Can I use a dictation keyboard in other iPhone apps?

Quick answer — November 1, 2026: Yes. Dictop has a custom keyboard for supported text fields on iPhone and iPad. Enable the keyboard, Full Access and Live Activities, grant Dictop microphone permission, and start a keyboard session in the app. The app records the audio; the keyboard coordinates dictation and insertion. Some apps and secure fields disallow custom keyboards.

Start a keyboard session in Dictop before returning to the app where you want to write. The session makes dictation available while you work in supported text fields.

Set up the keyboard

Add Dictop in iOS keyboard settings and enable Full Access so the keyboard can coordinate with the app. Grant microphone permission to the Dictop app separately: Full Access does not give the keyboard microphone access. Dictop records the audio; the keyboard provides controls and inserts text.

Enable Live Activities for Dictop as well. A keyboard session can run only if its Live Activity starts successfully.

Select and prepare a speech model in Dictop. If you want to use a downloaded on-device model, let it finish downloading before you need it. Cloud processing requires a connection and the applicable credits.

Dictate in another app

1. Open Dictop and start a keyboard session.
2. Return to the app where you want to write.
3. Focus a supported text field and switch to the Dictop keyboard.
4. Use the dictation controls to create and insert your transcript.
5. When you finish, end the session in Dictop or use the Live Activity Stop action.

The microphone remains active during the session for up to one hour, or until you stop it. Each dictated segment has a separate two-minute maximum before it is finalized for processing. Idle audio between segments is discarded.

Is a keyboard session continuous dictation?

A keyboard session keeps recording available while you work in another app. Check the recording controls and mode options in your iPhone or iPad app, and try a short draft to see when a segment starts, stops and is processed.

The Mac recording-mode guide explains Mac controls and silence timing. Use the mobile controls shown in your app for the keyboard workflow; the platforms do not necessarily offer identical options.

Use the Live Activity

The Live Activity shows the session countdown and a Stop action; it does not show your transcript. Ending or dismissing it also stops the session. iOS shows its microphone privacy indicator while recording is active.

Open Dictop manually if you need to address an account, credit, model, permission or recovery issue. The keyboard cannot independently open the app or start the microphone.

If a field does not support the keyboard

Some apps and secure fields block custom keyboards. Use the standalone Dictop app to record and review a note, then copy or share the text where permitted.

The base app supports iOS 17 or later. Keyboard sessions, Live Activities and AI features depend on device and system support, so check availability on the device you intend to use.

See Dictop for iPhone and iPad and read the privacy policy for session, storage and permission details.