Currently, if an iOS user wishes to have his voice-based dictation turned into text, he has to rely on the Dictation tool. This tool, in turn, relies on Apple’s cloud, requiring the user to be connected to the internet. Many hints in the code of iOS 7 beta versions suggest that Apple may also make the tool available offline on devices.
Reliance on cloud-based processing means that Dictation can be slow or erroneous at times. On the other hand, if the same tool was available offline, it can make voice-to-text conversion far more speedy, accurate and convenient.
Apple hasn’t officially announced any such developments but developers have been able to spot snippets of code in iOS 7 betas, suggesting the possibility of an offline Dictation. Once this option becomes available, it may become incredibly easy for users of iPhone and iPad to dictate emails, notes and text messages on their devices.
Certain inside sources confirm that the offline version of Dictation does indeed exist and is currently being tested out on devices within Apple. It is significant to note here that Google already offers voice-to-text conversion on Android devices and Apple is only trying to catch up to the feature by improving Dictation.
However, the key problem with extending offline support to Dictation is that it would require a rather hefty package to be installed on the device. While installing a heavy software is no issue on a Mac or a PC, it may be somewhat of a problem on an iPad or iPhone – and so, Apple will have to devise a solution before it launches the feature.
Image/News Courtesy: 9to5mac
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