Keyboard Preferences
Open the Diction app and tap Preferences to reach these settings. Every one of them is stored in a shared space the keyboard reads too, so changes take effect the next time you open the keyboard.
Language
Diction supports 99 languages. Pick yours here and Diction transcribes in it. If you always dictate in the same language, this is the accurate choice and the one to stay on.
Switch between languages a lot? Turn on Language Detection and Diction works out which one you are speaking each time. It is off by default, because naming your language outright beats guessing when you only ever use one.
Cloud and self-hosted modes cover every supported language with nothing to download. On-device is where it varies: each model you can download covers a different set of languages, and the app tells you which on every model, so check before you pick. One of the free ones is English only. That also decides what Language Detection can do on-device, since a model that only knows English cannot detect anything else no matter how the toggle is set.
Functional Keys
A second row of buttons sits just below the recording bar when this is on. It gives you a period, question mark, space, return, delete, and the globe key to switch keyboards, all without leaving Diction.
Useful if you want to punctuate or fix a word without reaching for another keyboard. Turn it off if you prefer the cleaner look.
Default: on.
Show Keyboard Key
Adds a key to the functional row that shows or hides a full QWERTY keyboard. Tap it once to open the keyboard for quick edits, tap again to dismiss it and return to the dictation view.
If you prefer a different key in that slot (like the globe key for switching keyboards), turn this off and customise the row to your liking.
Default: on.
Show QWERTY by Default
When this is on, the full keyboard opens automatically every time the Diction keyboard appears. You can still hide it with the keyboard toggle key and bring it back later. On the next appearance it opens again.
Useful if you use Diction as a hybrid keyboard — dictation first, typing for corrections — and don't want to tap the toggle key every time.
Default: off.
Timeout
How long the microphone stays active after you stop talking. Once this elapses with no speech, Diction releases the mic and goes idle.
Pick what fits how you dictate:
- After dictation: releases the mic the moment your transcription comes back. Best if you usually dictate one thing at a time. If you use Bluetooth headphones, this also stops music and podcast audio from dropping into lower-quality voice-call mode while the mic is held.
- 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, and up: keep the mic ready for a quick follow-up, then release it.
- Manual: stays ready indefinitely until you tap to stop. Good for long hands-free sessions where you do not want to think about the mic.
Default: 5 minutes.
Auto Start
When the microphone gets reactivated after a suspension, or when a session reconnects, Diction can start recording automatically rather than waiting for you to tap.
Most people leave this on. Turn it off if you want explicit control over when recording starts.
Default: on.
Hand
Moves the confirm button and the speech indicator to the side that matches your dominant hand. Right-handed layout puts the confirm button on the right. Left-handed puts it on the left.
Default: Right.
Haptic Feedback
The keyboard vibrates on key moments: mic start, mic stop, successful transcription, and errors. You feel the state change without looking at the screen. Useful when you are dictating while walking or glancing away.
Turn it off in Preferences if you prefer silent operation.
Default: on.