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Why won't Apple fix its dictation function?

I only have the use of one arm so Apple's dictation function is critical to me. I used to use Dragon dictate but since they have discontinued it, Apple's dictation function is my only option.


I have had many conversations, including at the supervisor level, about the basic functions of dictation that are broken. For instance:

• When you ask it to create a new paragraph or a new line, it just inserts a space. When you are dictating extensively, to have disengage dictation, manually create a new line and then reengage dictation is really cumbersome and time wasting (I dictated a book using Dragon dictate, something that would be too aggravating to do in Dictation ONLY because I can't say new line or new paragraph). That broken feature alone almost makes dictation useless to somebody for whom the dictation command is so important. I would really like Apple to hear this: I really really need the Dictation program but JUST the broken new paragraph and new line commands make dictation virtually useless.

• The dictation command doesn't work at all in way too many applications. For instance, it is intermittent in Google Docs but usually doesn't work there.


For all of its focus on ease-of-use, there are some things that Apple just doesn't pay attention to. The dictation command is one of them. I know they consider speech to text to be an important part of their future and yet, in spite of many notices of the fatal flaws in Dictation, they do nothing about it. Apple tech-support is normally outstanding but on this issue, supervisors acknowledge the fatal flaw, start to look into it and then stop responding to the customer (me) when they can't get any answers from their engineers. This is all extremely frustrating for somebody who is dependent on the Dictation feature to use technology.



MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.3

Posted on Jun 2, 2021 12:36 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jun 2, 2021 12:52 PM

Great catch, dialabrain! I was testing with this Voice Control unchecked, now that it's checked it respects new paragraphs immediately.


Just to make it clear to the OP, this is the checkbox in question, in System Preferences->Accessibility->Voice Control:


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9 replies

Jun 4, 2021 6:50 AM in response to dialabrain

Hey dialabrain. I have been using Dictation with that setting checked and it works great! It is an even better function and then I thought it would be. I can have it always on so that I can switch from app to app without having to re-engage it. It is set up so that I type when I want and talk when I want. I would've been happy with less and I am ecstatic with this! Thank you!!!

Why won't Apple fix its dictation function?

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