User Guide
dicto displays what you say or type as large, clear text. This guide describes how the app works.
Getting Started
The first time dicto is launched users are taken through a brief onboarding phase where a default spoken language and color scheme are chosen. Both can be changed in Settings at any time. These preference screens are followed by three screens of basic instructions, which can be skipped.
The first time the microphone and speech recognition are used, iOS will request permission to access these functions by presenting the Access Permissions screen. To enable access later, open the iOS Settings app, go to Settings ▸ dicto, and turn on Microphone and Speech Recognition.
The Main Screen
The main screen displays the current message and the controls for creating, clearing, and revisiting messages. Portrait orientation presents slightly larger text (good for shorter messages), and landscape orientation presents longer text (good for slightly longer or contextual messages).
- Message display area: Displays the current message, scaled as large as the available space allows and updating in real time while you speak. Double-tap the area to start or stop dictation. Long-press to edit the current message. Long messages scroll automatically; switch to manual scrolling in Settings.
- Microphone button: Starts or stops a spoken message. See Speaking & Dictation.
- Keyboard button: Opens the keyboard to type or paste a message instead of speaking. See Typing.
- Clear button: Clears the current message. The cleared message is not saved to Earlier.
- Earlier: A strip of completed messages along the bottom of the screen. An uncleared message is added to the Earlier section when a new message is started. Tap a message to display it again. Earlier is cleared when the app is closed, and is hidden while Whisper Mode is on.
- Read aloud button: Reads the current message aloud, using the voice selected in Settings. See Read Aloud.
- Settings button: Opens the Settings screen, where preferences such as language, color scheme, speaking pace, and Whisper Mode are set. See Settings.
Speaking & Dictation
Start dictation from the microphone button or by double-tapping the message display area. Speak normally; words appear as you say them. If the dictation is not working well, there is a Speaking pace setting for faster or slower speakers in the Settings menu that may help.
By default, a pause of about one second ends a sentence, then dicto adds a period or question mark and keeps listening. A pause of about two seconds ends the message and displays the text, scrolling automatically for messages that extend below the main screen. Messages can also be manually scrolled, and auto-scrolling can be turned off in the Settings menu. A session also stops automatically after about a minute and a half, so the microphone does not stay open in a noisy room. Adjust how long dicto waits at pauses with Speaking pace in Settings.
Typing
Tap the Keyboard button to open Type text. Type or paste a message, then tap Done (or press Return) to display it on the main screen, or Cancel to close without changing the current message.
Whisper Mode
Whisper mode toggles the disappearing messages function. Turn on Whisper mode in Settings to send Wisps: messages that appear on screen, stay for a few seconds, then fade away permanently. Wisps are never saved to Earlier, which is hidden while Whisper mode is on. Auto-scrolling is also turned off while Whisper mode is on.
Read Aloud
Tap the Read aloud button in the top-right corner to have the currently displayed message read out loud. The button is unavailable when no message is on screen. The reading voice is set under Voice in Settings; additional voices can be added in the iOS Settings app under Accessibility ▸ Spoken Content ▸ Voices (not Siri).
Settings
Tap the Settings button (the gear, top-left) to open Settings.
- Whisper mode: Toggles disappearing messages. See Whisper Mode.
- Speaking pace: Fast, Average, or Slow. Adjusts how long dicto waits at pauses to end sentences or messages. If sentences don't separate, set to Fast; if sentences get cut off, set to Slow.
- Conversation distance (iPad only): Adjusts font size for Near (smaller font) and Far (larger font) conversations.
- Auto-scroll long messages: When on, long messages automatically scroll to the end and back at a readable pace; turn off to stop automatically scrolling messages. Does not affect manual scrolling.
- Input on open: Spoken opens dicto in listening mode for the first message as a quick conversation partner; Manual opens dicto with the normal interface, allowing spoken or text-based message input for the first message.
- Voice: The voice used for Read aloud.
- Color scheme: Select preferred display colors. System, Light, and Dark options, as well as high-contrast pairs: Black on white, White on black, Yellow on blue, Green on black, Orange on black, Crimson on white, Neon pink on black, and White on green.
- Language: The language you speak for dictation (not the app's language). dicto supports 50+ spoken languages, drawn from Apple's on-device dictation. Any language can be chosen and used as long as it is supported by the device.
- About dicto: App version, a short description, and a link to this site.
Privacy & Data
dicto processes everything on your device. Nothing you say or type is sent to us, and nothing is stored once you close the app. For full details, see the Privacy Policy.