Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
ChatGPT has built-in text dictation: the microphone icon in the input field turns on speech recognition, and the resulting text can be edited before sending, as OpenAI's help describes. It is a separate feature from the Voice Mode. You can also dictate text into any field, including ChatGPT, with Potok (potok.now), at about 900 characters per minute by voice.
Voice input in ChatGPT can mean different things: a voice conversation with the model (Voice Mode) or dictation of text into the input field. ChatGPT has a separate built-in dictation; let us see how to turn it on and what can supplement it.
Does ChatGPT have voice input for text
ChatGPT has built-in text dictation: the input field has a microphone icon, and a click or tap on it turns on speech recognition. What you say appears as ordinary editable text in the input field, so you can correct it before sending the message.
This is a separate feature from the ChatGPT Voice Mode; this is how OpenAI's help describes dictation. In the mobile app for iOS and Android it works when microphone access is turned on in the system settings: on iPhone and iPad this is done in Settings, under Privacy & Security → Microphone, where you need to make sure access is turned on for ChatGPT. Details are in OpenAI's help: Voice dictation FAQ.
The ChatGPT text field also accepts ordinary pasting of text, and you can use this if you need a tool other than the built-in microphone for dictation, for example Potok. We look at a similar question, a feature of its own versus a separate voice mode, for Alice too.
| What is available | |
|---|---|
| Built-in dictation | yes: Microphone icon in the input field: a tap/click on it turns on dictation; the speech is recognized and appears as editable text in the input field before sending. Works in the mobile app (iOS/Android) when microphone access is turned on in the system settings; this is a separate feature from the Voice Mode. |
| Text insertion | yes |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Web, iOS, Android |
| Potok | hold the key, speak, release: the text lands in the field under the cursor |
How to dictate in ChatGPT with Potok
- Open ChatGPT in the browser or in the Windows or macOS app and place the cursor in the message input field.
- Hold Potok's hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default) and, without releasing it, say the message.
- Release the key: the recording goes to Potok's servers, and the text appears in the same input field.
- Check the text, fix any recognition inaccuracies if needed, and send the message.
Potok inserts text into the field where the cursor is, so it works for any ChatGPT text field, not only the message line. Punctuation and capital letters are placed automatically, and you do not need to dictate “zapyataya” (comma) or “tochka” (period). Recognition runs in the cloud on Potok's own model trained on Russian speech, including terms and Russian text mixed with English words, which is handy for prompts in two languages. Potok states about 900 characters per minute versus about 200 with ordinary typing. If the default hotkey is inconvenient, you can change it in the settings to a ready combination, your own key or a side mouse button.
Where voice input in ChatGPT with Potok does not fit
If you need to quickly dictate one phrase straight into ChatGPT and install nothing else, the built-in microphone icon in the input field is enough; it is available both in the app and in the browser.
Potok is a cloud service with recognition on servers in Russia; it does not work without the internet. It has no voice commands or voice editing of text: it only inserts the dictated text into the field. It has no offline mode and no phone app: it is a desktop program for Windows, macOS and Linux. Other apps with a similar question are in the section voice input in apps.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. In the ChatGPT mobile app for iOS and Android, dictation works only if the app has microphone access in the system settings. On iPhone and iPad you check this in Settings, under Privacy & Security → Microphone, where ChatGPT must be turned on.
Voice input in ChatGPT. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. Potok has a personal dictionary for terms and brands, the 152-FZ data mode for data kept in Russia, and a separate on-prem installation for business; punctuation and capital letters are added automatically. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Voice input in ChatGPT you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice input in ChatGPT. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. Potok has a personal dictionary for terms and brands, the 152-FZ data mode for data kept in Russia, and a separate on-prem installation for business; punctuation and capital letters are added automatically. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Voice input in ChatGPT you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice input in ChatGPT. Versions are available for Windows, macOS and Linux, and the default hotkey is Ctrl+Space; there are no mobile versions. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. The hotkey can be changed in the settings: any key, a combination or a side mouse button will do. Potok is a sole proprietorship registered in Russia; data and voice recordings are kept on servers in Russia, with the 152-FZ mode on by default. For Voice input in ChatGPT you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice input in ChatGPT. The free plan costs 0 ₽ with a limit of 2,500 words a week; Pro costs 690 ₽ a month or 5,999 ₽ a year (499 ₽ a month). Here is how Potok works: hold the hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default), speak, release — and the finished text is inserted into the active field of any app. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Voice input in ChatGPT you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Check it in one evening
Install Potok, dictate what you usually type and compare. 14 days of full access, no card needed. Potok is a cloud service, so it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokThe Potok subscription also includes the Telegram bot @potok_now_bot: forward it a voice message or a long meeting recording and it returns the text. Without a subscription the bot gives 60 minutes per month for free.
Built-in dictation and Potok
| Tool | Where it works | Russian language | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|
| macOS Dictation | macOS | yes | on the device or on Apple servers |
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | primary language | cloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline |
Primary sources: chatgpt.com · help.openai.com