Quick dictation and Inbox

How quick dictation works#

1. Start recording

   Tap the Dictate tile in quick settings, the microphone on the widget or the Dictate app shortcut, or use the assist gesture. Recording starts right away and TypeWhisper stays in the background.

2. Speak

   If notifications are allowed, a Recording notification shows a timer and the buttons Stop, Pause and Cancel.

3. Stop

   Tap the tile again, the stop button on the widget or Stop in the notification. The Dictate shortcut and the assist gesture also stop a running quick dictation.

4. Paste the text

   TypeWhisper transcribes with your speech recognition settings and the active profile, copies the text to the clipboard and puts it in the Inbox. Paste it wherever you need it.

• The active profile is the one shown as Profile: … on the Record screen. Choose Dictation there for plain text.
• Quick dictation needs microphone access. If it is missing, TypeWhisper opens instead and asks you to allow it.

Add the Dictate tile to quick settings#

1. Open quick settings

   Swipe down from the top of the screen. On most phones a second swipe shows all tiles.

2. Edit the tiles

   Tap the edit button, often a pencil icon. On some phones it is in a menu behind three dots.

3. Add Dictate

   Find the TypeWhisper tile named Dictate and drag it to your active tiles.

4. Dictate

   Tap Dictate to start and tap it again to stop. While TypeWhisper records or transcribes, the tile is highlighted and shows Recording or Transcribing….

Add the TypeWhisper widget#

1. Open the widget list

   Touch and hold an empty spot on the home screen, then tap Widgets. Some launchers use a different name for this menu.

2. Place the widget

   Find TypeWhisper, touch and hold its widget and drag it to the home screen. It is one row high and about four columns wide, and you can resize it.

• The microphone button starts a quick dictation. While recording, it turns into a stop button.
• The status line shows Recording, Transcribing…, how many entries are open in Inbox, or Latest transcription.
• The text area shows the newest open Inbox entry, otherwise your latest transcription. Tap it to open the entry in History.
• The copy button copies the text the widget shows.
• While an Inbox entry is shown, a check mark button marks it as done.

App shortcuts and the assist gesture#

Touch and hold the TypeWhisper icon on the home screen or in the app list to see its shortcuts. Many launchers also let you drag a shortcut to the home screen as its own icon.

1. Open the setting

   In TypeWhisper, open Settings and tap Assist gesture under Tools. TypeWhisper opens the Android settings page where you choose the digital assistant app. Its name and place differ between phones.

2. Choose TypeWhisper

   Select TypeWhisper as the digital assistant app. Back in TypeWhisper, the Assist gesture row then starts with On.

3. Dictate with the gesture

   Use your phone's assist gesture, for example holding the power button or swiping up from a bottom corner. The same gesture stops the recording.

• Dictate starts or stops a quick dictation.
• Copy last copies your latest transcription without opening the app.
• Transcribe file opens File transcription.

Notifications and calendar drafts#

Allow notifications to see quick dictations while they run and when they are ready. In Android's notification settings for TypeWhisper, they appear as the categories Recording and Quick dictation results.

• Dictation copied and in Inbox appears when the text is ready. Tap it to open the entry in History.
• Dictation failed shows the reason. If a recording was made, it waits in Recoverable recordings in History, so you can transcribe it again.
• With a Calendar Event profile active, Calendar draft ready appears instead. Its Add to calendar button opens your calendar app with the event filled in.
• If the date, the time or the end time was missing, the draft says so and uses a placeholder you can change in the calendar app.

Work through the Inbox#

The Inbox is a filter in History. It collects quick dictations from the tile, the widget, the Dictate shortcut and the assist gesture. Dictations from the Record screen, the keyboard and the bubble, and file transcriptions, go straight to History.

• While entries wait, the History tab shows a badge with their number, and History opens on the Inbox filter. Tap All to see everything.
• Entries still in the Inbox appear in bold. Opening an entry takes it out of the Inbox and removes its notification.
• Opening a calendar draft does not take it out of the Inbox. It stays there until you tap I saved the event, choose Discard calendar draft from the ⋮ menu or mark it as done.
• Swipe an entry to the right to mark it as done, or to put a finished entry back with Move to Inbox. Swipe left to delete it.
• To keep an opened entry for later, choose Move to Inbox from the ⋮ menu in its detail view.
• Touch and hold to select several entries, then tap Mark as done.
• Failed quick dictations count toward the Inbox too. They wait in Recoverable recordings at the top of History, where you can try them again.
• If notifications are off, the Inbox shows Know when dictations are ready with an Allow button.