Beyond Dictation
“The power of the spoken word” has traditionally been used to describe how great oratory can change the way people think. But with enhanced Dictation Commands in macOS, it also refers to dramatic changes in the way people work, learn, and how they access and create content.
Using the assistive speech recognition capabilities of macOS you can dictate a letter, message, or perform command and control actions like launching and switching between apps, or finding and creating documents. But even more is possible when the built-in automation technologies of macOS are combined with its assistive architecture to create specialized voice-triggered commands.
This website provides a free set of dictation commands targeting Photos, the iWork suite of applications, and the Finder to deliver productivity solutions that perform a variety of common tasks and procedures.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions, and will be updating the collection often. Enjoy!
(⬆ see above ) Dictation Commands in action. Building a Keynote presentation using Photos, Maps, and Numbers.
What about Siri?
You might be asking yourself “Are Dictation Commands the same as Siri in macOS?” and “Doesn’t Siri in macOS do the same kind of things?”
The answer to both questions is no.
Siri in macOS is based upon an entirely different set of technologies than Dictation Commands, and offers very different functionality and abilities. Your interactions with Siri in macOS are actually communications with Apple’s computers over the internet. That is why your computer must be connected to the internet in order for Siri to work.
Generally, Siri functions as a virtual assistant performing secretarial duties, such as setting reminders, making appointments, looking up places, and gathering information from outside of your computer. Siri is very good at those type of tasks. However, Siri’s awareness and control of your actual computer environment is limited to rudimentary things like performing searches and opening folders.
Dictation Commands are “local,” meaning that no internet connection or communication is required, everything you need for them to work is on your computer. And unlike Siri, Dictation Commands “know” about your documents, files, windows, calendars, and the items you have selected, and can control the applications you use to assist you with the tasks you want to perform.
The short video below will help you better understand the difference between Siri in macOS and Dictation Commands:
