Why is iPhone / iPad dictation feature so terrible?

[michaelm101]

I have to use dictation for all texting, because I do not like punching in those tiny keys spending half the day…

It unnecessarily capitalizes words, doesn’t remember words that I use, and more often than not, uses the wrong spelling for the context, etc…

It’s 2024, and I’ve been using Dragon dictation software on my PC since 2005. I can honestly say that the 2005 version of Dragon is better than my 2024 iPhone and iPad.

Can someone please shed some light on this topic?

Thanks very much for your continued support!

 

[Ralston18]

What dictation app is being used?

= = = =

Quality/sensitvity of microphone. (Pro and con - could be picking up and being confused by background noises.)

Quality and depth of supporting dictation code.

Limited storage for "remembering"....

 

[turtletarget111]

Apple has always been behind other companies like Google's Assistant or Amazon's Alexa when compared to a service like Siri and dictation. Apple's justification for this is their focus on making those services more privacy-oriented than competing services, as they supposedly collect and anonymize less data. While it is public knowledge that Google and Amazon consistently record with their smart home devices and send that information to their data centers, Apple provides users with options to disable some of these options. While privacy may partially explain the poor usability, Apple also insists on only updating Siri through iOS updates, while services like Google update theirs much more frequently. There's also information to suggest Siri was built on a shoddy technological foundation to quickly get the service on the iPhone 4S, which may explain why some higher ups at Apple, allegedly, were looking to completely rebuilt Siri from scratch, but some of that information is speculative, to a degree.

 

[michaelm101]

1) What dictation app is being used?

= = = =

Quality/sensitvity of microphone. (Pro and con - could be picking up and being confused by background noises.)

Quality and depth of supporting dictation code.

4) Limited storage for "remembering"....

1) I'm just using the microphone icon on the keyboard...
2) I speak very clearly with no accent.
3) It's inaccurate in a quiet room.
4) Devices have plenty of storage available.

 

[Ralston18]

@michaelm101

That very much leaves the problem (per @turtletarget111) with the device and supporting code.

Consider trying other iPhone/iPad dictation apps.

E.g.:

https://www.makeuseof.com/best-dictation-apps-iphone/

Perhaps the developers were able to address some of the immediation shortcomings with respect to Apple's app.

 

[turtletarget111]

1) I'm just using the microphone icon on the keyboard...
2) I speak very clearly with no accent.
3) It's inaccurate in a quiet room.
4) Devices have plenty of storage available.

I should have left an actual solution for you, my apologies. Like most algorithms, they benefit from more data. I know it's not a timely or quick solution to your problem, but using both Dictation and Siri (because they rely on the same training algorithms) should improve your experience over time. If you can dedicate some time each day to more precisely and slowly deliver your requests or feedback, as you already mentioned you occasionally do, it will benefit the algorithm as you use the service.

Furthermore, if you notice Dictation misinterpreting things you say, you can open Settings, scroll down to Accessibility, and click on Voice Control. Within this setting, you can, for example, open Commands and add custom actions based on what you say. Once under Commands, you can open the Dictation tab and disable different Dictation features that may be acting as resistance when trying to get the output you desire. If, for example, you wanted Dictation confirm whenever it inserts punctuation or a number, you can have it pause and check each time to reduce mistakes.

You can also open Vocabulary to add different words to get the output you want. Additionally, you can head back to Accessibility, open Spoken Content, and under Pronunciations, you can change how your device interprets words you pronounce, to give you the output you want.

 

[gptechman]

trust me.. on my galaxy S21 its way worse then any iphone/ipad/etc.

i also own a SE2020 and it's dictation is somewhat poor but it highly depends on internet
as well as for the galaxy too.