.

After reading this article, I installed Parallels, Windows, and Dragon onto my Mac. I had used Dragon back in 2014, and am in need of dictation software again. The problem is that I’ve only been able to figure out how to dictate into a dictation box in the Windows window. I can get it to transcribe into any of my Apple apps. Is this a real limitation? Or is there some way to dictate into the programs I want to use, such as Scrivener?

Unfortunately you won’t be able to dictate into programs on macOS using Dragon Dictate installed in Windows under Parallels. It will only only work with Windows programs so you could use the Windows version of Scrivener instead.

Thank you for your prompt response. So, do you think it’s worthwhile to spend the time and effort to correct it is always mistakes by hand or his mistakes by hand? I mean, all his mistakes.

It’s worthwhile if you’re going to rely it for dictation but you may find you spend more time correcting than dictating in the long run. Dictation will probably improve in future versions of macOS though.

Thank you for your very helpful article. I am the published author of several books. During the recent pandemic, I have been Writing more than usual and my fingers started to hurt. In Seoul and so I’ve been using the Apple dictation the built in Apple dictation feature on my MacBook Air, my iPhone, and my iPad in various applications. My big question this question is does this thing learn? And if so, how do I make it learn my fission Lee learn more efficiently and faster? I have the Viking pression vegan impression vague impression that it works better on my cell phone damn on MacBook. Sb is this because the microphone is better? Any advice you are others may have for me would be much appreciate it. I’m also dismayed to read in your article that dragon the dragon has discontinue serving the Mac. I wrote this using dictation with a minimum amount of editing. Thank you very much!

macOS dictation doesn’t “learn” to recognize your voice in the way Dragon Dictate does. However, as you correct it manually, it will learn how to recognize those particular words better in future.

If we had a government that actually cared about regular citizens this wouldn’t be a problem as Nuance’s patents would be lifted by Congress because (1) they have a monopoly on the software; and (2) they refuse to share a significant minority of users in the Apple and Linux, etc. communities. This isn’t rocket science. Nuance should be either compelled to serve Mac OS users or lose the protections given to them by the US Government. This situation is analogous to a Pharma company patenting a vaccine for Covid-19 but refusing to market it.

Hope this helps at least a few people. I use Dragon Dictate 6.0.8, the last version available before Nuance pulled the plug on us. I installed it on this Mac (late 20`9 with Catalina) from a Time Machine backup of my older Mac. Dragon works just fine here, better accuracy than Apple Dictation and Voice Control. I dictate a lot of long book notes into Word and Scrivener with no problem. I don’t use it to control the computer or transcribe text from another source.

I just purchased a 2020 MacBook Pro, OS Catalina and am trying to figure out how to access the built-in speech recognition system when I’m offline. In comparison to my old (now defunct circa 2010) MacBook Pro, it doesn’t appear that I have the offline option as detailed above. When I click the “on” button for dictation, I get a msg. stating what I dictate will be transmitted to Apple to be converted into text, as well as other info such as names of my contacts. I want the option of dictating when off-line and am also leery of sending Apple my names of my contacts. Any ideas? Also, is Dragon Professional compatible with Mac OS Catalina?

It is possible to dictate offline in macOS Catalina but Apple has changed the way you activate it. It’s also not great if you need it for non US English languages.

As stated in the article, Dragon Professional has been discontinued on Mac but you can still run it on macOS Catalina by installing Windows on your Mac .

How do you judge TEMI or dictate2us v/s REV?

Aaaaand for the rest of us who’s Apple dictation simply does not work – the frustration is without bounds. I have tried EVERY possible site and absolutely no results. I have been using the build in Mac dictation for quite some time and I am happy with it – although I sometimes need to make a correction it is better than having to type up every single word. I am working on a publication with a deadline. Needless to say I am so unhappy about not getting dictation to work. I am currently searching for software to buy as I simply cannot continue like this. Very disappointed in Apple.

Yes John I agree with you about Apple. When apple started it was for artists, creators, and it offered a more secure, closed system free from all the tech problems that plagued windows. I was one of those artists that they counted on while they built their market share. I bought the 17 in laptop because I needed the real estate for my photoshop work. I am no longer their target market. They now cater to the masses so the 17 in can’t be special ordered or bought in any way. So, we see how apple treats those that supported them in the beginning as they built their name and market share. We aren’t their masses anymore. We are the artists and creators – still only the 5%, but probably the top 5%.

I would really love to move to a better dictation system than my built-in Mac version and I hate the thought of installing Windows on my Mac just to get Dragon.

So, tell me more about your experience running Dragon on Mojave; are you still happy with it? And, is it still possible to purchase the Dragon for Mac somewhere?

A few days ago I decided to give up on High Sierra and Dragon for Mac because it was a pain to use. So I decided to upgrade to Mojave and rely on Macintosh dictation. Just for fun, I tried out Dragon and found that works much better on Mojave than it does on High Sierra.

So far, I haven’t detected any major problem.

That’s interesting because according to Dragon, it still doesn’t support Mojave.

Anne-Louise, you’ve made a profound contribution to this discussion. I suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, and it’s devastated my ability to write. I’ve been described by others as a truly exceptional writer, and one editor/publisher told me “Don’t let life get in the way!” (of my book writing).

Life got in the way.

RA makes every single keystroke painful.

While RA might not be seen in the disability community as a truly disabling condition, I’ve discovered that it truly shuts down anything involved in my personal writing process.

So: All I can really contribute is a “me too” reply, but I hope that software developers, MacHow and similar blogs and sites, will take notice and advocate for better dictation options for Mac users who can’t type.

I have Parallels, and installed Dragon on it, but cannot get it to recognize the microphone plugged into the Mac. I spoke with Parallels support, and they were unable/unwilling to help. They said it was a Dragon problem.

Is there some video or web page that will guide me on how to get Dragon to work with Parallels? I am running Windows 10.

Does the error generate a technical report in Parallels? If so you can send the details to Parallels via Parallels Help Menu and they will try and diagnose the problem.

So how well does running Dragon Naturally Speaking for Windows on Parallels work? I have a Macbook Air 2014 w/ 8 GB Ram, and SSD drive. Has anyone tried this?

Yesterday, I used my computer (iMac) for the first time to dictate some material. The results were better than I had expected but not really completely satisfactory, so the thought of buying the Dragon version occurred to me. I had read about Dragon many years ago, so I presumed, perhaps unreasonably, that it would still be the best dictation software for my iMac. I had my finger on the Amazon purchase trigger, but then I decided t read the reviews. They were terrible. Not one of the Dragon models received even mediocre reviews. Now, I have my reservations about Amazon reviews, but I can’t disregard them, either. I was stuck. Buying a Dragon package seemed like a gamble with the odds against me, and I hadn’t decided what to do until I read your comments. I’ll certainly have to consider them. Installing a Windows’ product on my iMac instead of using a product designed for the Mac seemed ridiculous, but you’re the expert, and I’m not. I’m going to see what others have to say on the subject. That may seem overly cautious, but I am not a computer expert, so it is very possible that I might end-up blaming myself for problems caused by the software. Well, one thing is certain, I won’t be buying anything tonight.Thanks for improving my chances of success.

I will no doubt catch a lot of heat for this…but I believe that Apple has abandoned the idyllic original idea of the Mac being the computer created for “the rest of us” to give regular, every day, non-techie people, a computer that was friendly, simple to use… non-elitist. Apple should stop depending on companies like Nuance and Microsoft and a host of others who have interest in Mac users only so long as they are compliant with their wishes with no respect for us as significant users. Over the years, my first Mac was the Plus when it came off the line, I have seen Apple slowly drift away from its original tenets. Apple could easily develop great Dictation Software to help not just the ordinary at home user but also the handicapped and the professional. Maybe the focus should be diverted from continuing to build exotic new operating systems and to start agin to build user helpful and friendly computers and software for the “rest of us” who do not want to bow down to the world of Windows and its cohorts. God knows we spend enough on our Macs to get this done for us.

Nuance just discontinued the only available comprehensive voice dictation software for Mac, leaving disabled Mac users in the lurch.

For over a decade, disabled computer users have relied the only 2 comprehensive voice dictation software programs available-: Dragon NaturallySpeaking for Windows, and Dragon professional for Mac.

Nuance abruptly terminated and ended support for Dragon professional for Mac on October 18, 2018, leaving disabled Mac users in the lurch.

Mac users who upgrade their operating systems risk losing being able to continue to use their voice dictation software, due to software incompatibilities.

(Nuance warned Dragon for Mac users not to upgrade to more operating systems to Mojave, saying that it was not tested or supported.)

Only 3 limited and unsatisfactory options at present:

1) Not upgrading their Mac operating systems, in order to continue using Dragon for Mac. (However, this will not be an option when buying a new Mac, as it will not give the option of an older operating system).

2) Buy loads of expensive new Windows software to run voice dictation on Mac ( approximately $570).

3) Mac users abandoning Macs and switching over to Windows across the board.

For those who do not rely on voice dictation due to a disability, be assured that the voice dictation capabilities that exist on a Mac computer at present are not remotely as comprehensive as a full-fledged voice dictation program. It’s analogous to rollerskating across the United States versus driving in a car.

It seems important to get visibility about the issue before the public, Apple, potential software developers, and the disability community, in the hope of encouraging addressing the future void for disabled Mac users being able to continue using their Macs.

It is sobering to realize that a commercial third-party software monopoly has the potential to completely turn a disabled person’s tech world upside down by discontinuing its product.

Thanks for your thoughtful comment and you make a very good point about disabled users being left in the lurch by Dragon’s decision. Unfortunately, even if you install Windows on your Mac and then install Dragon Dictate, you still can’t control your Mac with it via voice. Dragon Dictate for Mac was by far the best tool for voice control and it’s a big loss for the disabled community that relied on it. In future versions of macOS, it would be nice to see Apple add more comprehensive voice controls so that you don’t have to resort to third party software in the first place.

I advise staying away from Dragon Dictate in any form. True, it works well but this is NOT a Mac oriented company. Support when I used the app was terrible, frequently rude and combative. Apple’s Dictation is very similar to Dragon, and I found it to be a viable asset for my Mac as it is 100% Mac supported!

I think Dragon simply didn’t think it was worth putting resources into supporting the Mac version, hence the poor customer support you experienced and the eventual decision to drop it. The problem is that it’s still the best dictation software on the market, particularly for professionals in the medical, legal and other fields. As mentioned in the article, even professional writer and Dragon Dictate expert Scott Baker uses a Mac but actually recommends installing Windows on your Mac and using the Windows version because it’s that good. As you say though, for general needs, macOS Dictate is a very good alternative nowadays.

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How to Dictate on iPhone

Turn dictation on from Keyboard settings, tap the microphone, and speak away

• University of Texas at Arlington

In This Article

Jump to a Section

• Step-by-Step: Turn on Dictation
• Step-by-Step: Use Dictation
• Keywords for Punctuation

What to Know

• Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > toggle on Enable Dictation .
• Open on-screen keyboard in app with text field > tap the microphone > speak > view your words on screen.
• Use keywords for punctuation > tap the microphone, keyboard, or empty part of screen to stop dictation.

This article explains how to dictate on iPhone with instructions for turning on, using, and ending Dictation. Also included are keywords that you can say to add punctuation and line breaks. Instructions apply to iPhones running iOS 15 or later and iPads running iPadOS 15 or later.

Dictation isn't available in every language and region. Depending on where you are, you may incur data charges when using this feature.

How to Turn on Dictation on iPhone

One of the most powerful features of iOS and iPadOS is also one that is easy to miss: dictation.

Siri may get all the press for being a  great personal assistant , but Dictation may be at its best when it's taking notes, and it's available for both the iPhone and the iPad.

If you haven't used this feature yet, the first step is to turn it on. Here's how:

Voice dictation is available any time the on-screen keyboard is available, which means no hunting around for it when you need it. You can use it for text messages, email messages, or taking notes in your favorite app.

Open Settings .

Tap General .

Choose Keyboard .

Move the toggle on (green position) beside Enable Dictation .

How to Use Dictation on iPhone

Once you've enabled dictation on your iPhone, follow these directions to help you use it.

If using the on-screen keyboard of your iPad is inconvenient when typing more than a line or two, use dictation instead. Voice dictation makes the iPhone a viable alternative to a laptop for sending and replying to emails. However, older devices may require an internet connection to do the heavy lifting.

Display the on-screen keyboard by tapping a field that accepts text (such as an email or note).

Tap the microphone icon.

You may be prompted to enable dictation even if you turned it on from Keyboard settings. Tap Enable Dictation to confirm.

Start talking. The device listens to your voice and turns it into text as you speak.

Use keywords to insert punctuation or paragraph breaks as needed.

Tap the small microphone in the text field or keyboard, or tap an empty area in the text field > Stop to end dictation.

You may also see a keyboard icon as the prompt for stopping dictation. Dictation also times out after 30 seconds in iOS and iPadOS 16 or later.

Make adjustments to the text as necessary with the keyboard.

Add Punctuation With These Dictation Keywords

To get the most out of Dictation, use these keywords to add punctuation or line breaks:

• Period : The "." is the standard way to end a sentence.
• Question Mark : The "?" punctuation mark.
• New Paragraph : Starts a new paragraph. End the previous sentence before beginning the new paragraph.
• Exclamation Point : The "!" punctuation mark.
• Comma : The "," punctuation mark.
• Colon : The ":" punctuation mark.
• Semi-Colon : The ";" punctuation mark
• Ellipsis : The "..." punctuation mark
• Quote and Unquote : Puts quotation marks around words or phrases.
• Slash : The "/" symbol.
• Asterisk : The "*" symbol.
• Ampersand : The "&" symbol, which means "and."
• At Sign : The "@" symbol found in email addresses.
• Emoji : Say emoji names like "heart emoji."

Voice dictation automatically adds spaces after punctuation that needs it—periods, commas, and closing quotation marks, for example. You can turn off automatic punctuation from General > Keyboard > Automatic Punctuation .

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Best speech-to-text app of 2024

Free, paid and online voice recognition apps and services

Best overall

Best for business, best for mobile, best text service, best speech recognition, best virtual assistant, best for cloud, best for azure, best for batch conversion, best free speech to text apps, best mobile speech to text apps, how we test.

The best speech-to-text apps make it simple and easy to convert speech into text, for both desktop and mobile devices.

1. Best overall 2. Best for business 3. Best for mobile 4. Best text service 5. Best speech recognition 6. Best virtual assistant 7. Best for cloud 8. Best for Azure 9. Best for batch conversion 10. Best free speech to text apps 11. Best mobile speech to text apps 12. FAQs 13. How we test

Speech-to-text used to be regarded as very niche, specifically serving either people with accessibility needs or for  dictation . However, speech-to-text is moving more and more into the mainstream as office work can now routinely be completed more simply and easily by using voce-recognition software, rather than having to type through members, and speaking aloud for text to be recorded is now quite common.

While the best speech to text software used to be specifically only for desktops, the development of mobile devices and the explosion of easily accessible apps means that transcription can now also be carried out on a  smartphone  or  tablet . 

This has made the best voice to text applications increasingly valuable to users in a range of different environments, from education to business. This is not least because the technology has matured to the level where mistakes in transcriptions are relatively rare, with some services rightly boasting a 99.9% success rate from clear audio.

Even still, this applies mainly to ordinary situations and circumstances, and precludes the use of technical terminology such as required in legal or medical professions. Despite this, digital transcription can still service needs such as basic  note-taking  which can still be easily done using a phone app, simplifying the dictation process.

However, different speech-to-text programs have different levels of ability and complexity, with some using advanced machine learning to constantly correct errors flagged up by users so that they are not repeated. Others are downloadable software which is only as good as its latest update.

Here then are the best in speech-to-text recognition programs, which should be more than capable for most situations and circumstances.

We've also featured the best voice recognition software .

The best paid for speech to text apps of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

1. Dragon Anywhere

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid.

Dragon Anywhere is the Nuance mobile product for Android and iOS devices, however this is no ‘lite’ app, but rather offers fully-formed dictation capabilities powered via the cloud. 

So essentially you get the same excellent speech recognition as seen on the desktop software – the only meaningful difference we noticed was a very slight delay in our spoken words appearing on the screen (doubtless due to processing in the cloud). However, note that the app was still responsive enough overall.

It also boasts support for boilerplate chunks of text which can be set up and inserted into a document with a simple command, and these, along with custom vocabularies, are synced across the mobile app and desktop Dragon software. Furthermore, you can share documents across devices via Evernote or cloud services (such as Dropbox).

This isn’t as flexible as the desktop application, however, as dictation is limited to within Dragon Anywhere – you can’t dictate directly in another app (although you can copy over text from the Dragon Anywhere dictation pad to a third-party app). The other caveats are the need for an internet connection for the app to work (due to its cloud-powered nature), and the fact that it’s a subscription offering with no one-off purchase option, which might not be to everyone’s tastes.

Even bearing in mind these limitations, though, it’s a definite boon to have fully-fledged, powerful voice recognition of the same sterling quality as the desktop software, nestling on your phone or tablet for when you’re away from the office.

Nuance Communications offers a 7-day free trial to give the app a try before you commit to a subscription. 

Read our full Dragon Anywhere review .

• ^ Back to the top

2. Dragon Professional

Should you be looking for a business-grade dictation application, your best bet is Dragon Professional. Aimed at pro users, the software provides you with the tools to dictate and edit documents, create spreadsheets, and browse the web using your voice.   

According to Nuance, the solution is capable of taking dictation at an equivalent typing speed of 160 words per minute, with a 99% accuracy rate – and that’s out-of-the-box, before any training is done (whereby the app adapts to your voice and words you commonly use).

As well as creating documents using your voice, you can also import custom word lists. There’s also an additional mobile app that lets you transcribe audio files and send them back to your computer.   

This is a powerful, flexible, and hugely useful tool that is especially good for individuals, such as professionals and freelancers, allowing for typing and document management to be done much more flexibly and easily.

Overall, the interface is easy to use, and if you get stuck at all, you can access a series of help tutorials. And while the software can seem expensive, it's just a one-time fee and compares very favorably with paid-for subscription transcription services.

Also note that Nuance are currently offering 12-months' access to Dragon Anywhere at no extra cost with any purchase of Dragon Home or Dragon Professional Individual.

Read our full Dragon Professional review .

Otter is a cloud-based speech to text program especially aimed for mobile use, such as on a laptop or smartphone. The app provides real-time transcription, allowing you to search, edit, play, and organize as required.

Otter is marketed as an app specifically for meetings, interviews, and lectures, to make it easier to take rich notes. However, it is also built to work with collaboration between teams, and different speakers are assigned different speaker IDs to make it easier to understand transcriptions.

There are three different payment plans, with the basic one being free to use and aside from the features mentioned above also includes keyword summaries and a wordcloud to make it easier to find specific topic mentions. You can also organize and share, import audio and video for transcription, and provides 600 minutes of free service.

The Premium plan also includes advanced and bulk export options, the ability to sync audio from Dropbox, additional playback speeds including the ability to skip silent pauses. The Premium plan also allows for up to 6,000 minutes of speech to text.

The Teams plan also adds two-factor authentication, user management and centralized billing, as well as user statistics, voiceprints, and live captioning.

Read our full Otter review .

Verbit aims to offer a smarter speech to text service, using AI for transcription and captioning. The service is specifically targeted at enterprise and educational establishments.

Verbit uses a mix of speech models, using neural networks and algorithms to reduce background noise, focus on terms as well as differentiate between speakers regardless of accent, as well as incorporate contextual events such as news and company information into recordings.

Although Verbit does offer a live version for transcription and captioning, aiming for a high degree of accuracy, other plans offer human editors to ensure transcriptions are fully accurate, and advertise a four hour turnaround time.

Altogether, while Verbit does offer a direct speech to text service, it’s possibly better thought of as a transcription service, but the focus on enterprise and education, as well as team use, means it earns a place here as an option to consider.

Read our full Verbit review .

5. Speechmatics

Speechmatics offers a machine learning solution to converting speech to text, with its automatic speech recognition solution available to use on existing audio and video files as well as for live use.

Unlike some automated transcription software which can struggle with accents or charge more for them, Speechmatics advertises itself as being able to support all major British accents, regardless of nationality. That way it aims to cope with not just different American and British English accents, but also South African and Jamaican accents.

Speechmatics offers a wider number of speech to text transcription uses than many other providers. Examples include taking call center phone recordings and converting them into searchable text or Word documents. The software also works with video and other media for captioning as well as using keyword triggers for management.

Overall, Speechmatics aims to offer a more flexible and comprehensive speech to text service than a lot of other providers, and the use of automation should keep them price competitive.

Read our full Speechmatics review .

6. Braina Pro

Braina Pro is speech recognition software which is built not just for dictation, but also as an all-round digital assistant to help you achieve various tasks on your PC. It supports dictation to third-party software in not just English but almost 90 different languages, with impressive voice recognition chops.

Beyond that, it’s a virtual assistant that can be instructed to set alarms, search your PC for a file, or search the internet, play an MP3 file, read an ebook aloud, plus you can implement various custom commands.

The Windows program also has a companion Android app which can remotely control your PC, and use the local Wi-Fi network to deliver commands to your computer, so you can spark up a music playlist, for example, wherever you happen to be in the house. Nifty.

There’s a free version of Braina which comes with limited functionality, but includes all the basic PC commands, along with a 7-day trial of the speech recognition which allows you to test out its powers for yourself before you commit to a subscription. Yes, this is another subscription-only product with no option to purchase for a one-off fee. Also note that you need to be online and have Google ’s Chrome browser installed for speech recognition functionality to work.

Read our full Braina Pro review .

7. Amazon Transcribe

Amazon Transcribe is as big cloud-based automatic speech recognition platform developed specifically to convert audio to text for apps. It especially aims to provide a more accurate and comprehensive service than traditional providers, such as being able to cope with low-fi and noisy recordings, such as you might get in a contact center .

Amazon Transcribe uses a deep learning process that automatically adds punctuation and formatting, as well as process with a secure livestream or otherwise transcribe speech to text with batch processing.

As well as offering time stamping for individual words for easy search, it can also identify different speaks and different channels and annotate documents accordingly to account for this.

There are also some nice features for editing and managing transcribed texts, such as vocabulary filtering and replacement words which can be used to keep product names consistent and therefore any following transcription easier to analyze.

Overall, Amazon Transcribe is one of the most powerful platforms out there, though it’s aimed more for the business and enterprise user rather than the individual.

8. Microsoft Azure Speech to Text

Microsoft 's Azure cloud service offers advanced speech recognition as part of the platform's speech services to deliver the Microsoft Azure Speech to Text functionality. 

This feature allows you to simply and easily create text from a variety of audio sources. There are also customization options available to work better with different speech patterns, registers, and even background sounds. You can also modify settings to handle different specialist vocabularies, such as product names, technical information, and place names.

The Microsoft's Azure Speech to Text feature is powered by deep neural network models and allows for real-time audio transcription that can be set up to handle multiple speakers.

As part of the Azure cloud service, you can run Azure Speech to Text in the cloud, on premises, or in edge computing. In terms of pricing, you can run the feature in a free container with a single concurrent request for up to 5 hours of free audio per month.

Read our full Microsoft Azure Speech to Text review .

9. IBM Watson Speech to Text

IBM's Watson Speech to Text works is the third cloud-native solution on this list, with the feature being powered by AI and machine learning as part of IBM's cloud services.

While there is the option to transcribe speech to text in real-time, there is also the option to batch convert audio files and process them through a range of language, audio frequency, and other output options.

You can also tag transcriptions with speaker labels, smart formatting, and timestamps, as well as apply global editing for technical words or phrases, acronyms, and for number use.

As with other cloud services Watson Speech to Text allows for easy deployment both in the cloud and on-premises behind your own firewall to ensure security is maintained.

Read our full Watson Speech to Text review .

1. Google Gboard

If you already have an Android mobile device, then if it's not already installed then download Google Keyboard from the Google Play store and you'll have an instant text-to-speech app. Although it's primarily designed as a keyboard for physical input, it also has a speech input option which is directly available. And because all the power of Google's hardware is behind it, it's a powerful and responsive tool.

If that's not enough then there are additional features. Aside from physical input ones such as swiping, you can also trigger images in your text using voice commands. Additionally, it can also work with Google Translate, and is advertised as providing support for over 60 languages.

Even though Google Keyboard isn't a dedicated transcription tool, as there are no shortcut commands or text editing directly integrated, it does everything you need from a basic transcription tool. And as it's a keyboard, it means should be able to work with any software you can run on your Android smartphone, so you can text edit, save, and export using that. Even better, it's free and there are no adverts to get in the way of you using it.

2. Just Press Record

If you want a dedicated dictation app, it’s worth checking out Just Press Record. It’s a mobile audio recorder that comes with features such as one tap recording, transcription and iCloud syncing across devices. The great thing is that it’s aimed at pretty much anyone and is extremely easy to use. 

When it comes to recording notes, all you have to do is press one button, and you get unlimited recording time. However, the really great thing about this app is that it also offers a powerful transcription service. 

Through it, you can quickly and easily turn speech into searchable text. Once you’ve transcribed a file, you can then edit it from within the app. There’s support for more than 30 languages as well, making it the perfect app if you’re working abroad or with an international team. Another nice feature is punctuation command recognition, ensuring that your transcriptions are free from typos.   

This app is underpinned by cloud technology, meaning you can access notes from any device (which is online). You’re able to share audio and text files to other iOS apps too, and when it comes to organizing them, you can view recordings in a comprehensive file. 

3. Speechnotes

Speechnotes is yet another easy to use dictation app. A useful touch here is that you don’t need to create an account or anything like that; you just open up the app and press on the microphone icon, and you’re off.   

The app is powered by Google voice recognition tech. When you’re recording a note, you can easily dictate punctuation marks through voice commands, or by using the built-in punctuation keyboard. 

To make things even easier, you can quickly add names, signatures, greetings and other frequently used text by using a set of custom keys on the built-in keyboard. There’s automatic capitalization as well, and every change made to a note is saved to the cloud.

When it comes to customizing notes, you can access a plethora of fonts and text sizes. The app is free to download from the Google Play Store , but you can make in-app purchases to access premium features (there's also a browser version for Chrome).   

Read our full Speechnotes review .

4. Transcribe

Marketed as a personal assistant for turning videos and voice memos into text files, Transcribe is a popular dictation app that’s powered by AI. It lets you make high quality transcriptions by just hitting a button.   

The app can transcribe any video or voice memo automatically, while supporting over 80 languages from across the world. While you can easily create notes with Transcribe, you can also import files from services such as Dropbox.

Once you’ve transcribed a file, you can export the raw text to a word processor to edit. The app is free to download, but you’ll have to make an in-app purchase if you want to make the most of these features in the long-term. There is a trial available, but it’s basically just 15 minutes of free transcription time. Transcribe is only available on iOS, though.   

5. Windows Speech Recognition

If you don’t want to pay for speech recognition software, and you’re running Microsoft’s latest desktop OS, then you might be pleased to hear that speech-to-text is built into Windows.

Windows Speech Recognition, as it’s imaginatively named – and note that this is something different to Cortana, which offers basic commands and assistant capabilities – lets you not only execute commands via voice control, but also offers the ability to dictate into documents.

The sort of accuracy you get isn’t comparable with that offered by the likes of Dragon, but then again, you’re paying nothing to use it. It’s also possible to improve the accuracy by training the system by reading text, and giving it access to your documents to better learn your vocabulary. It’s definitely worth indulging in some training, particularly if you intend to use the voice recognition feature a fair bit.

The company has been busy boasting about its advances in terms of voice recognition powered by deep neural networks, especially since windows 10 and now for Windows 11 , and Microsoft is certainly priming us to expect impressive things in the future. The likely end-goal aim is for Cortana to do everything eventually, from voice commands to taking dictation.

Turn on Windows Speech Recognition by heading to the Control Panel (search for it, or right click the Start button and select it), then click on Ease of Access, and you will see the option to ‘start speech recognition’ (you’ll also spot the option to set up a microphone here, if you haven’t already done that).

Aside from what has already been covered above, there are an increasing number of apps available across all mobile devices for working with speech to text, not least because Google's speech recognition technology is available for use. 

iTranslate Translator  is a speech-to-text app for iOS with a difference, in that it focuses on translating voice languages. Not only does it aim to translate different languages you hear into text for your own language, it also works to translate images such as photos you might take of signs in a foreign country and get a translation for them. In that way, iTranslate is a very different app, that takes the idea of speech-to-text in a novel direction, and by all accounts, does it well. 

ListNote Speech-to-Text Notes  is another speech-to-text app that uses Google's speech recognition software, but this time does a more comprehensive job of integrating it with a note-taking program than many other apps. The text notes you record are searchable, and you can import/export with other text applications. Additionally there is a password protection option, which encrypts notes after the first 20 characters so that the beginning of the notes are searchable by you. There's also an organizer feature for your notes, using category or assigned color. The app is free on Android, but includes ads.

Voice Notes  is a simple app that aims to convert speech to text for making notes. This is refreshing, as it mixes Google's speech recognition technology with a simple note-taking app, so there are more features to play with here. You can categorize notes, set reminders, and import/export text accordingly.

SpeechTexter  is another speech-to-text app that aims to do more than just record your voice to a text file. This app is built specifically to work with social media, so that rather than sending messages, emails, Tweets, and similar, you can record your voice directly to the social media sites and send. There are also a number of language packs you can download for offline working if you want to use more than just English, which is handy.

Also consider reading these related software and app guides:

• Best text-to-speech software
• Best transcription services
• Best Bluetooth headsets

Which speech-to-text app is best for you?

When deciding which speech-to-text app to use, first consider what your actual needs are, as free and budget  options may only provide basic features, so if you need to use advanced tools you may find a paid-for platform is better suited to you. Additionally, higher-end software can usually cater for every need, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may require from your speech-to-text app.

To test for the best speech-to-text apps we first set up an account with the relevant platform, then we tested the service to see how the software could be used for different purposes and in different situations. The aim was to push each speech-to-text platform to see how useful its basic tools were and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools.

Read more on how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar .

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Brian has over 30 years publishing experience as a writer and editor across a range of computing, technology, and marketing titles. He has been interviewed multiple times for the BBC and been a speaker at international conferences. His specialty on techradar is Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, covering everything from office suites to IT service tools. He is also a science fiction and fantasy author, published as Brian G Turner.

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Exclusive: iOS 18 to Add Text Effects to iMessage

Apple plans to add a new text effects feature to the Messages app on iOS 18, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Our hope is that Apple will also add bold, italics, and underline formatting options alongside the text effects, but we have not confirmed that possibility.

In addition to the text effects and RCS support, the Messages app on iOS 18 will reportedly gain an AI-powered autocompletion tool .

As a refresher, RCS support will provide an improved messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices compared to the current SMS standard. Just like iMessage, RCS features higher-resolution photos and videos, audio messages, typing indicators, read receipts, the ability to send messages over a Wi-Fi network, and better functionality for group chats.

iOS 18 is set to be unveiled during the WWDC keynote on June 10 , and the first beta should be made available to members of the Apple Developer Program immediately after the presentation. The first public beta of iOS 18 will likely follow in July, and the update should be widely released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September.

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Top rated comments.

Idc about the animations or whatever but the fact that in the year of Our Lord 2024 I still can't do basic manipulations on the text in my messages such as bold , italic , and underline when such an ability has existed throughout nearly the entire history of GUI-based computing for many decades now, is ridiculous.

It’s a text message not a word document.

Anyway, as usual, I still don’t care about rcs and hope these features are iMessage only.

It’s a text message not a word document. Anyway, as usual, I still don’t care about rcs and hope these features are iMessage only.

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Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference will kick off with a keynote on June 10.

Expected to see new AI-focused features and more. Preview coming at WWDC in June with public release in September.

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Can You Have Your Kindle Read To You? Yep, Here's How

A s book lovers know, there's nothing worse than having to step away from your current read in the middle of the action. But sometimes, life calls, and you have to close the pages on your steamy romance or that addictive thriller readers are obsessing over . You need to go do some laundry, pick up your kids, or attend to any number of other daily responsibilities. In these frustrating, willpower-testing moments, wouldn't it be nice if your book could keep narrating itself while you multitask?

For Amazon customers, the brand has already offered one clever solution: WhisperSync allows Kindle users to switch between their e-book and the equivalent audiobook from Audible. But apart from occasional deals, this usually means buying two copies -- one digital, one audio. If you'd rather not shell out for the same book twice, there's another, less advertised option: using text-to-voice features. Amazon devices like the Fire Tablet have built-in accessibility features for the visually impaired. In addition to being helpful for those who need such assistance, text-to-voice provides a free, audiobook-less way to have your e-book read itself to you.

Are these accessibility features of the same fluent, human-voice quality as getting an actual audiobook? Generally speaking, no. So if you're looking for a theatrical performance, you're better off turning to services like Audible after all. But if stilted speech doesn't bother you, text-to-voice features can be a useful and inclusive way to maximize your Kindle reading time and experience e-books in a new dimension.

Read more: 18 Famous Dreams And What They Really Mean

How To Activate Text-To-Speech On A Fire Tablet

Want to keep the adventure going? Kindle users who read their e-books on a Fire tablet running FireOS 5 or higher can benefit from a feature known as Text-to-Speech, which will read the text of your Kindle purchases aloud. Plus, it's relatively easy to use. If you want to give Text-to-Speech a try on your Fire tablet, here's how to turn it on.

First, open the book or document of your choice and navigate to the page where you'd like Text-to-Speech to begin its reading. Once there, tap the center of your screen to bring up the header menu, and either tap the "Aa" menu icon or the three vertical dots. Using the former, select "More," or for the latter, select "Additional Settings." Scroll to the "Text-to-Speech" option and move the toggle from "Off" to "On." Return to your e-book and tap the middle of the screen to bring up the progress bar at the bottom. Press play beside the progress bar, and voilà! Your tablet should begin reading the text aloud. You can also highlight a specific word or passage to be read if that's all you need.

This feature works on most Kindle content and even some personal documents. Not sure whether your next book is an eligible candidate? Just check its product page. Beneath the "Product Details" section that lists elements like the publisher and page count, you should see a note marking it as "Text-to-Speech: Enabled."

How To Activate VoiceView On A Kindle Paperwhite

What if you're not using a Fire tablet? Are you out of luck? Happily, there is a similar equivalent for Amazon e-readers like the Kindle Paperwhite. This feature is called VoiceView — but since these Kindles don't have their own built-in speakers, using it will require an external sound device like a Bluetooth speaker or wireless headphones. Note: You'll need to have your Bluetooth setting turned on and your audio device registered on the Kindle before beginning.

To activate VoiceView, navigate to your Paperwhite's settings, then select the "Accessibility" menu. Tap the option for "VoiceView Screen Reader" and — ensuring that your desired speaker or headphones are turned on for pairing — shift the VoiceView toggle from "Off" to "On." A window may pop up to help you connect it to your Paperwhite. If the window doesn't appear, instead press "Bluetooth Devices" at the bottom of this menu to choose your audio device. From the VoiceView menu, you can also adjust details like volume and reading speed. After that, simply navigate to your e-book, where VoiceView will automatically begin reading aloud from the displayed page.

Right now, VoiceView can only read in English, and its cadence is robotic at best. As such, it's no replacement for well-acted audiobooks. But it is still a handy accessibility feature for vision-impaired readers, multitaskers, and anyone who wants to make the most of their Kindle libraries without repurchasing titles via Audible.

Using Speak Screen To Narrate The Apple iOS Kindle App

Even if you don't own an Amazon tablet or e-reader, many people still access their digital libraries on other devices through the Kindle app. This app doesn't have Text-to-Speech or VoiceView built in, but if you're using an Apple device like an iPhone or iPad, it turns out that there is a workaround already available in the operating system.

To get your Apple device to read aloud from the Kindle app, go to the device settings. Scroll down to select the "Accessibility" menu, and then tap on "Spoken Content." Here, you should see an option for "Speak Screen." Toggle this from "Off" to "On." On this same menu, you can also scroll down to change the default language — that's right, it can handle more than English! — and even change the voice that will read to you. There's also a convenient "Speaking Rate" slider that lets you change the reading speed along a scale from slow turtle to quick hare.

Once this is set up, open your Kindle app, choose a book, and navigate to the page you want to read. To activate Speak Screen, drag two fingers downward from the top of your screen. A pop-up should appear with reading controls and your selected voice will immediately begin orating the visible text. Like VoiceView, the voice options are fairly robotic, but Speak Screen is still a useful hack to get your Kindle app to read to you.

Read the original article on Glam .

Dexcom G7 unlocks diabetes management on the Apple Watch

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Diabetes management is going as the hands-free as the Dexcom G7 glucose monitor can now connect directly to Apple Watch in the U.S.

That gives people the confidence to know their blood sugar levels — something critical for diabetes patients — even when their iPhone isn’t with them. In the past, diabetes patients had to meticulously manage their glucose levels. Too low and they could pass out. Too high and it could be worse. But now it’s easier to manage given the advance of glucose monitoring technology.

The Dexcom G7 Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System now connects directly to Apple Watch in the United States. Dexcom G7 is the first and only CGM available with Direct to Apple Watch, offering users the freedom and convenience of real-time glucose readings on their wrist even when their iPhone isn’t with them.

“At Dexcom, our users are at the heart of everything we do. Direct to Apple Watch has been one of our most requested features and we’re thrilled to roll it out to Dexcom G7 users in the U.S. and around the world,” said Jake Leach, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Dexcom, in a statement. “We’ve long believed that people with diabetes should be able to view their CGM data where and how they choose. Direct to Apple Watch is a testament to that, allowing people with diabetes flexibility and choice in how they manage their health.”

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Using its own dedicated Bluetooth connection, Dexcom G7 sends glucose information and personalized alerts right to a user’s Apple Watch, allowing them to go for a run, enjoy a dinner out, and feel confident leaving their iPhone behind. Dexcom G7 is the only CGM system that can display glucose on multiple devices simultaneously and independently, including on a smartphone, smart watch, receiver or connected automated insulin delivery system, the company said.

In addition to the benefits of using Direct to Apple Watch with Dexcom G7, people with diabetes can track other key health metrics that can impact glucose levels using Apple’s Activity, Cycle Tracking, Sleep, and other health features on Apple Watch, iPhone and iPad. All of this data is stored securely in the Health app, where it can be viewed alongside Dexcom G7 data users choose to store in the Health app so all of their diabetes health information is accessible in one place. Apple products are built with strong privacy protections and users have control over their data in the Health app.

“Having used Direct to Apple Watch with Dexcom G7 for the last few months, being able to glance at my wrist and see my glucose levels in real-time has been a game changer,” said Dexcom Warrior Beth McDaniel of Northern Ireland, in a statement. “For the first time since being diagnosed, I can leave my phone at home without worrying and enjoy my daily activities with the confidence that I have the information I need to help keep my diabetes under control.”

Direct to Apple Watch is now available to Dexcom G7 users in the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland, with additional markets launching later this month. To use Direct to Apple Watch, users must have the Dexcom G7 app version 2.1, Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 10 or later, and an iPhone running iOS 17 or later.

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