Voice Dictation - Speechy Lite Reviews

by Shaddowcat99

I’m looking for an app that will simply record my thoughts on free flow so I can take and edit them into something better later. I’m very frustrated that there is a time limit on recording, unless one upgrades to the 4.99 plan. I’m using VoiceDictation to help me get through my blogging slump. I’m not a professional, I’m a broke college student. I would be far less disappointed in VoiceDictation if they had simply been upfront instead of allowing me to record for as long as I wanted for a 24 hour period. Very frustrated.

by Steven2duong

I went with the light on my iPad and noticed the text got cut off when reading a WaPo article as a test. It basically stopped transcribing a quarter of the way through. Also, upon replay, it sounded like the mic didn’t work properly. I decided to switch over to my iPhone and did the same test. The mic worked, but still had the same issue with transcription stopping (i.e., some limit). I then decided to upgrade to the pro thinking the limit would be gone. Nope. In short, the Speechy is not supposed to have transcription limits like other transcription apps, yet it does. And the iPad mic does not work properly. I DON’T ADVISE PURCHASING VoiceDictation UNLESS THE DEVELOPERS ADDRESS MY CONCERNS. If they do, I’ll provide an update.

by Mike128472@

The description says that it has unlimited recognition time. That used to be true until a few days ago, when they issued an update that reduced recognition time to 1 minute with a pop up that asks you to pay $7 for the pro version if you want unlimited recognition time like you used to have. Don’t know how much more underhanded you can get. Having a free app and then purposefully reducing its functionality after people have downloaded it.

by Tx377

I loved VoiceDictation when I first got it a few weeks ago. It was accurate, reliable, and super effective. I started telling everyone about it. But that changed and now it’s awful. It’s frequently inaccurate, cuts off after a minute or so and is more difficult to use. I would have upgraded to the pro version before but there was no clear explanation of the pro features, so I didn’t know what I would have been signing up for. Now, I’m afraid to upgrade, based on the poor performance I’ve experienced lately. Instead, I am looking for another speech to text option. Speechy has potential, but would need considerable improvement.

by Rightfootclub

I’m using this on an iPhone 11. I paid 7.99 and during the free trial version was forced into purchasing the Speechy Pro version. I did this because I liked the speech dictation-to-text function and for the convenience of saving/sharing that text onto my Apple “Notes” app by pressing a save/share button. Big time FAIL. I’m forced to highlight, drag-and-extend the cursor, then copy the text, then input into my Notes app, then open a new Note, then paste the text from Speechy there. Why would I pay money for something that Siri could do? She may not do it as well but I don’t have to waste my time and energy on a product that I PAID for.

by KE67_ Already_taken

A few years ago, I wrote a few short stories with pencil. I got VoiceDictation to dictate them rather that physically type them out. I have a couple of unusual names and I tried to spell them out. The first 2 letters of one were Ju (it was an expanded version of Julia). VoiceDictation typed it out as Jay you.

On top of this, once I stopped the dictation to make the edit, I couldn’t pick up where I left off.

Good UI, but the software needs work.

by Koorsuch

VoiceDictation is very good for voice dictation and translation. I have tried it for English to Hindi .but the only problem is that VoiceDictation developer wants monthly subscription of five dollars that is too much. first of all it should be one time purchase. How and why a common man who is not a professional writing, can give five dollars a month ?and what is his use: he can dictate speech to text only 2 to 3 pages maximum five pages per month .for that VoiceDictation people want five dollars? On the other hand google translate is free totally free and they have more languages than this. In VoiceDictation there should be my native language Punjabi from India also. VoiceDictation is quite easy to use and type in Text is also quite accurate but the subscription per month is too much. that is why I have uninstalled and deleted VoiceDictation, is why I am giving it only three stars otherwise five .

by Yeeha234

Being a type of therapist I need to have conversations or voice notes transcribed. I was very hopeful when I got the free version of VoiceDictation to try. The first one was five minutes and acceptable. The second one was awful. It was leaving out huge amounts of information and was basically a waste of time. I am dealing with free-flowing conversations and this could not even complete more than one five minute session. I’m happy to pay for a product that woks. Not sure how so many people gave it five stars.

by E-BookReader

I tested VoiceDictation by loading a 20 minute recording of a speech. On the positive side, it transcribed the entire speech and allowed me to save the text and export it to another app (without a subscription). The price of $4.99 per month is unusually low.

On the negative side, there were phrases in the recording that the program simply didn’t recognize, and instead of leaving markers for questionable text, it simply skipped the text and continued transcribing. The output file was one very long text file in a single paragraph with NO punctuation of any kind.

Conclusion: In spite of the fact that it omits entire phrases it can’t recognize, this is clearly an app that should be considered when shopping for a speech-to-text app. By subscribing for one month, which I plan to do, there are features which may offset the negative aspects of VoiceDictation . But the bottom line is that the user may try it out for free and get a true feel for whether it meets his or her specific needs.

by XBruce

I purchased VoiceDictation with the understanding that I would go to pro. I updated to pro and in the process of searching VoiceDictation and getting some questions answered I saw that there is yet another title with a slightly more expensive purchase price.

The other title had an additional feature but other than that was identical to this with the following exception: the other app is self sustained while this one talks about paying $4.50 monthly.

This is very confusing did I buy the wrong app or are they essentially the same thing once you upgrade?

by Deltamike928

Overall I gave it 4 stars compared to a few others I’ve tried that really stink. It requires a fair amount of editing but catches enough of what I’m saying that I can fix it up easily later. My main complaint: it completely freezes up, and won’t allow me to save my work if an alarm goes off (which I can control now that I know) or I get a call (which I can’t). I take intermittent screenshots now just as backup, and I save frequently in small batches. Would prefer to dictate for 30-45 min nonstop without worry of losing everything.

by Suriousstudy

I like it, and it helps me get the messages voicemail, any video that didn't show close-captioned. I take my iPhone(Speechy) and hold over iPad(video) and watch my iPhone dictating message. It's worth the $4.99 to get unlimited and without advertising. So it won't interrupted the message. You can also lay it down and watch, during two, or more conversations. I put 4 stars because sometimes (and hopefully seldom) it get interference, from noisy environment or VoiceDictation itself. 👍🏻

by Appeatereatsapps

This is a very good app. It has its bugs. But they are minor. It consumes a lot of battery power, and it uses a lot of cpu resources. But none of these things interfere with the phone at all. You will have a much more enjoyable experience if you use wired headphones. VoiceDictation is near 85-90 percent accurate when your plugged in. With bluetooth, it’s about 60 percent effective. Overall, very happy. Would buy again. Developers, please improve Bluetooth delays if you can.

by Nickname 74936

Been using this to get my thoughts down quickly while I write my novel, and it works, more or less. No, it’s not perfect, but it gets the gist of what you’re saying and recognizes new vocabulary. It’s great for how I use it, but I wouldn’t expect it to get everything down perfectly or use any punctuation without your explicit command to do so. You can’t beat the free price tag though, and I definitely recommend if you don’t mind editing!

by Boatboy2000

I need to make lists, big lists. I can talk faster than type and the creative flow is better. From there I load the words to Word or Sheets or a database and it helps me get things done!

by Lopren

Encontré este App buscando una ayuda para una amiga sorda, que pudiera entender lo hablado en reuniones de la iglesia. Es excelente y puede tomar dictados de cualquier sonido como videos grabados, Zoom, radio y TV, y lo puede usar hasta para comunicarse con médicos y todo el que ella no entienda. Soy profesional de la salud y lo usaré para comunicarme con sordos en mi práctica. Muchas Gracias.
I found VoiceDictation looking for help for my hearing impaired friend so she could understand our church meetings. This is excellent so she can read whatever is spoken in Zoom meetings, videos with no CC, radio, even communicating with live people. I will use it in our PT clinic for such patients. Endless uses. Thanks a lot!

by Sir Gurr

I’ve used every voice recognition engine available to Macs for over 10 years and VoiceDictation is as good as one I spent $500 on last year😫!! Wish I had known how amazing it was back then!!

by Nonickleback

Speechy has been a wonderful tool for communication with hard-of-hearing parents. Pro-Tip: don’t hand them the phone/iPad to read messages - it really slows down conversation. Just record messages & turn the device for them to read.

by EdTake2

Using Speechy is faster than typing, though one has to correct some words. I place it side by side with text that I am voice transcribing and copy and paste the results into Notability or Notebook. You do need to buy the full app to get continuous speech to text conversion, but I found it well worth it. Also one can text edit in Speechy. Finally, VoiceDictation was recently updated to make the cursor prominent when editing.

by M'Papout

I have tried many dictation apps. But this one surpasses all of them. In accuracy, user friendliness, and more importantly the record option. It allows you to manage your text on spot. The possibility to add new words in the vocabulary is a big plus. That being said, there is one bemol: I am having trouble to share Text and Audio together. Only the text went through with WhatsApp and the audio with Messages. What have I done wrong? Please help!

by Popability

All of a sudden, the “free” version gives you a total of 1 minute (60 seconds) to try it out, then pops up a message saying you have to buy the pro version if you want even another second. The description lies, and this used to have a useable free version without some of the perks of pro. It’s called some nasty things, but this is basically known as underhanded.

by Read'emandweep

First and foremost the speech recognition is good. It’s as good as apples Siri which is saying a lot but there seems to be no way to add to text. As a writer, I need software that doesn’t simply record a completed speech that’s already been written. I need to record a thought or sentence at a time - pause - then add to that. (As I’m doing now, writing this review).

by Listening Woman

I dictate into Speechy on my iPhone when I’m on the go and then email the message to myself. At my computer, I can cut and paste the text into a document underway in Pages.