Guide
Private dictation on Mac: where does your voice go?
Most AI dictation apps send your voice to a server. Some do not. Here is how to tell the difference, 8 questions to ask any app, and 3 ways to check for yourself.
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Two kinds of dictation
Cloud
Your Mac records your voice, sends it over the internet, and a server turns it into text. It can be accurate and quick, but a copy of your voice leaves your computer, and that company's policy decides what happens next.
On-device
A speech model runs on your Mac's own chip. Your voice becomes text where you are, and nothing leaves. Modern Macs with Apple silicon are fast enough to run state-of-the-art models like Whisper.
Why voice is different
Your voice carries more than your words: the sound of you, the people near you, the names you say. Voice data has a history of surprises. In 2019, Apple apologized after reports that contractors listened to Siri recordings to grade them. In 2023, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department charged Amazon with keeping children's Alexa voice recordings indefinitely; the proposed order included a $25 million civil penalty.
8 questions to ask any dictation app
| # | Question | Why it matters | Talk2me |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Where does speech become text? | On a server, a copy of your voice leaves your computer. | Talk2me: On your Macby default |
| 2 | Is audio or text kept on a server? For how long? | Every stored copy can be breached or requested. | Talk2me: Never: we never receive it |
| 3 | Is it used to train AI? Is that on by default? | Default settings are the ones most people keep. | Talk2me: Never |
| 4 | Can people at the company listen or read? | Human review is common to improve quality. | Talk2me: Nobody: we never receive it |
| 5 | Does it read your screen? | Context features can send what you see, not only what you say. | Talk2me: Text before your cursorstays on your Mac |
| 6 | Do you need an account? | An account ties every dictation to you. | Talk2me: No |
| 7 | Does it work offline? | A simple test: if it works offline, it does not need a server. | Talk2me: Yesafter a one-time model download |
| 8 | Where is the company, and which law applies? | Privacy law depends on where the data goes. | Talk2me: CanadaPIPEDA and Quebec Law 25 |
How do other apps answer? See Talk2me vs Wispr Flow and Superwhisper, sourced from their own pages.
3 ways to check for yourself
- Turn off Wi-Fi, then dictate. If it still works, the speech model runs on your Mac.
- Watch the network. A network monitor such as LuLu (free and open source, by Objective-See) shows which apps connect to the internet, and when.
- Search the privacy policy for "train", "improve", "retain", "human review" and "third parties". Then check which settings are on by default.
Questions
Is on-device dictation as accurate as the cloud?
For everyday dictation, modern on-device models such as Whisper Large v3 Turbo are very accurate on Apple silicon. A personal dictionary fixes names and jargon.
Does on-device dictation slow my Mac down?
The model runs only while you dictate. On Apple silicon, Talk2me decodes while you talk, so your text lands soon after you let go.
Sources
- Apple, Improving Siri's privacy protections, 28 August 2019: apple.com.
- FTC, FTC and DOJ charge Amazon with violating children's privacy law by keeping kids' Alexa voice recordings forever, 31 May 2023: ftc.gov.
- LuLu by Objective-See: objective-see.org. All checked 15 October 2026.
Dictation that answers all 8 questions.
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