Changelog

What's new in Speakmac. Follow along as we ship improvements.

Latest

Version 5.4.0 - Updates, Scribe, and shortcut reliability

  • Speakmac now installs updates automatically by default. You can turn automatic installation off while Speakmac continues checking and downloading, then choose Install and Update from the app, menu bar, or floating prompt.
  • Hotkey capture and rebinding are more reliable, including modifier-only shortcuts and safe promotion from Push to Talk into Hands-Free recording.
  • Scribe has clearer meeting notes, settings, and navigation on macOS 15. Automatic meeting detection remains off by default, and nothing records until you explicitly start Scribe.
  • The speakmac command-line tool can run through the app service without opening or activating the main Speakmac window.
  • The compact animated sidebar is restored, with smoother page transitions and corrected Scribe alignment.
  • Audio-file import, Dock shortcuts, Support, and History actions are easier to reach, while cached-model startup and private failure handling are more reliable.

Version 5.3.1 - Shortcut reliability hotfix

  • Fn + Space can once again be recorded and used as the hands-free dictation shortcut.
  • While using hold-to-talk, Return can toggle auto-send and the floating window now confirms whether auto-send is on or off.
  • Copy Last Transcript and Paste Last Transcript now show a clear confirmation in the floating window.
  • The first-run “Where did you hear about Speakmac?” question now uses seven clearer choices, and Other accepts a short written answer.
  • Acquisition answers are saved directly to Speakmac independently of optional product analytics, with automatic retry if the Mac is temporarily offline.
  • The duplicate post-purchase website question has been removed.

Version 5.3.0 - Simpler controls, clearer accuracy, stronger meetings

  • Dictation controls are simpler: hold-to-talk and hands-free recording now have dedicated shortcuts, while existing custom shortcuts migrate automatically.
  • Language & Accuracy now presents language choice, recognition mode, required downloads, and readiness in one clearer flow without changing the underlying local models.
  • Microphone priority is easier to control and automatically skips disconnected or private aggregate devices while remembering preferred inputs when they return.
  • Each dictation now starts with a fresh audio capture session, strengthening repeated start and stop reliability.
  • Meeting transcripts are searchable and editable, with cleaner speaker timelines and copy formatting.
  • Floating dictation controls now explain their actions immediately, and bundled recording sounds end more cleanly.

Version 5.2.1 - More Macs, clearer setup, steadier dictation

  • Speakmac now supports macOS 13 and Intel Macs through one universal installer. It automatically selects a compatible local dictation model for the Mac, while newer Apple silicon remains the fastest path.
  • First-run setup has been rebuilt around language choice, model readiness, permissions, two local practice dictations, and one guided dictation in a real app. Existing users keep their current setup and are not sent through onboarding again.
  • Recording shutdown now drains the final queued audio before transcription, reducing the chance that the last word of a dictation is clipped.
  • Clipboard restoration is more conservative after dictation, reducing the chance that Speakmac disturbs something you copied while a paste was in progress.
  • Recording, permission, and recovery surfaces now share a clearer visual system, and History is easier to scan across everyday dictations and meeting recordings.
  • Meeting recording remains a beta on supported macOS 15 Macs, with local two-source capture, searchable transcripts, and clearer recovery when a session needs attention.

Version 5.1.6 - Pricing visibility and checkout attribution

  • The upgrade flow now shows the current $29 one-Mac and $39 two-Mac pricing more consistently across the app and website.
  • Checkout handoff is more explicit about the selected plan, CTA, placement, price, and acquisition source, so pricing drop-off can be diagnosed from real funnel data.
  • Paid campaign download lanes have been refreshed for the current app build, keeping regional acquisition cohorts measurable after install.

Version 5.1.5 - Clipboard cleanup hotfix

  • Successful auto-paste now cleans up Speakmac temporary clipboard text more reliably after dictation lands in the focused app.
  • Speakmac is more careful not to restore older dictated text back into the global clipboard after a later dictation.
  • If paste delivery cannot be verified in an unknown app, Speakmac keeps the dictated text available for manual paste instead of clearing it too aggressively.

Version 5.1.1 - CLI installer hotfix

  • The Install speakmac CLI command button now reports real install problems instead of silently keeping the generic helper text.
  • If the CLI command points to an older Speakmac app helper, installing now safely repoints it to the current app build.
  • Speakmac still refuses to overwrite unrelated files or non-Speakmac command-line tools at ~/.local/bin/speakmac.

Version 5.1.0 - Easier Clean Up Dictation discovery

  • Clean Up Dictation is easier to find: Models now shows a small discovery dot until you visit it, and the menu bar includes a direct Try Text Clean Up entry.
  • The menu bar shortcut opens Models and briefly highlights the Clean Up Dictation card, so the new v5 cleanup flow is easier to spot.
  • Discovery dots now disappear after you visit Models, so Speakmac does not keep nagging once you have seen the feature.
  • The checkout path is hardened around the retired global one-Mac plan, reducing the chance of stale $19/one-Mac handoffs.

Version 5.0.0 - Offline Clean Up Dictation

  • Clean Up Dictation now runs locally on your Mac with a downloadable Gemma model, so everyday cleanup can improve punctuation, paragraphs, fillers, and rough dictated phrasing without sending transcript text to the cloud.
  • Settings has a dedicated Models area for local dictation and cleanup setup, with clearer download, install, retry, unavailable, and low-disk-space states.
  • Spoken-number cleanup is stronger across supported dictation languages, and unsupported cleanup cases now fall back to the raw transcript instead of guessing.
  • The floating paywall, first-run setup, license recovery, paste behavior, and Fn hotkey handling have been tightened so the app feels steadier around the release-defining cleanup flow.

Version 4.3.1 – Paste reliability and clearer diagnostics

  • Speakmac now puts the current dictated text on the clipboard immediately before paste, reducing the chance that a target app can receive stale generated text from an older dictation.
  • Paste diagnostics are clearer: Speakmac now separates “paste command posted” from best-effort evidence that text changed in the target app, without logging dictated content.
  • Chinese language-pack downloads now fail more clearly on server errors or partial downloads, with stronger verification before a pack is accepted.
  • Cloud cleanup settings now explain exactly when final transcript text is sent through Speakmac’s cleanup path, and Text Intelligence requests use stricter provider privacy preferences.

Version 4.3.0 – Japanese local dictation

  • Speakmac now has a Japan build with a dedicated Japanese local dictation pack, so Japan users get a clearer first-run setup instead of being sent through a generic language-pack path.
  • The new Japanese pack installs on demand and runs locally, with Settings, onboarding, the menu bar, retry options, and diagnostics all recognizing Japanese as its own dictation mode.
  • Multilingual Pro remains available as an advanced Japanese option on supported Apple Silicon Macs, while the Japan build defaults to the smaller Japanese-specific local pack.
  • Japan campaign downloads now use a dedicated jp_search installer lane, including the /download/jp route, so attribution and regional behavior stay measurable after install.

Version 4.2.2 – Microsoft Word paste reliability hotfix

  • Dictation now inserts directly into Microsoft Word more reliably, including cases where Word exposes the document area as a container instead of a normal text field.
  • Speakmac now observes whether the target app actually requests clipboard data during paste, which makes paste diagnostics much clearer without logging dictated text.
  • Document editors receive richer paste payloads where useful, while terminal-style apps keep using the safer keyboard insertion route.
  • Paste reliability telemetry is now in place so future app-specific changes can be based on production evidence instead of guesses.

Version 4.2.0 – Clearer setup and app languages

  • Speakmac now includes localized app text for German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Polish, and Simplified Chinese, with English still available as the default fallback.
  • Settings now has an App Language picker, so you can choose the language used by Speakmac’s interface without changing the language you dictate in.
  • Onboarding is cleaner and more consistent, with clearer hotkey setup copy, steadier completion visuals, and a smoother handoff into the app.
  • For India users, the upgrade card now says Pay with UPI next to the supported local payment icons.

Version 4.1.4 – Faster everyday dictation controls

  • The menu bar now lets you copy your last transcript directly, with a short preview so it is clear what will be copied.
  • A new Send After Dictation hotkey can submit your dictated text after paste, useful for chat boxes, prompts, and other places where you normally press Return right after dictating.
  • Multilingual Pro installs are safer after app updates: Speakmac now recognizes valid installed packs more reliably and logs clearer install errors if a pack needs attention.
  • Recording cues and the floating controls are steadier, with clearer feedback when Send After Dictation is active.

Version 4.1.1 – Multilingual Pro download hotfix

  • Multilingual Pro now uses a new v3 model pack that extracts reliably from Speakmac’s app environment, so the one-time Pro download should finish cleanly on Macs that could get stuck or fail with the previous pack.
  • Existing older Pro installs are cleaned up automatically on launch. Speakmac now falls back to the regular Multilingual pack until the current Pro pack is fully downloaded, verified, and ready.
  • The final part of the Pro install is clearer too: after the archive download completes, Speakmac now shows the install and finishing stages instead of looking stuck at 100%.
  • Audio-file imports are quieter now, with the success toast removed, and transcription cards once again include Open in Finder for local audio files.

Version 4.1.0 – Faster Multilingual Pro and audio-file transcription

  • Multilingual Pro now installs from a smaller, versioned Speakmac pack and starts warming up as soon as recording begins, so Pro dictation feels much faster without changing the transcription model quality.
  • The Pro pack install path is safer too: downloads are verified, staged atomically, and old incompatible pack files are replaced cleanly so users get the new runtime and model together.
  • You can now import audio files into Speakmac for transcription by dragging them into the app, opening them with Speakmac, or using the Finder service, and History can filter those imported files separately from normal dictation.
  • Speakmac registers as an alternate audio-file handler instead of taking over as the default player for MP3/WAV files.
  • History cards now keep the retry menu available more reliably when a transcription needs another attempt.

Version 4.0.2 – Clearer dictation settings and steadier history

  • Saved transcriptions in History now keep their natural reading direction much more reliably, so entries are less likely to appear flipped or visually wrong, especially when the text is right-to-left.
  • Dictation settings are easier to scan now: Language Packs gets its own row, Microphone moves into the main dictation controls group, and Text Intelligence is clearly marked beta.
  • Newly installed builds now check for updates through Speakmac’s managed update route, and behind-the-scenes product-health instrumentation is restored, which should make automatic updates and regression detection more dependable over time.

Version 4.0.1 – Hotfix for Multilingual Pro downloads

  • Multilingual Pro now downloads reliably on supported Apple Silicon Macs. The larger local pack now comes from Speakmac-owned downloads instead of depending on a gated external source behind the scenes.
  • If a large local-pack download fails, Speakmac is much clearer about why, especially when your Mac is low on disk space or the download itself cannot be fetched cleanly.
  • Background update checks now run on a steadier 4-hour cadence, which should make automatic updates more dependable over time.

Version 4.0.0 – Downloadable local packs and broader hotkey control

  • Speakmac now gives you clearer on-device pack choices. Multilingual stays built in, Chinese remains a separate pack, and Apple Silicon Macs can now install Multilingual Pro when you want better long-form dictation more than raw speed.
  • Pack downloads and switching are much more explicit now, so it is easier to see what is installed, what is active, and what each option is best at before you start dictating.
  • Mouse-button hotkeys now work with more Quartz-exposed buttons, so more mice can start dictation natively instead of forcing awkward remaps.
  • Recording overlays and cancel behavior are steadier too, which should make repeated dictation sessions feel less fragile.

Version 3.9.2 – Safer recording when your Mac gets in the way

  • If Speakmac cannot write or finish the temporary audio file cleanly, it now fails much more clearly instead of leaving you with a vague broken-recording or bad-transcription outcome.
  • Low-storage and file-write problems are handled more safely now, so rare recording failures are less likely to turn into confusing dictation behavior.
  • Behind the scenes, failure diagnostics are much richer too, which should make edge-case transcription bugs faster to track down and fix.

Version 3.9.1 – Numerals behave more like real dictation

  • Spoken numbers now turn into digits more reliably in normal dictation, so phrases like “twenty users”, “flight twenty one”, and “one, two, three” are much more likely to come out as 20 users, Flight 21, and 1, 2, 3.
  • If you already use Speakmac’s spoken-number cleanup, it is much more reliable now in everyday dictation and list-like numeric phrases.
  • Guardrails are tighter too: Speakmac is less likely to over-convert dates, clock times, negative-number phrases, fraction phrases, ranges, or labels like “21B”.
  • Text Intelligence now follows the same numerals-first policy, so cloud cleanup is less likely to turn practical numeric dictation back into spelled-out words.

Version 3.9.0 – Much more reliable hotkeys and setup

  • Dictation hotkeys are much more reliable now, especially when you use the Fn key, add multiple triggers, or finish setup on a fresh install.
  • You can now use mouse buttons as dictation triggers, and older shortcut setups carry forward more cleanly into the newer hotkey system.
  • Speakmac can now clean up spoken numbers into real numerals when you want it to, so phrases like “twenty one”, “zero point five”, and “version three point nine” can become 21, 0.5, and 3.9 before paste.
  • The onboarding demo is steadier too, including clearer setup flow and more reliable microphone switching in the Notes practice step.

Version 3.8.0 – Easier buying, stronger activation, and cleaner dictation

  • Buying Speakmac is simpler now. The app opens the purchase flow more directly, and India buyers get a cleaner local ₹699 checkout path instead of bouncing through the global pricing flow.
  • License activation and re-activation are sturdier, especially for same-Mac recovery, so false activation-limit lockouts are much less likely after reinstalling or renaming your Mac.
  • Licensed users can now turn on Text Intelligence to clean up filler words, punctuation, and paragraphing before paste while keeping the original meaning intact.
  • The floating controls, guide strip, and recording startup behavior are more polished, so Speakmac feels steadier during everyday dictation and easier to understand when something needs your attention.

Version 3.7.0 – Better mic handling and multilingual voice commands

  • Speakmac is much better at staying on the mic you picked. External mics and headphones switch more cleanly, and if a mic disappears mid-recording the session now ends cleanly instead of drifting to the wrong input.
  • Voice commands now work in 10 languages, including Chinese, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Polish, and Ukrainian. You can say punctuation, quotes, new line, and common symbols in your own language.
  • When your mic changes, Speakmac now tells you which mic it switched to with a clearer on-screen hint, even when you are not actively recording.
  • New interaction sounds make recording states easier to notice, and the home screen now shows a simple Time Saved stat.
  • If an update keeps showing up in the background, Speakmac now gives you a gentle in-app reminder so it is easier to install the latest version.

Version 3.6.0 – Safer dictation flow and steadier floating controls

  • Dictation is more reliable across push-to-talk, hands-free, cancel, and repeated start/stop sessions because recording and live preview now follow a simpler, safer flow.
  • Live Preview is now best-effort feedback only, so your final dictated text always comes from the full recording even if preview stalls, restarts, or misses a phrase.
  • Silent clips and very short recordings now end cleanly without leaving the floating processing UI stuck on screen.
  • Hands-free controls, auto-submit toggles, and microphone-change recovery behave more predictably during longer recording sessions.

Version 3.5.1 – Crash hotfix for background dictation

  • Fixed a crash that could happen when you started dictation again after Speakmac had been idle for a while or your Mac had gone to sleep.
  • The floating recording controls stay usable in background apps without creating invisible click-blocking areas over the app underneath.
  • The recording pill now behaves more predictably as it moves between recording, transcribing, error, and hide states.
  • The transcribing indicator now uses a calmer static waveform to reduce background rendering instability.

Version 3.5.0 – Smarter controls and safer license activation

  • Settings are now easier to navigate, with clearer grouping for dictation controls, mic options, and app preferences.
  • Push-to-talk and hands-free interactions are more predictable, including better lock/unlock behavior and on-screen coaching hints.
  • The floating indicator is more stable during recording, reducing visual glitches in longer or repeated dictation sessions.
  • License activation is more resilient during temporary LemonSqueezy connectivity issues by using a controlled fallback path.
  • License validation now treats invalid keys as terminal immediately, so revoked or incorrect keys are enforced without delay.

Version 3.4.0 – Dictation reliability under stress

  • Final dictation text now recovers more reliably after rapid stop/start sessions, reducing cases where pending recordings could get stuck.
  • Audio preparation and timeout handling were hardened, so stress dictation runs are less likely to miss or delay the final transcript.
  • The floating indicator window is more stable, with fixes for recursion-prone layout behavior and smoother ongoing animations.
  • Startup restoration now handles interrupted sessions more defensively, improving reliability after relaunches.

Version 3.3.0 – License validation stability fix

  • Speakmac now keeps your existing license active during temporary validation failures (like brief network issues, rate limits, or server hiccups), instead of unexpectedly logging you out.
  • Activation-limit lockouts are much less likely after updates or reconnects, because the app retries validation later rather than immediately clearing your saved license.
  • Invalid or revoked licenses are still enforced promptly, so license security remains intact.

Version 3.2.0 – Reliable ad-to-sale attribution

  • Ad click attribution is now much more reliable end-to-end, so paid orders are less likely to show up as unattributed.
  • Your checkout now carries the same attribution identifiers from download through install, improving confidence in which campaigns actually drive revenue.
  • Attribution reporting now separates direct vs estimated matches clearly, so spend decisions are based on cleaner evidence.
  • Purchase webhook handling now avoids duplicate welcome emails for the same order.

Version 3.0.0 – Dictation reliability overhaul

  • Stop/start dictation is much more reliable in live preview mode, with session-bound cleanup to prevent stuck overlays and missed final text.
  • Final pasted text now always comes from full batch transcription after you stop recording, improving consistency over streaming edge cases.
  • Model download onboarding is clearer: progress now switches to a proper preparing state after download, and avoids misleading stalled percentages.
  • Fresh installs no longer trigger unnecessary Documents permission prompts.

Version 2.9.3 – More reliable history & storage fixes

  • Your Speakmac history now migrates safely to Application Support on upgrade, avoiding “missing history” issues.
  • If your local transcription database gets corrupted, Speakmac can automatically recover (and backs up the old files).
  • Smoother transcribing indicator animation with less background churn.

Version 2.9.2 – Dictation polish & smarter paste hints

  • Dictation now handles newline punctuation more naturally, keeping commas/periods in the right place.
  • Paste hints are smarter about focus and custom editors, reducing false warnings.
  • New dictation command corpus test helps prevent formatting regressions.

Version 2.9.1 – More reliable install attribution

  • Install attribution now recovers the download identifier from your Downloads folder for more reliable campaign tracking.
  • Removed an experimental WhisperKit integration that wasn’t production ready.
  • Cleaner release packaging with fewer extra install artifacts.

Version 2.9 – Dictation commands & stability fixes

  • Dictation commands let you say "comma", "period", "new line", "question mark" and 20+ other formatting commands while speaking—just like Apple Dictation but for Speakmac.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur on fresh installs during update checks.
  • Fixed speech model downloads occasionally failing silently—now completes reliably.

Version 2.8 – One-click activation & regex replacements

  • One-click license activation—click the link in your purchase email and Speakmac activates instantly.
  • Regex word replacements now available for power users—match patterns like "U S A" → "USA" with regular expressions.
  • Better geo insights help us understand where users need regional pricing (with your consent).

Version 2.7 – Analytics improvements

  • Better insights into how you use Speakmac—hands-free mode, live preview, and auto-submit usage are now tracked (with your consent) to help us improve.
  • Update tracking now properly identifies which version you upgraded to, helping us ensure smooth rollouts.

Version 2.6 – Hands-free mode & universal paste

  • Lock mode for hands-free dictation—press Space during recording to keep it running without holding your hotkey.
  • Auto-paste now works in Bike, Obsidian, Notion, VS Code, and 50+ more apps that use custom text editors.
  • Redesigned language packs UI with clearer download status and hotkey help.
  • Privacy mode banner reminds you when analytics are off—dismiss it anytime.
  • Coaching hints guide you through lock mode with gentle prompts.

Version 2.5 – Live preview & word replacement

  • Live preview shows your words appearing in real-time as you speak—watch transcription happen before your eyes.
  • Custom word replacement fixes names that get misrecognized—add "Cindy → Sydney" and it's corrected automatically.
  • Press Shift during recording to toggle auto-submit on or off—your preference persists across sessions.
  • Simplified engine: FluidAudio is now the only offline provider. No more confusing Apple Speech vs FluidAudio choice.
  • Smarter voice detection waits for you to start speaking before transcribing, reducing false starts.
  • FluidAudio upgraded to 0.8.0 for improved offline accuracy.
  • Fixed auto-submit sending wrong key in Terminal apps.

Version 2.4 – Shift auto-submit & dock toggle

  • Hold Shift while using push-to-talk and Speakmac will press Enter for you after pasting—perfect for quick sends in Slack or Messages.
  • New visibility picker in Settings lets you choose Dock + Menu Bar, Menu Bar Only, or Dock Only—whichever fits your workflow.
  • Streamlined settings with a new Developer sidebar for power users.

Version 2.3 – Chinese language support

  • Chinese transcription is here. Download the language pack in Settings → Language and switch between Multilingual (25 languages) and Chinese with one click.
  • Supports Mandarin, Cantonese, Sichuan, Henan, and Tianjin dialects with high accuracy.
  • Updates now install silently in the background—your app stays current without interrupting your flow.
  • Cleaner sidebar with icon-only navigation and instant tooltips.

Version 2.2 – Menu bar polish & conversion insights

  • Your hotkey now appears in the menu bar next to "Start Recording", just like native macOS shortcuts.
  • Settings reorganized into Help & Guides, Software Update, and Contact Support sections.
  • Privacy mode indicator updated to a lock icon with "Private" label for clarity.
  • Trial includes 30 free transcriptions (previously 40).
  • Fixed text insertion not working when Speakmac was the frontmost app.

Version 2.1 – Faster downloads & smoother setup

  • Speech model downloads are now 4-6x faster.
  • Mini player mode—a compact floating waveform for distraction-free dictation.

Version 2.0 – Hotkey improvements & updates

  • Left and right modifier keys (⌘, ⌥, ⌃, ⇧) now register as separate bindings so you can set distinct hotkeys for each hand.
  • Silent background updates now work reliably—no more stale versions sitting in /Applications.
  • Added a Help Center with step-by-step guides for setting up hotkeys and customizing your workflow.

November 2025 – Onboarding & privacy tune-up

  • Setup now includes a live practice field so you can try dictation before leaving onboarding.
  • Analytics stay off until you flip the consent toggle that appears after your first demo.
  • There is a single analytics switch inside Settings → Privacy whenever you want to change your mind.

October 2025 – Reliable streaming & smarter audio

  • Low-level HAL capture keeps USB, Bluetooth, and studio mics connected without dropouts.
  • Streaming preps Fluid Audio, Apple Speech, or Deepgram ahead of time so sessions start instantly.
  • Sub-second or silent takes auto-delete so your history only shows real recordings.

October 2025 – Offline Parakeet release

  • Onboarding now spells out Apple Speech vs Parakeet so you can pick the offline path you want.
  • Parakeet downloads once (about 600 MB), caches locally, and is always warmed up for instant use.
  • Fluid Audio is the default engine on fresh installs so private, offline dictation works out of the box.

More updates coming soon. Follow @kirjd for the latest.

Changelog

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Requires macOS 13+. Supports Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.