Glossary
Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence is the name Apple gives to its AI features across its devices. Its on-device models can improve Dictation on newer Macs, and Apple says apps can use the same models.
Updated October 16, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Apple Intelligence is the name Apple gives to its AI features across its devices. The part that matters most for dictation is the on-device model. Apple describes the processing as on-device first: with on-device processing, Apple Intelligence is aware of your personal information without collecting it 1.
Apps can use the same on-device models
Apple says any app can tap into the on-device models that power Apple Intelligence, and that the features built on them work offline 2. This means the models are not limited to Apple's own apps. It also means that an app's offline behavior depends on whether it uses these models, so check the app rather than assume.
Dictation on newer Macs gets a more advanced model
In macOS 27, Apple's page for Apple Intelligence describes a "powerful new on-device model" that "allows Dictation to understand you even better as you speak" 3. Apple limits it to Macs with M3 or later and at least 12GB of unified memory. Macs below that requirement do not get the model, so check your chip and memory in About This Mac before you expect the change. The guide on Mac dictation by macOS version lists what each release changed.
The advanced model covers fewer languages
Apple lists "More advanced Dictation", the Apple Intelligence dictation model in macOS 27, only for 9 English variants 4. The main Dictation list covers many more languages and regional variants, so if you dictate in another language, the advanced model does not apply. The guide on Apple Dictation languages on Mac gives the full list.
Why it matters for dictation
For dictation, the practical effect is better recognition of speech on the newer Macs and in the languages Apple lists. It does not change how you dictate: you still speak, check the text and correct it. For the difference between this and Siri, which needs an internet connection, see the Siri entry.
Related terms
- Siri: Apple's voice assistant, which is built on the same family of AI features.
- Apple silicon: the chips in Macs that run these models on the device.
- Neural Engine: the part of Apple's chips built for machine learning work.
- Large language model: the kind of AI model behind many modern assistants.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
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Related terms
- Mac Dictation: How to Dictate and Control a Mac by VoiceThe topic this term belongs to
- Accessibility permission (macOS)Accessibility permission is a macOS setting that lets a specific app read and control other apps through the system's accessibility features. macOS keeps it under Privacy & Security, and an app gets no access until you allow it there.
- Apple DictationApple Dictation is the free, built-in feature that types what you say into any text field on a Mac. Apple also calls it Mac Dictation, macOS Dictation or keyboard dictation.
- Apple siliconApple silicon is the family of chips Apple designs for its own computers, starting with certain Macs in late 2020. Each chip puts several computer components on one piece of silicon, which Apple calls a system on a chip.
- Enhanced DictationEnhanced Dictation was a Mac option, available from OS X Mavericks, that lets you dictate without an internet connection after a download. Apple's help for macOS Mojave describes it, but Apple's later Dictation pages do not mention it.
- Globe key (Fn key)The Globe key, also called the Fn key or function key, is a modifier on Apple keyboards. In Keyboard settings you choose what a press does, such as switching input source, starting Dictation or doing nothing.
- Improve Siri & DictationImprove Siri & Dictation is the Mac setting that controls whether Apple may store and review audio from your Siri and Dictation requests. When you first turn on Dictation, the same choice is labeled Share Audio Recordings.
- Microphone key (dictation key)The Microphone key is a key on some Mac keyboards that starts Apple Dictation when you press and release it. Pressing and holding it activates Siri instead, if Siri is turned on.
- Neural EngineThe Apple Neural Engine (ANE) is a block of hardware inside Apple's chips that runs machine learning models efficiently. Speech models can run on it, and Apple uses it for on-device machine learning inference.
- SiriSiri is Apple's built-in voice assistant. You speak a request and it answers or carries out an action, while Dictation types what you say into a text field instead.
- Speech framework (Apple)The Speech framework is Apple's developer toolkit for turning audio into text inside an app. It includes the older SFSpeechRecognizer class and the newer SpeechAnalyzer, which Apple says transcribes entirely on the device once its models are downloaded.
- Voice Control (Apple)Voice Control is Apple's feature for controlling a Mac with spoken commands, including opening apps, clicking items and editing text. When it is on, it also handles dictation, so standard macOS Dictation is not available.
- VoiceOverVoiceOver is the screen reader built into macOS, which speaks what is on the screen so you can use the Mac without seeing it. It does the reverse of dictation: it reads text aloud rather than writing your speech.
Pages that use this term
- Mac Dictation: How to Dictate and Control a Mac by VoiceTopic
- How to Use Dictation on iPhone (Voice to Text)Guide
- Dictation on iPad and Android TabletsGuide
- How Apple Dictation Works: On-Device, Server and AIGuide
- Does Apple Dictation use AI?Question
- Does the MacBook Neo get advanced dictation?Question
- Is dictation better in iOS 27?Question
- What is the best dictation app for iPad?Question
- Why did dictation stop working after an iPhone update?Question
- Apple siliconGlossary
- Neural EngineGlossary
- SiriGlossary