Quick answer: Offline speech to text works on iPhone and Mac when the speech engine and its language are already on the device. You have two routes: Apple's built-in dictation and Voice Memos, or an on-device app such as Lyonesse that records, shows the words and keeps the transcript to search later. Whichever you pick, download the language on Wi-Fi first, then test it in airplane mode.
What "offline" means here
Two different things get called offline. The first is that it works with no connection, for example on a plane. The second is that your audio is not sent anywhere. They overlap, but they are not the same.
Most offline speech to text needs a one-time download before it works: a language asset from Apple, or a model file in an app. After that, it needs no connection. Some languages have no on-device engine at all, and in those the phone may fall back to a service that does need one. Check the language you speak, not just the feature.
Apple's built-in options
Both iPhone and Mac have keyboard dictation, and Voice Memos can show a transcript of a memo you recorded. Apple's support pages say which languages and devices are covered, and that changes with each iOS and macOS release, so read Apple's page for your version rather than a blog post. We have not re-tested every built-in on the current iOS and macOS for this page, so we are not making claims about them beyond that.
Built-in dictation is meant for typing a sentence into a text field. If you need to record a meeting or a lecture, read the words as they appear and come back to them later, you want an app that stores the recording and the text.
For a file you already have rather than speech happening now, see how to transcribe audio offline.
Speech to text in Lyonesse
Lyonesse is an iPhone, iPad and Mac app that records, transcribes and summarises on the device. Here is what that means for offline speech to text, as the app works today.
- Words appear while you record. On iPhone and Mac you see captions during the recording. With Apple's engine they start almost at once. With the optional Parakeet model, the first words take roughly 13 seconds, and the app tells you so with a countdown.
- On-device engines. English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Chinese use Apple's on-device speech engine. Danish, Dutch, Russian and Swedish use the Parakeet model, which you download once from Settings (about 485 MB).
- Other languages. Norwegian and Turkish have no on-device engine in the app. They use Apple's older speech recogniser, and Lyonesse won't transcribe them at all until you allow Apple's servers in Settings, so the audio can go to Apple's servers once you do. If that matters to you, record in English or one of the languages above.
- After the recording. Speaker labels, summaries and questions about what was said all run on the device, with no cloud AI. You can search the transcript later.
You can start with the free plan, and the paywall screen in the app shows what it includes today. Get Lyonesse on the App Store and try the test below.
Test it in two minutes
You can run this on any speech to text app, ours included.
- On Wi-Fi, open the app and start one short recording, so any language or model download happens now.
- Turn on airplane mode. On a Mac, turn off Wi-Fi and unplug Ethernet.
- Record 20 seconds of normal speech in the language you will actually use.
- Check that words appear and that the saved text matches what you said.
- Read the app's privacy policy for analytics and sync. Ours is on the privacy page.
If words appear in airplane mode, that language is recognised on the device. If nothing appears, or it stops after a few seconds, that language or engine needs a connection.
What stays on your device
Recording, transcription, summaries, speaker labels and questions run on your device, and Lyonesse has no servers that keep your recordings. In English and the other on-device languages above, the audio does not leave the phone or Mac. Two caveats. For languages without an on-device engine, Apple's speech recognition can use Apple's servers. And iCloud sync is on by default, so your notes and transcripts are stored in your own iCloud account, which Apple hosts, unless you switch it off in Settings.
Model files come the other way. The speech, speaker-label and AI models are downloaded to your device once, and no audio goes out when they do.
Where offline speech to text falls short
- Noise and distance. A phone across a meeting table hears the room, not the speaker. Put it closer.
- Accents and names. Expect errors on proper names and unusual words. Check the lines that matter.
- Languages. The on-device list is shorter than the list of languages the app can offer. See above.
- Battery and storage. Long recordings use battery, and models use storage. The Parakeet model is about 485 MB.
- Speed. Speech models on a phone are slower than a server farm for some languages. The Parakeet delay at the start is one example.
For developers
If you want to call Apple's speech APIs yourself, our Apple speech API benchmark compares the options. This page is for people who want to use it, not build it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does offline speech to text work in airplane mode?
It can. In Lyonesse, English and eight other languages are recognised by Apple's on-device speech engine, once the language has been downloaded. Turn on airplane mode, record 20 seconds and see whether words appear. If they do, nothing needed a connection.
Is offline speech to text private?
Offline and private are related but not the same. Lyonesse has no servers that store your recordings. In English and the other languages with an on-device engine, the audio does not leave the phone. For Norwegian and Turkish, Lyonesse only transcribes once you allow Apple's servers in Settings. iCloud sync is on by default, so your notes are stored in your own iCloud unless you switch it off in Settings.
Is offline speech to text as accurate as online?
We have not measured it against every online service, so we will not give you a percentage. Background noise, accents and a phone across the room matter more than whether you are online.
Do I need to download anything first?
Yes, usually once. Apple's speech engine downloads a language asset, and the optional Parakeet model in Lyonesse is about 485 MB. Do that on Wi-Fi before you go offline.
Related reading
If you are comparing apps, see the best offline transcription apps. For iPhone files and voice memos, see how to transcribe audio on iPhone.