Push to Talk or Hands Free

Hold to talk (default)#

Hold the key, speak, release. Recording is bounded by the key, which makes it hard to leave a microphone open by accident: let go and you are done.

This suits the common case, which is short bursts of a sentence or two dropped into a field you are already looking at.

Press to start, press to stop#

Added in 1.1.0. Press once to begin recording, press again to end it. Your hands are free in between.

Use it when:

• You are dictating something long and holding a key for a minute is uncomfortable.
• You would rather not hold a modifier down at all, for ergonomic or accessibility reasons.
• You are reading from a document or a whiteboard and need both hands.

The trade is that recording no longer stops on its own. Watch the indicator: while it runs its listening animation, the microphone is live.

Which to use#

Holding remains the default and is the better fit for short, frequent dictations. Switch to hands free when the length of what you are saying makes the key press the annoying part.

You can change the setting whenever you like. It is not a one-time decision.

Next#

• Dictate Into Any App — where each mode fits best
• Your First Dictation — the loop itself
• Back to the documentation home