FAQ
Common questions before installing.
Short answers about privacy, languages, permissions, and the current Lite build.
Is my audio sent to the cloud?
No. Diktator! transcribes locally on your Mac and does not send audio or text to the cloud. Unless you send a file or text yourself, it stays on your Mac.
How do the Lite hotkeys work?
One hotkey starts normal multilingual dictation. Another hotkey starts English output inside the app: speak in another supported language and get polished, grammatically correct English text. Press the same key again to stop.
Which apps should I use it with?
Notes, Pages, Microsoft Word, Mail, text fields, and everyday writing apps. It is not primarily designed for entering terminal commands.
Does it understand my language?
Diktator! Lite focuses on the primary languages listed on the Languages page. Other local-model languages may work too; try them and see how they behave, but they are not guaranteed yet.
Can I mix languages in one recording?
Yes, especially between phrases. Leave a short pause when switching languages; one isolated word inside another language is harder to detect reliably.
When will Pro be available?
After the Mac Lite path is reliable. Pro will be a one-time purchase when its features are ready.
Can I uninstall it cleanly?
Yes. Diktator! includes a built-in clean uninstall utility inside the app for removing the app, local model files, and related support files.
Is Diktator! just a Whisper interface?
No. Diktator! uses local speech recognition, but the product is the dictation layer around it: the Mac hotkey, local workflow, app insertion, language handling, spoken formatting, context, and the advanced draft and cleanup flow now in testing.
Can Lite record meetings or long sessions?
Not yet. Lite 0.7.1 is for short practical dictation: messages, notes, emails, browser text fields, and a few sentences at a time. Longer-form dictation, live captions or subtitles for calls, and meeting-style workflows are planned for later or Pro versions.
Can I help test the App Store version?
Yes. Join the TestFlight build, try Diktator! in your real writing workflow, and share feedback. Everyone who joins this TestFlight test and sends feedback will receive Diktator! Pro free forever when Pro is available. Join TestFlight.
How is the App Store build different from Diktator+?
Diktator+ is the website direct-download edition and can include deeper Mac desktop integration. The App Store/TestFlight build is a separate App Store-safe edition: it does not request Accessibility or Input Monitoring, and returns text through the standard macOS Services flow where supported, with Copy All or drag fallback when needed.
What does the new text pipeline improve?
The current development work focuses on cleaner local dictation: silence is ignored instead of decoded, spoken punctuation is treated as formatting, multilingual text is protected by safety checks, and final cleanup is accepted only when it improves the result.