Speak instead of typing
Dictate in any app with the Local Dictation keyboard on iPhone and iPad, or hold one key on a Mac. Your words appear while you talk.
Accessibility
Write with your voice.
Local Dictation lets you speak wherever you would type. This page says plainly what the app offers today, and what we have not finished testing, so you can decide before you try it.
What works today
Start without the keyboard
Say “Start Local Dictation” to Siri, or put the Start Dictation shortcut on the Action button or Back Tap.
One key on a Mac
Hold Right Option, fn/Globe or Right Command, talk, and let go. Your words appear at your cursor, and you can drag the listening pill to any edge of the screen.
A keyboard for both thumbs
Split keyboard on iPad and with your iPhone sideways, space-bar cursor control, and word suggestions above the keys.
What we have not finished testing
We have not finished testing Local Dictation with VoiceOver, Voice Control, Switch Control or the largest text sizes, so we do not claim support for them yet. We will update this page as we test more.
Tell us what gets in your way
A button that is hard to reach, a word it keeps mishearing, a step that is hard to follow: we want to know and we read every message.