THE CURRENT APP

Your words stay
on your Mac.

These details describe the version 0.4.8 of Dictation Key. Updated September 23, 2026.

Speech processing

Speech is transcribed locally using Whisper, or Parakeet for English and supported European-language dictation in Fast dictation mode on Apple silicon. Cleanup and dictionary corrections also run locally. Dictation audio is held in memory while recording and transcribing, then released after completion or cancellation. macOS manages memory, including swap; this is not a secure-erasure guarantee.

What is saved

The last dictation is kept in memory until you clear it or quit. Imported-file transcripts are saved in the app’s local library until you delete them. Original media files are not copied into the library. Downloaded speech models, preferences and saved dictionary corrections remain on your Mac. You can edit, delete or disable your dictionary corrections in the app.

Network connections

Initial model and tokenizer setup contacts Hugging Face through the speech engine’s download libraries. That service receives normal connection information such as your IP address. The app does not upload your recordings, dictionary corrections or transcripts for speech processing. Once setup is complete, local transcription works offline.

Choosing Check for Updates contacts dictationkey.com for public release information. The website host receives normal connection information such as your IP address. The check does not send recordings, transcripts, dictionary entries or your email. Updates are checked only when you request them.

Clipboard and permissions

Microphone access captures your speech. Accessibility supports global shortcuts and text insertion. Text insertion in Chrome, Terminal and some other apps temporarily uses the macOS clipboard, which may be observable by your clipboard manager or other software. The app restores the previous clipboard after a delay if no other clipboard change occurred. Automatic insertion is excluded from recognized secure password fields.

Accounts and analytics

The current app has no account system, advertising SDK or telemetry. The website’s optional signup asks for your email and agreement to receive product updates, new features and offers. It stores your email, signup date, page source, consent wording and subscription status in our PostgreSQL database. Signup does not give us access to your recordings or transcripts. Listmonk will manage confirmation and unsubscribe links when email delivery is configured. We do not send marketing emails before that setup is complete. The app does not require an email or account. This website has no advertising trackers and does not request microphone access.

Distribution

The Mac download is signed with Developer ID and notarized by Apple. It is distributed directly from this website.