Frequently asked questions

Does my audio leave my Mac?

No. Apple's speech engine handles recognition, and ListenIn forces the on-device path — the classic engine is not allowed to fall back to Apple's speech service. Audio never reaches ListenIn's cleanup service either; that service only receives recognized text. Local Ollama keeps cleanup on the Mac, and bring-your-own-key sends text directly to your chosen provider.

Can I mix Chinese and English in one sentence?

Yes — that's the core use case. Say 「我用 Claude Code 写了个 component」 and it comes out exactly like that: no mode switching, and technical terms survive recognition.

How is this different from macOS built-in dictation?

Built-in dictation transcribes literally — fillers, false starts and recognition errors included. ListenIn adds a cleanup pass that removes filler words, repairs sound-alike recognition errors, and formats the result the way you would have typed it.

What does the free tier include?

8,000 cleaned words per week, no account required. Pro ($12/month or $96/year) removes the cap.

Does it work with Claude Code and Cursor?

Yes. A dedicated mode turns spoken rambling into a structured prompt — goal, numbered steps, constraints — and can send it straight into your terminal or editor.

Which Macs does it support?

macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon or Intel. The newest recognition engine (macOS 26) is used automatically when available.

Can I fix words it keeps getting wrong?

Yes. Correct a word once and it goes into your personal dictionary; future recognitions and cleanups use it.

Download ListenIn — free, no account