It can dramatically increase productivity, but only if it is reliable voice dictation (i.e. For example, I often spent more time editing than writing when dictating in another language (e.g. Willow changed that for me,’ she said. I am very impressed with this AI keyboard app, which has a really accurate dictation feature and here’s why it makes the difference for me.
Good to know : find out how to make your keyboard bigger on iPhone or iPad.
How Willow Improves the Voice Dictation Game
While voice dictation has been in the past for years, it’s still far from being 100% reliable. Willow tries to challenge the status quo by using AI with its better capabilities of understanding the human voice.
Designed for iPhone (and Mac) this keyboard app lets you speak naturally and it handles transcription and formatting with high precision. Willow also corrects any grammar mistakes and adds the punctuation as you speak, more so than a . Willow is full keyboard app, so you can make minor edits or add something last-minute – something that has been all too useful for me.
Since Willow is context aware, it formats your message accordingly and keeps your voice naturally. Likewise, it keeps track of typos so that you avoid sending messages with misspelled names or any other error.
If you’re not in the mood to write messages from scratch, and as for some of us, it almost always feels like a chore when you can use Willow’s AI rewrite tools. Just write a simple draft, and the app will convert it into clear, well-structured text.
In contrast to most other similar apps, Willow has a privacy-first approach to AI-assisted message writing. The local storage of all transcripts on your device is available, and you can even opt out of the model training entirely.
Tip : learn how to create custom AI storybooks with Gemini. Both kids and adults will enjoy this!
Using Willow for Voice Dictation on iPhone
You’ll need to create an account after downloading and installing Willow to use the app. The app has a free default version of the app that allows you to dictate up to 2,000 words per week, while the unlimited plan is $12 per month.
Once your phone has the app on your smartphone, you will have to activate it once that app is in use. Using the top of Willow, turn on the toggle and open Willow. In this, you can use your device’s microphone to dict the app.
Press Compose, and open an app like Gmail or press Commposing. You will see the screen with a default virtual keyboard, which is your default one. Click on the globe icon at bottom left of the display.
This means the keyboard will now be reverted to the Willow (you may have to tap several times, depending on how many virtual keys you installed) If you have your voice, tap on Speak at the top to start writing your message. It is also possible for Willow to detect the language it hears (it supports 100) and. Speaking in English, Spanish and Romanian I tried speaking with no problem identifying the word.
You can also set the language manually from the app, by going to Profile -> App Language.
My English is a very mild-skinned accent and I have problems with several voice-to-text apps in the past. But Willow transcribed my messages almost perfectly.
My app filled in the blanks very well if I accidentally stutter some words. My even tried singing, and Willow picked up most of the words. It was no absolute error free, but thanks to the full keyboard access I can correct the errors very quickly. Moreover, there is also a Dictionary section where you can add specific terms or names to help Willow understand some words better.
The one thing I noticed is that while Willow supports voice commands like “new line” or “dash”, I found them hard to use in practice. When I spoke very slowly, they seemed to work. So keep that in mind when you’re dictating what is going on with your .
When you keep using the app, note that if I have to see all my transcripts in the application and use some of them again (i.e.
Enhancing transcripts with AI
When your transcript is in Willow, you can use AI to fine-tune your message. If you can dictate, just use a few words and then let AI handle the rest of it.
When the text appears, tap the magic pen icon on the keyboard.
For one of the options at the bottom, choose from Fix grammar, Make formal (***Mase friendly** or User Gen-Z tone).
If you don’t like the first AI generates for you, then use the Refresh button to access another version. If a is found by you, then click on the text to add it in the app.
The communication style can also be adapted by pressing on Personalizaton and selecting a suitable App Preset (e.g *Camson messaging** or **Work messaging***).
A privacy consideration
Since it’s Apple’s iOS architecture, Willow needs constant background audio access to play properly because of its ability to function with proper background sound. Even when the keyboard isn’t working and can lead to battery drain, this may be a case of s who raise privacy concerns.
Willow will have to be turned off after every dictation so you can prevent these issues from happening with s. This isn’t the perfect app, but it does offer some options to make process easier.
One solution is to set a session timeout. You can do this by going to Profile -> Audio Settings.
If you’re a Audio Session Timeout, put your **Separator from here. I’ve set it to 1 minute in my case. You can go as far as 2 hours as , but you can.
Or you can turn Willow off directly from its lock screen widget.
Or you can turn on Willow from the keyboard itself, but it is not disabled from where (opt for the widget instead) if there is an option. They bypass opening the app, ) These options do not.
Apple makes it very easy to switch between virtual keyboards on iPhone, so why don’t we look at more options? Check our third-party keyboard app suggestions for your iPhone.
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