Ecco Dictate

Speech to text application focused on very accurate transcriptions, ease of use, and shortcuts integration.


Dictation focused Design: The focus of Ecco is for a drop in replacement of speech to text dictation - and not external file transcription. From the design and size of the buttons, haptics and sound, app behavior, and user interface is to address this specific need.

Fast: Ecco does not download and choose which model to use. It comes with the Whisper Small model - a very well balance size versus accuracy model from the Whisper ASR family. This means that because the model is integrated, the lag that results from the app choosing the model is removed (which can have a speed impact in many cases). This is why the download size is large. It has the model built in and the 1 to 2 second delay of “choosing” a downloaded model is eliminated.

Push to Talk / Push to Record: Unlike other dictation solutions, where users press start and press end to capture audio, Ecco uses Push to Talk, release to transcribe. This behavior makes it less of a mental burden to users - we tend to “rush”, or, the opposite, speak robotically when there is no haptic control.

Private and Offline: Ecco does not store recordings, does not connect to the internet to do its job, and stores all transcription text on device (with a quick delete all button available on screen).

Multilingual: Ecco Supports multilingual dictation out of the box. Refer to the references below on the Whisper ASR Models for the full list. The easiest way to find out is to try out your language yourself.

On Device Microphone: Ecco will always use the on device mic, even when you have bluetooth speakers, headphones, or AirPods connected.

Automation Capable: Power features to work with your existing shortcuts.

Pricing and Cost: On the house, just like sunshine. Yours, free, and no in app purchases. I built it for myself - and giving it away. This is my first iOS app - worked on it a lot. Would love a review in the App Store. Maybe use Ecco to write it up :-). I use this app personally all the time, and add features that I can think of when they come, so this app may update VERY often with new stuff.