Black Friday, until 30 November: 47% off Local Dictation Pro Lifetime

Talk instead of typing.Your voice stays on your device.

iPhone and iPad

iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 or later. The keyboard and dictation in any app.

Mac

macOS 26 or later on Apple silicon. Hold a key and talk in any app.

For iPhone, iPad and Macprivate voice to text that works offline No account, no ads

Voice to text that never leaves your device.

Local Dictation turns your voice into text right on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. The speech model is built into the app, so dictation works in airplane mode and nothing you say is uploaded anywhere.

Talk wherever you type

A keyboard on your iPhone and iPad, a hold key on your Mac, and a speech model that runs on your own device.

Dictate in any app

Switch to the Local Dictation keyboard, tap Dictate, swipe back to your app and speak. It’s a real keyboard too: letters, numbers, symbols, emoji, accents, word suggestions and space-bar cursor control.

The Local Dictation keyboard under a note: a big Dictate button above the letter keys, with “Private dictation · on your iPhone” below it

Your words appear as you talk

Your words show up in the text field while you speak, and one final pass cleans them up when you tap Finish. They land with the right spaces and capitals for the text around them, and Clean up stumbles removes “uh”, repeated words and restarted phrases.

The keyboard while listening: a sound wave, the line “Your words appear as you speak”, a Finish button and Switch to typing

Private. Offline. On your device.

Speech recognition runs entirely on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. The app blocks its own internet access, and each recording is deleted as soon as it’s transcribed.

The Dictate screen: “Private by default. Your voice. Your words.”, a Record button, “Transcribed locally in 8.5 seconds” and the transcript below

More than 90 languages

Tell the app where you’re from and it sets your language, then try it right in the app. Your language and English are always one tap away on the keyboard.

Speak one language, write another

With Pro on iPhone and iPad, dictate in your language and get the text in another, for example speak English and write Italian. Translation runs on your device too.

Where are you from? The country United States and the dictation language English, with a Continue button

Every dictation stays with you

A searchable history you can edit, share or delete, plus clipboard history and clipboards for each topic, right on the keyboard. On iPhone and iPad, correct a misheard word once and Local Dictation writes it your way next time.

The History tab: a search field and a saved dictation with its date and language

Set up in a minute

No account and nothing to sign up for. The app walks you through every step.

Turn on the keyboard

On iPhone and iPad, turn on the Local Dictation keyboard and Allow Full Access in Settings. The app opens the right page and ticks each switch once it’s on.

Tap Dictate and talk

In any app, tap Dictate, swipe back to your app and speak. Your words appear as you talk. Tap Finish when you’re done.

On a Mac, hold a key

Hold Right Option in any app, talk, and let go. Your words appear at your cursor. The setup window asks for three permissions: Microphone, Input Monitoring and Accessibility.

Typing on the keyboard is always free.

Open in the App Store

iOS 26+ · macOS 26+ · No account

What you say stays yours

A dictation app hears everything you say. That’s why Local Dictation never sends any of it anywhere.

Runs on your device

The speech model is built into the app. Dictation works in airplane mode, and recordings are deleted as soon as they’re transcribed.

No account, no ads

No sign-in, no analytics, no ads and no tracking. We never see your recordings, your text or your history.

No internet of its own

The app blocks its own internet access. Only the App Store, for purchases, and optional Apple features you turn on yourself go online.

Before you install

Does it really work offline?

Yes. The speech models are built into the app (that’s why the download is about 700 MB), so dictation works in airplane mode and nothing you say is uploaded. Only purchases need a connection.

Which devices work?

iPhone and iPad with iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 or later, and Macs with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later. It works best on iPhone 12 or newer, iPhone SE (3rd generation), iPad (10th generation or later), iPad Air (4th generation or later), iPad mini (6th generation or later) and iPad Pro (M1 or later). Older models may be slow, so try the free week first.

Do I need Allow Full Access?

For Dictate on the keyboard, yes. iOS only lets a keyboard open its app when Full Access is on. It only lets the keyboard and the app talk to each other on your iPhone or iPad: the keyboard has no internet code and never connects to the internet. Without Full Access the keyboard still types.

How does it work on a Mac?

The Mac app lives in the menu bar. Hold Right Option (or fn/Globe, or Right Command) in any app, talk, and let go: your words appear at your cursor. Clipboards in the menu bar keep what you copy; press ⌥⌘V to paste it again.

Which languages can I dictate in?

More than 90. The app sets your language from where you’re from, and you can change it any time. Mix languages (beta) lets you switch between your languages in one dictation, even mid-sentence.

Can it translate while I speak?

Yes, with Pro on iPhone and iPad: dictate in your language and get the text in another. Translation runs on your device. Extra translation models (including Slovenian and Croatian) are an optional one-time download from Apple, in Settings › Translate to.

What does it cost?

Typing on the keyboard is always free. Dictation needs Local Dictation Pro: Monthly with the first week free, or pay once for Lifetime. One purchase works on your iPhone, iPad and Mac. Prices vary by country, and the App Store shows yours before you buy.

Is my data private?

Yes. No account, no ads, no tracking, no servers. Your voice is turned into text on your device, and your recordings, text and history never reach us. Details in the Privacy Policy.

More answers on the support page →

Free to type, free first week

Typing on the keyboard is always free. Dictation needs Local Dictation Pro: Monthly with the first week free, or pay once for Lifetime.

One purchase works on your iPhone, iPad and Mac. Monthly renews until you cancel; Lifetime is paid once. Prices vary by country, and the App Store shows yours before you buy.

Start talking

Get Local Dictation on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, set your language, and speak in any app.

Open in the App Store

iOS 26+ · macOS 26+ · No account, no ads