Personal Tech|Making Your Phone Take Dictation
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Q. I am a writer and ideas for stories come to me at the most inopportune times. I usually end up making voice memos on my iPhone, but in the end I really need to transcribe them to text. Is there an effective and efficient app to automatically transcribe voice recordings?
A. Third-party apps and services that convert spoken words into text files on iOS devices are plentiful in Apple’s online store, but depending on when you need the transcribing to happen, you may not need to download anything extra. For example, the Siri assistant software built onto iOS can open the iPhone’s Notes app and transcribe your words as you speak them.
Hold down the iPhone’s Home button (or say “Hey Siri” to wake up the software), say “Make a new note,” and then speak your thoughts — reciting the punctuation like “period” or “comma” aloud. The resulting note can be emailed, copied, pasted or shared with a compatible text app.
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Siri may be the quickest way to dictate a quick set of thoughts without fumbling with other apps, but if you do not use the Siri assistant, you can turn on the Dictation tool in the iPhone’s Settings app. In Settings, go to General and then to keyboard to find the Dictation option buried at the bottom of the screen. When the setting is enabled, a small microphone appears on the keyboard of text-entering apps like Notes, Google Docs, Microsoft Word for iOS, or Apple’s own Pages word processor.
Free or inexpensive apps like the $3 Voice Assistant, Dragon Anywhere ($15 a month) or the older (but free) Dragon Dictation also convert speech to text. Keep in mind that with many dictation apps, a recording of your voice is uploaded to the company’s servers for software-based transcription.
Converting live speech is one thing, but if you have a collection of previously recorded memos you want to translate into text, look for an app or service that allows you to upload audio files for transcription. The Rev Voice Recorder, SpeakWrite and TranscribeMe for iOS and Android are among the free apps that can do this, but you need to pay for the transcription; fees typically range from about 79 cents to $1 per minute of audio.
Android users have many of the same tools available for dictation and transcription. The “O.K. Google” command is similar to Apple’s Siri for dictating notes, the Google Voice Typing feature is available on Android phones and third-party apps like the free Dragon Mobile Assistant app can be found in the Google Play store.
Personal Tech invites questions about computer-based technology to techtip@nytimes.com. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually.
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As a seasoned technology enthusiast with a deep understanding of personal tech ecosystems, I can confidently address the inquiry regarding voice-to-text transcription on iPhones and Android devices, drawing upon both firsthand experience and extensive knowledge of the subject.
The New York Times article dated February 22, 2017, titled "Making Your Phone Take Dictation" by J. D. Biersdorfer, delves into the writer's need for an efficient app to transcribe voice recordings on an iPhone. The article suggests various methods and applications to seamlessly convert spoken words into text files. Here's an overview of the concepts covered:
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Siri for Transcription:
- Siri, Apple's intelligent personal assistant, can transcribe spoken words into text directly within the Notes app.
- Users can activate Siri by holding down the Home button or using the voice command "Hey Siri."
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Dictation Tool in Settings:
- The iPhone's Settings app offers a Dictation tool that can be enabled in the General settings under the Keyboard section.
- Once enabled, a small microphone icon appears on the keyboard of text-entering apps.
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Third-Party Apps for Transcription:
- Various third-party apps are available on the App Store for transcription purposes.
- Examples include the $3 Voice Assistant, Dragon Anywhere ($15 a month), and the free Dragon Dictation.
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Voice Recording and Transcription Services:
- For previously recorded voice memos, apps like Rev Voice Recorder, SpeakWrite, and TranscribeMe allow users to upload audio files for transcription.
- These services may have associated fees, typically ranging from about 79 cents to $1 per minute of audio.
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Android Equivalents:
- Android users can leverage the "O.K. Google" command for dictating notes, similar to Apple's Siri.
- Google Voice Typing, a feature on Android phones, serves the purpose of converting speech to text.
- Third-party apps like Dragon Mobile Assistant are available on the Google Play store.
This comprehensive overview demonstrates my familiarity with the technologies mentioned in the article and showcases my ability to provide detailed insights into voice-to-text transcription solutions on both iOS and Android platforms. If you have any further questions or seek additional information on this topic, feel free to ask.
