Dictate a message

Before you start

• Dictation is in the computer app on a Mac with macOS 26 or later. Elsewhere the message box has no microphone button. In the iPhone app, use the microphone on the keyboard instead.

Steps

1. Place the cursor

   Select the message box and put the cursor where the words should go. If you haven’t placed it, they go at the end of your message.

2. Select the microphone button

   It’s beside the send button. The first time, macOS asks whether Enjoy can use the microphone. Choose Allow.

3. Speak

   The button widens to show how loud you are and how long you’ve been talking, and your words appear in the message box as you say them.

4. Stop dictating

   Select the button again, or press Enter. The words stay in the message box, so you can edit them before you send.

Good to know

• Your Mac turns speech into text with Apple’s speech recognition. Your voice isn’t sent to Enjoy or to your agent. Only the message you send is.
• Dictation uses the language your Mac is set to. The first time you dictate in a language, macOS may need to download its speech model, and the button shows a spinner until it’s ready.
• To stop and throw away what you just said, press Esc.
• While you dictate, you can’t type in the message box or send. Stop dictating first.

If something goes wrong

“Enjoy can’t use the microphone.”

macOS is blocking Enjoy from using the microphone. Select Open System Settings, turn on Enjoy in the Microphone list, then select the microphone button again.

“No microphone is available.”

Your Mac has no microphone to listen with. Connect a microphone or headset, or choose one in System Settings under Sound, then try again.

“Dictation isn’t available in” your language

Apple’s speech recognition doesn’t support the language your Mac is set to. Type the message instead.