Sotto Voce · Support
Help with Sotto Voce
Setting up the keyboard, dictating, and answers to common questions. Something not covered? Get in touch.
Add the keyboard
Sotto Voce types through its own keyboard, which you add once in the Settings app.
- Open Sotto Voce once and go through the short introduction. It asks for the microphone — dictation needs it.
- Open the Settings app and go to General › Keyboard › Keyboards › Add New Keyboard…, then choose Sotto Voce.
- Back in the list of keyboards, tap Sotto Voce and turn on Allow Full Access. iOS shows a general warning about Full Access; the next section explains exactly what Sotto Voce uses it for.
Why Full Access is needed
In short: iOS doesn’t let keyboards use the microphone, so the app listens and the keyboard types what it heard. Full Access is what lets the two share that text.
When you tap Start, the keyboard asks the Sotto Voce app to record and transcribe. The app turns your speech into text on your iPhone and passes the words back to the keyboard through a small shared storage area on the device (an “App Group”). iOS only lets a keyboard read and write that shared area once Full Access is on.
That is all it is used for. The keyboard makes no network requests of any kind, and nothing you type or say is sent anywhere. There is no analytics, no crash-reporting service and no account. See the Privacy Policy for the details.
Dictate in any app
- Tap into any text field — a message, an email, a note, a search box.
- Tap the globe key (or touch and hold it and pick Sotto Voce) to switch to the Sotto Voce keyboard.
- Tap Start and talk. The listening surface moves with your voice, and your words are typed as you speak.
- Tap anywhere on the listening surface to stop; touch and hold it to move the cursor. Mute stops it hearing you until you tap again, and keeps the keyboard open.
The first time you dictate in a session, Sotto Voce opens briefly to start the microphone — that’s an iOS requirement, not a choice. If you aren’t taken back automatically, tap the back link at the top-left of the screen to return to the app you were typing in. After that it keeps running, and Start works in place, with no more switching.
You can change how the keyboard looks while it listens — Glow, Card, Wave or Ring — in the app under Settings › Dictation › Listening Look.
Troubleshooting
Sotto Voce isn’t in my list of keyboards
Adding the app doesn’t add the keyboard by itself. Go to Settings › General › Keyboard › Keyboards › Add New Keyboard… and choose Sotto Voce. If you’ve added it but the globe key skips it, check it’s still listed under Keyboards — removing and re-adding it is harmless.
The keyboard says it needs Full Access, or Start does nothing
Go to Settings › General › Keyboard › Keyboards › Sotto Voce and make sure Allow Full Access is on. Without it the keyboard can’t receive the text the app transcribes. (Why it’s needed.)
Also check that Sotto Voce has microphone permission, in Settings › Apps › Sotto Voce.
Do I have to switch apps every time I dictate?
Only once per session. The first time, Sotto Voce opens briefly to claim the microphone, which iOS requires. After that it stays running in the background, and Start begins and ends dictation in place, in whatever app you’re typing in.
Does it work offline? What does the app download?
Yes. The built-in speech recogniser (Standard) comes with iOS and needs no download. Some features use an open model that runs on your iPhone and is downloaded once — for example the optional Enhanced transcription model, the background-noise filter, and separating speakers in a recording. After that they work offline.
These downloads are one-way: the files come from Hugging Face, a static file host, and none of your audio or text is sent. It’s the only network request the app makes.
A model download is stuck or failed
Downloads need an internet connection only while they run. Check you’re online (Wi-Fi is best for the larger transcription model), then try again — the Enhanced model is downloaded from the Model screen in the app. Until a download is ready you can keep dictating with Standard, which needs no download.
Which transcription model should I use?
Standard is the default: the speech recogniser built into your iPhone, with no download. Enhanced is an optional model that also runs on your device and is downloaded once. Pick between them on the Model screen in the app, which shows what each one offers, including the languages it understands.
Summaries aren’t available
Summaries of recordings are written on your iPhone by Apple’s on-device model, so they need an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, with Apple Intelligence turned on in Settings › Apple Intelligence & Siri. Recording and transcripts work without it.
Is the transcript always right?
Treat it as a first draft. Transcripts and summaries are made on your device and can contain mistakes — names, numbers and crosstalk are the usual trouble spots. Check anything important before you rely on it.
Where are my recordings and dictations kept?
In the app’s own storage on your iPhone, and nowhere else — there is no server copy. You can delete a recording in the app; deleting the app removes everything at once.
Recent dictations are off unless you turn them on. When they’re on, the app keeps the last few things you dictated, up to a number you choose, so you can find them again.
Free, Pro and purchases
How much can I dictate for free?
Up to 1,000 words a week through the keyboard, with no account. The allowance resets every week. Recording, transcribing and summarising audio inside the app aren’t counted against it.
What does Pro add, and what does it cost?
Pro removes the weekly word limit — everything else stays the same. It’s billed monthly, yearly (with the first 7 days free), or once for lifetime. Prices are shown in the app, in your local currency, before you buy, and purchases are charged to your Apple Account.
I bought Pro but the app doesn’t show it (restore purchases)
Open Sotto Voce, go to Settings and tap Restore Purchases. Make sure you’re signed in with the same Apple Account you bought Pro with. There’s no Sotto Voce account to sign in to — your purchase is tied to your Apple Account.
How do I cancel or change my subscription?
Subscriptions are managed by Apple. On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, and choose Sotto Voce. Cancel at least 24 hours before the renewal date to avoid being charged for the next period; you keep Pro until the end of the period you’ve paid for.
Refunds are handled by Apple too — request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.
Contact
Bugs, requests, or anything the answers above don’t cover: