Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
The system tray is the notification area on the Windows taskbar, where icons of programs running in the background are shown. The icon of a voice input app is usually there too. Potok (potok.now) also has a menu in this icon, for example, where you choose the microphone if there are several on the computer.
Many running programs have icons in the right corner of the taskbar next to the clock. Let us go through what this place is and why the icon of a voice input app is often there.
What the system tray means
The system tray is the notification area on the Windows taskbar, where icons of programs running in the background are shown. In Microsoft's official documentation this place is called the “notification area”: according to Microsoft's description, it provides a temporary source of notifications and status and is historically known as the system tray or the status area. A program minimized to the tray is not closed and does not take a place among the open windows on the taskbar: it keeps working in the background, and its icon stays in this narrow strip next to the clock. Voice input programs usually have such an icon as well: they keep it in the tray, not among the open windows, while they work in the background.
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| System tray | the notification area on the Windows taskbar where background app icons are placed | the icon of a dictation app is usually in the system tray |
| Voice Access | a Windows 11 accessibility feature for controlling the computer and dictating text by voice, working locally on the device | unlike voice input (Win+H), Voice Access works without the internet |
| Speech framework (Apple) | an Apple programming interface that third-party apps can use for speech recognition on Apple devices | apps for Mac and iPhone may use the Speech framework instead of their own recognition system |
| Keyboard input simulation | a way of inserting text in which the program imitates key presses instead of copying through the clipboard | input simulation is useful where pasting from the clipboard is forbidden or unavailable |
An example from dictation
An example: the icon of a dictation app is usually in the system tray, not among the open windows on the taskbar. This makes it easier to keep the program at hand without being distracted by an extra window. Potok (potok.now) has its own menu in the tray icon, for example, where you choose the microphone if there are several on the computer. Similar system terms are covered in the section on speech recognition terms, and a specific example of a built-in OS feature is in the article about Windows 11 Voice Access (in Russian).
How this concerns Potok, and where it does not
The system tray is part of the operating system, not of Potok itself: Potok only places its icon there, like any other background program. Potok is a cloud service: recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet.
Frequently asked questions
No. A program minimized to the tray is not closed but keeps running in the background: it just has no window on the taskbar.
What is the system tray. 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 What is the system tray you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
What is the system tray. 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 What is the system tray you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
What is the system tray. 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 What is the system tray you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
What is the system tray. 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 What is the system tray you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Try it on your own texts
Download Potok for Windows, macOS or Linux: full access for the first 14 days, no card needed. After that, 2500 words per week for free or Pro for 690 ₽ per month. Potok is a cloud service, so it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokOne subscription, two tools: dictation in any program on your computer and @potok_now_bot in Telegram, which transcribes voice messages, audio and video.
Built-in dictation and Potok
| Tool | Where it works | Russian language | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows voice typing (Win+H) | Windows 10 and 11 | Windows 11 only | Microsoft cloud, does not work offline |
| 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: learn.microsoft.com · support.microsoft.com