What on-device dictation means in Halopen

On-device dictation describes where speech recognition happens. In Halopen, the local recognition route processes the selected recording on an Apple Silicon Mac using a downloaded model. It offers a different processing choice from cloud recognition, which sends audio to a transcription service.

That distinction matters, but it is narrower than saying that the app or the entire writing workflow never uses the network. This guide separates those decisions so you can evaluate a setup on its actual behavior.

Start with a supported Mac and a model

Local recognition requires Apple Silicon and the required model download. Check the transcription and model settings in your installed Halopen version. Allow the download to complete before testing the local mode; a model that has not finished downloading cannot provide local recognition.

The model occupies disk space and recognition uses your Mac’s resources. Loading, transcription timing and battery use depend on the model, hardware, recording and other running software. This page does not establish a download-size promise, a memory benchmark or a universal response time. Intel Macs use cloud recognition.

Test the recognition route

Choose local recognition, open a blank document and dictate a short sentence with fictional details. Read the inserted result. Check the mode and local transcript entry to identify the route used for that take.

Test names, numbers and the vocabulary you use in ordinary work. Compare the complete process with your usual typing workflow, including reviewing and correcting the draft. Do not assume that a longer prompt, a different language or another microphone will produce the same result as your first sentence.

If the intended field does not accept text, try a harmless sentence in Apple Notes and follow the installation guide to check permissions and shortcut setup. Custom controls, secure fields and remote-access environments can behave differently.

Local recognition is one part of privacy

Review the other parts of the workflow independently:

• Account and licensing checks, updates, usage reporting and enabled diagnostics have separate network behavior.
• Optional text context and cleanup have their own controls and processing implications.
• Local transcript history and recovery artifacts may remain on the Mac after a take.
• The destination app may save or sync the inserted text even when recognition was local.

For a note stored in a synced folder, local recognition and document synchronization are separate events. Choosing one does not control the other. The privacy page explains processing, optional context, local storage and deletion controls.

Use the log within its limits

The local log can help recover a transcript and identify supported events. It is not a whole-device network monitor, a record of every request or proof that a diagnostic event reached its destination.

A missing row does not prove that no traffic occurred. A local recording can be recognized while unrelated account, update or diagnostic activity takes place. Read the audit-log guide for what is recorded and how retained artifacts are managed.

Decide whether the complete setup fits

Before using confidential or regulated information, compare the documented processing and retention with your requirements. Local recognition does not, by itself, establish regulatory compliance, a Business Associate Agreement or approval for privileged information. Use fictional text while evaluating a configuration that has not been approved for such material.

Cloud and local recognition are available choices with different requirements. Test the option that fits your Mac and intended work. See plans and pricing for the current trial and paid-access terms, and the mode comparison for a checklist of what to compare.