What stays on your Mac, and what uses the internet.
Recording and transcription run locally after setup. Activation, license checks, the model download, and update checks use the internet.
Dictaty does not need an account. It records live dictation, turns it into text, and keeps recovery History on your Mac.
The online steps are limited and visible. A new installation downloads its local model before dictation. If the earlier model is already installed, the newer one downloads in the background. Dictaty also contacts its license service and checks its update feed.
The processing boundary, step by step.
The first two rows handle dictation content. The remaining rows set up, license, and update the app.
| Step | Where | Internet |
|---|---|---|
| Recording | On your Mac | No |
| Transcription after setup | On your Mac | No |
| License activation and checks | Dictaty license service | Yes |
| Local model download | On your Mac | Once |
| App update checks | Dictaty update service | Yes |
License and update traffic is separate from dictation content. Dictaty does not send recordings or transcripts to a Dictaty server.
The dictation path is local.
The microphone writes audio to Dictaty’s local session store. The selected local engine creates the transcript on the Mac. Dictaty then inserts the text, copies it, or keeps the local recording for recovery.
Internet has three defined jobs.
Dictaty uses its license service for activation and recurring license checks. A new installation downloads its local model before dictation; an existing installation with the earlier model downloads the newer one in the background. App update checks use Dictaty’s update service.
A valid locally stored license remains usable if a routine online refresh fails because the network or license service is unavailable.
Twenty-five languages use the included local model.
Dictaty’s included model contains 25 languages. The app may show additional languages only when macOS reports a usable local recognition engine on that Mac.