Sometimes it is faster to talk than to type. Voice dictation is available in the web app, the iPhone and iPad app, the Mac app, and on Apple Watch. It is a paid feature of the Caliu Pro subscription: with Pro you can dictate as much as you want, and without it the feature is not available.
How it works
- Tap the microphone button in the editor toolbar.
- Speak. A waveform shows that Caliu is listening.
- Stop when you are done. Caliu transcribes your speech and polishes it into readable markdown (cleaning up filler and adding structure), then you review the result and insert it into your note at the cursor.
On iPhone, an ongoing dictation stays visible on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, with a stop button, so you can keep talking while doing something else.
On Apple Watch, recording starts the moment you open Voice Note, so a thought never waits for a menu. The transcript comes back polished, and you save it as a new note or append it to the one you were reading.
Speak in markdown
You do not have to end up with one long paragraph. Caliu understands spoken formatting commands and turns them into real markdown, so you can shape a note without touching the keyboard. Say the command, then the words it applies to.
- Say "heading" and a title to start a section. "subheading" makes a smaller one.
- Say "bullet" before each item for a bulleted list, or "numbered list" for a numbered one.
- Say "bold" or "italic" before a few words to emphasize them.
- Say "quote" to start a quote, or "code block" to start a code sample.
- Say "new line" or "new paragraph" to break the text where you want it.
Everything else is tidied up for you. Filler words like "um" and "you know" are removed, punctuation and capitalization are fixed, and natural pauses become paragraphs. Your own words and language are kept exactly: nothing is translated, summarized, or invented.
The commands work in every language Caliu understands, using the natural words for them. In Spanish, for example, "título" starts a heading and "viñeta" starts a bullet.
Good to know
- A connection is required. Transcription happens on the server, so dictation does not work offline.
- Microphone access must be allowed the first time. If you denied it, re-enable it in your browser or system settings.
- Caliu Pro is required. Voice dictation is part of the paid subscription and is not included in the free plan. Pro subscribers have no usage limit.
Your regular notes remain fully offline as always; only the dictation itself needs the network.