Most recent Apple Watch models support speech-to-text, but you’ll need a compatible iPhone to convert spoken words into text fully. This guide covers the Apple Watch's voice-to-text capabilities and how to use dictate text for various tasks.
How Do You Activate Dictation on Apple Watch?
If you’re part of the iOS ecosystem and have both an Apple Watch and an iPhone, you can activate Apple Watch voice dictation instead of typing messages. Here’s a simple, step-by-step guide:
- On iPhone: Go to the Settings app and select General > Keyboard. Scroll to Enable Dictation and turn on the toggle.
- On Apple Watch: Open Settings on your watch, tap General > Keyboard and enable dictation. You can now open the Messages app on your Apple Watch, tap the microphone icon, and start dictating.
What Are the Benefits of Using Dictation on Apple Watch?
The Apple Watch's speech-to-text feature offers several advantages. Imagine you’re out and about with your work bag in one hand and coffee in the other. If you need to send a message or respond to an email, Apple Watch voice-to-text is a convenient, hands-free solution.
Here’s how dictation on Apple Watch helps:
Save Time
Dictation means you can speak your thoughts instead of typing, saving much of your time. For example, dictation can help you quickly convert your voice to text and write your thoughts faster if you type slowly. You will also find that the dictation feature enables you to relax and note down your thoughts without worrying about mistakes made with the keyboard.
Improve Your Writing Skills
Many think dictation is only about improving productivity and getting things done much faster. However, the benefits of speech-to-text technology go much beyond, as it helps you improve grammar and punctuation. Reading words out loud while dictating enables you to catch errors that might otherwise go unnoticed and allows you to improve your writing skills.
Boost Productivity
Apple Watch dictation lets you focus on your message without getting distracted by other apps or notifications. This focus on your work can boost your overall productivity.
Using Speech Recognition for Meeting Notes on Apple Watch
To take meeting notes on your Apple Watch using speech recognition, open the Notes app and tap the microphone icon to start the Apple Watch voice-to-text feature. This will convert your voice into text so you can capture important points during meetings or conference calls.
Tips for Taking Apple Watch Meeting Notes
When using Apple Watch speech-to-text for meeting notes, follow these tips for best results:
Speak Clearly: The WatchOS speech recognition feature will convert spoken words into text with high accuracy, so ensure the words are clear and spoken naturally.
Proper Positioning: When the Apple Watch is far from your mouth, it might not detect the spoken words. For this reason, keeping the Apple Watch close to your mouth is essential so the words can be accurately transcribed into text.
Quiet Environment: Background noise can also hinder the accuracy of the Apple Watch voice-to-text feature. If you attend an important call or meeting, try to find a quiet space so background noise does not interfere with dictation.
Can You Transcribe Audio on Apple Watch?
Yes, you can transcribe audio on the Apple Watch, though it cannot dictate messages longer than 30 seconds.
To transcribe longer messages or calls, you must look for third-party dictation apps like Transkriptor from your phone.
Transkriptor is a feature-rich speech-to-text app that can convert pre-recorded audio or video files into text format. It supports over 100 transcription and translation languages, including English, German, French, and Spanish.
You can use the audio-to-text app on iPhone or Android and sync all the recordings to the Web application. With the help of Transkriptor, you can also record your conversation and convert audio to text with 99% accuracy.
What Are the Best Practices for Accurate Speech-to-Text on Apple Watch?
While the Apple Watch is good at recognizing different voices, it is imperfect and makes mistakes when transcribing voice to text. Here we will reveal some of the best tips to make WatchOS dictation as best as possible:
Punctuate: The WatchOS dictation feature is sometimes smart enough to figure out punctuations in dictated speech. When dictating messages or emails, say each comma, question mark, and period to improve accuracy.
Know Time Limits: Some speech-to-text tools and Apple Watch have a time limit for how long they can listen to the recording, so look at the screen occasionally to ensure that the dictated words are converted into text.
Speak Naturally : Speaking clearly and naturally helps Apple Watch speech recognition capture your words accurately.
Learn Some Commands: You should learn a few commands, like a new line to enter a line break. These commands help you compose messages so you do not have to spend time editing the text.
Common Issues With Speech-to-Text on Apple Watch and How to Solve Them
If you cannot accurately transcribe speech to text on Apple Watch, some troubleshooting methods will help you get things back on track.
Close and Reopen Apps: If the dictation feature does not work in any Apple Watch app, you can quickly fix it by closing and reopening the particular application.
Unpair and Pair Devices: Remember that the Apple Watch works only if you connect it to an iPhone. But if there is an issue with pairing, you might be unable to use the dictation feature. To fix the problem, just unpair and pair the Apple Watch and iPhone again.
Check Microphone : If the screen protector on the Apple Watch blocks the microphone, the speech-to-text feature might experience issues. The simplest way to troubleshoot the problem is to check and remove anything that might obstruct the microphone.
Force Restart : Sometimes, technical issues can also cause problems with the dictation feature, and forcing the Apple Watch to restart can help you fix them. Hold the Digital crown with the side button for 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears.
Turn Off Apple Watch: Shutting down and turning the Apple Watch on is a straightforward way to troubleshoot many issues.
Update iPhone and Apple Watch: You can also update the iPhone and Apple Watch to the latest version to troubleshoot the issues. Updating the iPhone can trigger an update on the Apple Watch. If it does not update automatically, you can do it manually.
Conclusion
The Apple Watch dictation feature is a convenient tool for reasonably accurately converting audio to text. However, a third-party speech-to-text app like Transkriptor can be a valuable addition for more extended notes or improved accuracy.
With Transkriptor, you can transcribe recorded voice with 99% accuracy and enjoy a free trial to explore its features. Whether you’re using WatchOS speech recognition for messages or meeting notes, these tools make communication on the go easier and faster.
