How dictation works

Updated July 2, 2026

Press your shortcut once (Left Control by default). A green dot appears at your cursor. soink is listening.

Speak, and your words stream into the text field as you say them. Underlined text is still settling. A moment later it locks in, already cleaned up.

Press the shortcut again to finish. Press Esc to cancel and discard what hasn’t locked in yet.

When it stops on its own

  • It hears nothing for about 30 seconds.
  • You’ve been dictating for a full hour without a break. Just start again.
  • Your microphone changes, like unplugging headphones mid-session.
  • You start dictating on another Mac with the same account.
  • You’ve used up your minutes for this cycle. Check Plans & Billing in the app.

Settings at a glance

  • Shortcuts: pick your own key combo, up to 3 modifier keys.
  • Language: choose from 16 options.
  • Microphone: Auto follows your system default, or pin a specific device.
  • Mute Background Audio: pauses your music while you dictate.
  • Start at Login: soink is ready when your Mac is.