Dictate in any app · Chat

Voice typing in Signal

Signal users care about privacy, which makes where the audio goes the first question. Typally puts your words into Signal the moment you release the key, in whichever field you left the cursor.

Disclosure: Typally is our product. We have tried to describe what Signal already does without talking you out of using it.
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In short

  • Signal's own dictation: Voice messages, which are recordings.
  • What Typally does instead: behaves like a keyboard, so it reaches parts of Signal a built-in feature would not.
  • Best used for: long replies

Does Signal have built-in dictation?

Voice messages, which are recordings. There is no transcription into the message box.

Why dictate in Signal at all?

Signal's desktop app is where longer conversations happen, and it is used by people who deliberately avoid tools that phone home. Any dictation tool needs to be honest about what leaves the machine.

In practice people use it for: Long replies, coordinating plans, group messages, and conversations people deliberately keep off other platforms.

How to dictate in Signal

Nothing changes inside Signal itself. Typally sits in the tray and types into the focused window:

1

Download and sign in

Grab the build for your platform and create an account.

2

Put the cursor in the Signal field you are filling

Click first. Typally types into Signal wherever the caret already is, with no idea what that field is for.

3

Press and speak

Hold, talk, release. Long passages are fine.

4

Read it before you move on

Enter sends by default in Signal Desktop. Use Shift+Enter for multi-line messages.

What Typally adds in Signal

Typally types into Signal Desktop's composer like a keyboard. Be deliberate about it: the message stays end-to-end encrypted, but the audio is transcribed by a third-party service before the text exists. Dictating dinner plans and typing the things you chose Signal to protect is a workable line.

What this looks like in practice

Someone explaining a complicated situation to a friend would normally send four voice notes. Dictating instead produces a message the friend can read on a train, reread later, and reply to properly — while the message itself stays end-to-end encrypted.

One habit that makes it work better

Decide what you will and will not dictate. Cloud transcription means the audio leaves your machine — fine for arranging dinner, worth thinking about for anything you chose Signal to protect.

What to watch out for in Signal

Enter sends by default in Signal Desktop. Use Shift+Enter for multi-line messages.

Frequently asked questions

Does Signal transcribe voice messages?

No. Signal voice messages are audio, sent end-to-end encrypted like everything else.

Is dictation compatible with Signal's privacy model?

Partly. The message stays encrypted, but cloud transcription means your audio is processed by a third party before it becomes text. That trade-off is yours to make.

Does dictation work in Signal Desktop?

Yes — a system-level tool types into the focused window regardless of the app.

Try it in Signal

You can try this on the free plan — 100 minutes a month, no card, no trial countdown.

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Also dictate in: Telegram · WhatsApp Web · Discord · see all apps