Audio Output Muting During Dictation on macOS Sonoma - Seeking Solutions

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Audio Output Muting During Dictation on macOS Sonoma - Seeking Solutions

I've recently encountered an issue with the built-in dictation feature on macOS Sonoma that I'm hoping someone might have a solution for.

When I activate the dictation service, my audio output (e.g., music or podcasts) is automatically muted. While I understand this might be designed to ensure clear dictation, it disrupts my workflow as I often listen to audio content while dictating.

Has anyone else experienced this? More importantly, has anyone found a workaround or solution to prevent the audio from muting while using dictation?

I've tried a few Terminal commands that were suggested for previous macOS versions, but they don't seem to work on Sonoma. I'm keen to find a solution that allows me to use dictation without sacrificing my audio playback.

Any insights, suggestions, or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!

Posted on Oct 5, 2023 6:42 AM

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daleducatte

Level 1

46 points

Oct 5, 2023 9:04 AM in response to THenesey

Hello. I tried to figure this out a couple of days ago and here's what I came up with. I'm using AirPods Pro, so I'll explain it that way, but you may have to do something a little different depending on what you're using for a microphone and how you're playing audio.

I've got two displays and am watching the news in a browser window on the second display. Audio is playing through external speakers hooked to the Headphone Port on my Mac mini.
I go to Accessibility in System Settings and turn on Voice Control.
I only use the left AirPod when I want to dictate, so I put it in my ear and the AirPod connects.
When the AirPod connects, the audio automatically switches to the AirPod via Bluetooth so I go to System Settings/Sound, then Output, and change the audio back to External Headphones/Headphone Port. The audio now plays through the speakers instead of the AirPod.
I can now use dictation while the audio is playing through the speakers.

After trying a bunch of settings changes, it was turning on Voice Control that did the trick. With Voice Control turned on, I could send the audio output to the external speakers while using the AirPod mic to dictate. Otherwise, audio input and output would "stick together" in the AirPod.

Depending on what you're listening to, the mic may pick up some text, so you may have to adjust the output volume to keep that from happening.

Hope this makes sense! Let me know if this works for you, and if it does, let's hope it's not just a "bug" in the OS!

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