Works in any app — WhatsApp, Slack, VS Code, Notes, Terminal, browser, everywhere.

Install

1. Download VoiceType

2. Unzip and move to Applications

3. Open Terminal and run this (one-time, allows the app to open):

xattr -cr /Applications/VoiceType.app

4. Launch VoiceType from Applications

5. Grant permissions when prompted:

It will ask for	Just click
Accessibility	Open Settings → Toggle VoiceType ON
Microphone	Allow
Speech Recognition	Allow
Automation (System Events)	Allow

That's it. You're ready.

Usage

Hold Right Option (⌥) key	Wait 0.5 seconds
Speak	Say whatever you want to type
Release the key	Text appears at your cursor

Right Option (⌥) is the key to the right of your spacebar.

Click the ✻ icon in your menu bar to change the trigger key, hold duration, or turn it off.

FAQ

Where is the app? It's in your menu bar (top-right of your screen). Look for the ✻ icon.

Nothing happens when I hold the key? Make sure Accessibility permission is granted: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → Toggle VoiceType ON.

It records but doesn't paste? Grant Automation permission: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Automation → Allow VoiceType to control System Events.

Can I change the trigger key? Yes. Click ✻ in the menu bar and pick a different key.

Does it send my voice to the internet? No. Everything happens on your device. No accounts, no API keys, no cloud.

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Developer Guide — build from source, architecture, contributing

Build from Source

# Clone
git clone https://github.com/charan7105/VoiceType.git
cd VoiceType

# Install XcodeGen (one-time)
brew install xcodegen

# Generate Xcode project and build
xcodegen generate
xcodebuild -scheme VoiceType -configuration Release build

The built app will be at:

~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData/VoiceType-*/Build/Products/Release/VoiceType.app

Requirements

• macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later
• Xcode 16+ (to build from source)

Architecture

Component	Technology
Key detection	NSEvent global monitor + CGEvent tap
Speech-to-text	Apple Speech framework (on-device)
Text injection	AppleScript → System Events
UI	SwiftUI MenuBarExtra
Recording overlay	NSPanel (floating, non-activating)

Project Structure

Sources/
├── VoiceTypeApp.swift           # App entry, MenuBarExtra
├── AppDelegate.swift            # Lifecycle + service coordination
├── AppState.swift               # Observable state
├── KeyMonitor.swift             # Global key detection
├── SpeechService.swift          # Apple Speech STT
├── TextInjector.swift           # Clipboard + paste
├── MenuBarView.swift            # Menu bar dropdown
└── RecordingOverlayWindow.swift # Floating indicator

Roadmap

• Whisper integration for better accuracy
• Custom keyboard shortcut picker
• Windows support via Tauri
• Multilingual support
• Auto-punctuation

Contributing

PRs welcome. The codebase is ~500 lines of Swift. Fork, make changes, submit a PR.

License

MIT — do whatever you want with it.