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Apple Intelligence and Mac dictation: what improves, and on which Macs

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Apple Intelligence makes Mac Dictation more accurate on some Macs, not all. Apple says a new on-device model does it on Mac models with M3 or later and at least 12 GB of unified memory, and marks the feature as available in English.

Apple Intelligence's other writing help, such as Writing Tools, works on your words after they are typed.

YapToText, the free app I built because my hands make typing difficult, listens with Whisper on your Mac, so Apple's new model never touches it. Apple Intelligence is an optional cleanup choice in YapToText on macOS 26 and later, and the default cleanup model works without it.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreDownload for free. No account, nothing locked, macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon. Source on GitHub.

On this page: 8 sections
  1. What Apple Intelligence changes in Dictation
  2. Check which Macs and macOS versions it needs
  3. Get the new Dictation model on a Mac that qualifies
    1. Step 1: Check the chip
    2. Step 2: Update to macOS 27 Golden Gate
    3. Step 3: Turn on Dictation and talk
  4. Proofread dictated text with Writing Tools
  5. Use Apple Intelligence as YapToText's cleanup model
    1. Switch the cleanup model
  6. What it cannot do
  7. The short version
  8. Questions

What Apple Intelligence changes in Dictation

Apple lists one change to Dictation itself, plus a few writing features that work on text once it is on the screen. Only one Apple Intelligence feature changes how Dictation hears you.

  • A more accurate Dictation model. Apple's Apple Intelligence page lists "Improved accuracy in Dictation" from a new on-device model, part of what it calls the next generation of Apple Intelligence, which arrives with macOS 27 Golden Gate. The catch: its footnote names Mac models with M3 and later and at least 12 GB of unified memory, and the feature is marked as available in English.
  • Proofreading after the words land. Writing Tools can proofread, rewrite or summarize text you select. With macOS 27, Apple adds automatic proofreading, which it says checks your grammar and spelling as you type, in almost any app.
  • Writing from a description. Siri AI, in beta and rolling out in English, can draft text from a description or give feedback on what you wrote. That is Siri writing for you, a different job from Dictation typing what you say.

Apple's Dictation guide for macOS 27 Golden Gate fills in the rest. None of its steps involve Apple Intelligence, and it says Dictation stops automatically when it hears no speech for 30 seconds, a stop the page on the 30-second limit explains.

Check which Macs and macOS versions it needs

Apple sets the requirements feature by feature, so a Mac that runs Writing Tools can still miss the new Dictation model. Here they are next to YapToText's.

Checked October 3, 2026, on Apple's Apple Intelligence page and its support article on getting it. Requirements change, so check before you buy a Mac for this.

WhatWhich MacsWhich macOSLanguages
Next-generation Apple IntelligenceMac with M1 or later, and MacBook Neo (A18 Pro)macOS 27 Golden Gate16, with the device and Siri language matching
The more accurate Dictation modelM3 or later, with at least 12 GB of unified memorymacOS 27 Golden GateEnglish
Writing ToolsApple Intelligence MacsmacOS Tahoe 26 and laterApple Intelligence languages
YapToText with its own modelsApple siliconmacOS 14 or laterSpeech in 29 languages, plus auto-detect
YapToText with Apple Intelligence cleanupApple silicon, with Apple Intelligence availablemacOS 26 and laterSpeech in 29 languages, plus auto-detect

Apple's support article adds two more conditions. Apple Intelligence can take up to 8 GB of storage, or up to 14 GB on Mac models with M3 and later and at least 12 GB of memory. And it does not currently work on devices bought in China mainland. An M1 or M2 Mac, or one with less than 12 GB of memory, can get Writing Tools but not the new Dictation model.

The AI Models page in YapToText: Whisper Large v3 Turbo (Q5) and Phi-3.5 Mini Instruct marked Included, model library below.
Figure 1. YapToText's two default models sit at the top of the AI Models page, and neither one needs Apple Intelligence.

Get the new Dictation model on a Mac that qualifies

Apple says the next generation of Apple Intelligence becomes available on its own once an eligible Mac updates, in supported languages and regions. Check the chip, update, then dictate in English.

Step 1: Check the chip

  • You: Choose Apple menu, About This Mac.
  • macOS: Opens a window that, on a Mac with Apple silicon, shows an item labeled Chip with the chip's name.
  • Check: The chip is M3 or later. Apple's footnote also asks for at least 12 GB of unified memory.

Step 2: Update to macOS 27 Golden Gate

  • You: Choose Apple menu, System Settings, click General, then Software Update.
  • macOS: Shows only updates your Mac can use, and installs the one you choose.
  • Check: About This Mac names macOS 27, and your device language and Siri language are set to the same supported language.

Step 3: Turn on Dictation and talk

  • You: In System Settings, click Keyboard, go to Dictation, turn it on and click Enable. Then press your Dictation shortcut and talk in English.
  • macOS: Highlights and pulses the cursor, or plays a tone, when it is ready for you.
  • Check: The words appear as you speak, and the text under Dictation in Keyboard settings says whether your voice is processed on your Mac.

The guide to using Dictation on a Mac covers the shortcut and languages, and the guide to choosing a microphone for dictation helps when Dictation cannot hear you well.

Proofread dictated text with Writing Tools

Writing Tools works on text that is already on the screen, so it pairs with any dictation, Apple's or an app's. Apple says it works in most places you write, third-party apps and websites included.

  • You: Select the dictated text, Control-click it, choose Writing Tools, then Show Writing Tools.
  • macOS: Offers Proofread, Rewrite with a Friendly, Professional or Concise tone, Summarize, Key Points, and Describe a change.
  • Check: Read the result before you click Done. Apple's own macOS Tahoe guide warns that Apple Intelligence output may be inaccurate.

Apple says many Apple Intelligence tasks run entirely on your Mac, and more complex requests can go to Private Cloud Compute, larger models on Apple's servers that Apple says do not keep your data.

To see what went there, open System Settings, Privacy & Security, and export an Apple Intelligence Report. Apple also notes that usage limits may apply. Writing Tools is a second pair of eyes, not a second pair of ears.

Use Apple Intelligence as YapToText's cleanup model

YapToText splits the work into two jobs. Whisper Large v3 Turbo (Q5), 574 MB, turns your voice into words. Phi-3.5 Mini Instruct, shown as 2.3 GB, turns those words into finished text when a mode asks for it. Both ship inside the App Store build and run on your Mac.

On macOS 26 and later, if Apple Intelligence is available on your Mac, it can take the cleanup job instead. It is not the default, and before macOS 26 the choice is hidden. If Apple Intelligence is off on macOS Tahoe, Apple's guide says to turn it on in System Settings, Apple Intelligence & Siri.

Whisper keeps doing all the listening, because it is the only speech engine in the app. Apple Intelligence can tidy your words in YapToText, but it never hears you.

Switch the cleanup model

  • You: Open the AI Models page and, in the Cleanup Model Library, click the circle at the start of the Apple Intelligence row.
  • YapToText: Uses Apple's on-device model for cleanup from your next dictation, as long as Apple Intelligence is ready. Raw Transcription still never touches a cleanup model.
  • Check: Dictate a sentence in Clean Up; with Auto mode on, the default, press 3 while you talk. Then find it in History, open Show pipeline details, and read the Cleanup model line. Apple Intelligence means the switch took. Phi-3.5 Mini Instruct means Apple Intelligence is not ready on this Mac, so the app used Phi instead.
YapToText's Switch Mode list: Auto, Raw Transcription, Clean Up, Note, Email, Message and Code Comment, numbered 1 to 7.
Figure 2. Every mode tagged AI cleanup uses the cleanup model you picked, and Raw Transcription, tagged Verbatim, uses none.

A few things to know before you switch:

  • It stays on your Mac. The app's privacy policy on GitHub says cleanup runs on device, through Apple Intelligence or a local model, and your text is never sent to any server for processing. Apple says apps built on its Foundation Models framework, as this one is, use the on-device models and work offline.
  • The guards stay on. Whichever model cleans up, the app throws away output that reads like an assistant's reply, grows well past what you said, or adds an ellipsis you never said, and types your raw transcript instead.
  • Phi is my default on purpose. The app's own catalog line says Phi-3.5 Mini follows rewrite instructions far more reliably than Apple Intelligence, and I made it the default so the app is fully self-contained, with no Apple Intelligence dependency.
  • You can try it in one place first. Each mode's editor has its own Cleanup model, and Quick Edit can use a different model for edits.
A YapToText History entry with pipeline details open: raw transcript, cleaned transcript, mode, delivery, target app and timings.
Figure 3. Pipeline details put the raw transcript above the cleaned text and name the cleanup model, so you can see what the model changed.

YapToText is free on the Mac App Store. The AI models guide covers the whole library, and the section on turning the AI down or off covers Raw Transcription and the master switch.

What it cannot do

  • Apple's new Dictation model. Only on Mac models with M3 or later and at least 12 GB of unified memory, and marked as available in English.
  • Apple Intelligence everywhere. Apple says it is not available in all languages or regions, that some server-based features have daily usage limits, and that it does not currently work on devices bought in China mainland.
  • YapToText's Apple Intelligence choice. Hidden before macOS 26. From macOS 26 the row is always listed, with a line under it saying whether Apple Intelligence is ready, and when it is not, cleanup falls back to Phi-3.5 Mini. It cleans up; it never transcribes.
  • YapToText itself. It needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later, and nothing is claimed for Intel Macs. Auto-stop after silence is off by default, and one live dictation ends at a 30-minute safety stop, still transcribed and saved.

Apple's Dictation change is narrow: one model, newer Macs, English.

The short version

  • The new Dictation model. M3 or later with 12 GB of memory, macOS 27 Golden Gate, English.
  • Writing Tools. Proofreads and rewrites dictated text after it lands, on Macs with Apple Intelligence.
  • YapToText. Whisper hears you and Phi-3.5 Mini tidies the words, both on your Mac, from macOS 14. Apple Intelligence can take the cleanup job on macOS 26 and later.

Apple Intelligence polishes words after they land, and only newer Macs get a Dictation model that hears you better. If something here does not match what you see on your Mac, tell me on GitHub. Every issue gets read.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreDownload for free. No account, nothing locked, macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon. Source on GitHub.

About the author. Ryleigh Newman is a developer whose hands make typing difficult and who dictates every day with YapToText, the app this site describes. Facts about other apps come from their own sites, with the date they were read. More about the project.

Sources

Questions

Does Apple Intelligence improve dictation?

Yes, on some Macs. Apple says a new on-device model makes Dictation more accurate on Mac models with M3 or later and at least 12 GB of unified memory, and marks the feature as available in English. It comes with the next generation of Apple Intelligence in macOS 27 Golden Gate.

Does Apple Intelligence work with dictation on Mac?

Yes. Writing Tools can proofread or rewrite any text you select, dictated text included, on Macs with Apple Intelligence. Select the text, Control-click it, choose Writing Tools, then Show Writing Tools.

Which Macs support Apple Intelligence?

Macs with M1 or later, plus MacBook Neo with the A18 Pro, for Apple Intelligence in macOS 27, with the device language and Siri language set to the same supported language. The more accurate Dictation model needs M3 or later and at least 12 GB of unified memory.

Do I need Apple Intelligence for dictation on Mac?

No. You turn Dictation on in System Settings, Keyboard, and none of Apple's Dictation steps involve Apple Intelligence. Apple Intelligence adds a more accurate model on M3 or later Macs with at least 12 GB of memory.

Does YapToText use Apple Intelligence?

No, not by default. On macOS 26 and later, with Apple Intelligence available, you can choose it for the cleanup job. The default cleanup model is Phi-3.5 Mini Instruct, and Whisper does all the listening, both on your Mac.