Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
To dictate text instead of a voice message in Telegram on a computer, place the cursor in the message input field and use Potok (potok.now): 3 actions, hold the hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default), dictate and release, and the text is ready to send. Transcription through the Telegram API is something else: it converts voice messages already received into text.
Telegram on a computer has versions for Windows and macOS and a web version, and in them the text field works as usual. A voice message can be replaced with dictated text if you do not want to send your voice. This is part of the general collection on how to turn voice into text, see the section on voice messages and their transcription.
How to dictate text instead of a voice message in Telegram
You can replace a voice message with text in Telegram on a computer like this:
- Open a chat in Telegram on a computer (Windows, macOS or in the browser) and place the cursor in the message input field.
- Allow Potok access to the microphone in the system: without this permission dictation will not start.
- Hold Potok's hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default) and dictate the message.
- Release the hotkey: the text appears in the input field, where the cursor was; Potok places punctuation and capital letters by itself and writes numbers as digits.
- Check the text and press “Send” as an ordinary text message: Telegram sends it exactly as text, with no sound recording.
- If the Ctrl+Space hotkey is taken by another program on the computer, you can change it in Potok's settings to any key, combination or side mouse button.
| Service | Platforms | Free | Price | Payment from Russia | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | Free: 2500 words per week; full access for the first 14 days, no card needed | Pro 690 ₽/mo, 499 ₽/mo when paid yearly | Russian bank cards, rubles | cloud, servers in Russia; internet required |
| Diktuy | Windows, macOS | 30 minutes of dictation per month, free forever | 239 ₽/mo (Profi (monthly equivalent when billed yearly)); 2870 ₽/yr (Profi (year, billed in full)); 479 ₽/mo (Max (monthly equivalent when billed yearly)) | rubles directly (not confirmed) | cloud (the data center country is not disclosed on the website) (not confirmed) |
| What is available | |
|---|---|
| Text insertion | yes |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Web |
| Potok | hold the key, speak, release: the text lands in the field under the cursor |
A long message is faster to dictate than to type
A long voice message is inconvenient for the recipient to listen to in a crowded place, while text can simply be read. With Potok dictation goes at about 900 characters per minute against about 200 when typing, so dictating a long message is faster than typing it by hand. Potok's personal dictionary, terms and names, is available in the Pro plan: this is useful if the same names of correspondents or professional words often appear in your messages. Telegram can transcribe other people's voice messages into text through the API; this is for incoming messages, not for what you send yourself. Potok is suitable for dictating your own message on a computer. If you need the opposite, to turn a voice message already received into text, that is a separate topic: transcription of voice messages in Telegram (in Russian).
Who Potok will not help here
Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia; it does not work without the internet. It has no apps for Android and iPhone: if Telegram is open only on a phone, you cannot dictate a message through Potok; you need a computer with Windows, macOS or Linux. Potok has no voice commands, so emoji, formatting, mentions and stickers in Telegram are still added by hand after the text is already inserted.
Frequently asked questions
Transcription through the Telegram API converts voice messages already received into text. Dictating your own message as text is a different task: on a computer Potok solves it by inserting text into the message field where the cursor is.
Not through Potok: it is an app for a computer (Windows, macOS, Linux) and has no versions for Android and iPhone. On iPhone there is a built-in dictation with Russian.
How to dictate text instead of a voice message in Telegram. 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 How to dictate text instead of a voice message in Telegram you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
How to dictate text instead of a voice message in Telegram. 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 How to dictate text instead of a voice message in Telegram you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
How to dictate text instead of a voice message in Telegram. 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 How to dictate text instead of a voice message in Telegram you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
How to dictate text instead of a voice message in Telegram. 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 How to dictate text instead of a voice message in Telegram you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
How to start
Potok is available for Windows, macOS and Linux. For two weeks everything is open for free, after that 2500 words per week without paying. Potok is a cloud service, so it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokExisting recordings are transcribed by Potok's Telegram bot @potok_now_bot: send a file or a YouTube, VK Video, RuTube, Instagram or TikTok link and the text arrives in the chat. The Potok subscription removes the limit in the bot too.
Primary sources: telegram.org · core.telegram.org