Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
Instead of recording a voice message in imo, you can dictate text right into the chat field. imo works on Windows, macOS and in a browser, and on a computer this typing is handled by the desktop app Potok (potok.now): hold the hotkey, say a phrase, release, and it appears in the input field. The first 14 days have full free access, with no card.
A voice message in imo is a sound recording that the other person then listens to whole, from start to end. It is not always convenient either to send such a thing or to receive it: sometimes it is faster and more appropriate to write ordinary text.
A work chat in imo: how to dictate text instead of a voice message
Work chats where colleagues send voice messages instead of short messages are a common situation: listening to them on a call or in an open-plan office is inconvenient, and typing a long reply by hand takes long. In imo a voice message goes to the chat as an audio recording, which is not text dictation. If you need to reply quickly with text without being distracted by the keyboard, this part of the work can be handed to a separate voice input program: it turns speech into letters right in the open chat field, regardless of what the messenger itself can do. Then voice messages in the chat are left for what really needs to be heard, and not for what you were just too lazy to type.
How to reply with text in imo without typing by hand
Potok does this most simply: it works as a separate desktop app and types text where the cursor is, in any window on the computer.
- Open imo and put the cursor in the message field.
- Hold the Potok hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default).
- Say the whole phrase without releasing the key.
- Release the key: the text appears in the imo input field, ready to send.
It places punctuation and capital letters itself, so you do not need to say “zapyataya” (comma) or “tochka” (period). If the Ctrl+Space shortcut is already taken by something else in imo, you can assign any other key in the settings. Voice input works in a similar way in Telegram.
| 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 |
What Potok does not solve in imo
On a phone Potok has no solution: it has no separate versions for Android and iOS, although imo itself, according to its site, is available on Android, iOS, Windows and Mac, so you cannot dictate text in mobile imo through Potok. Potok also cannot transcribe other people's voice messages already sent to the chat: it recognizes speech only in real time while the hotkey is held, and not finished audio recordings. Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. Other ways to replace voice messages with text in different messengers are collected in a separate section.
Frequently asked questions
No: Potok recognizes speech only in real time while the hotkey is held, and not finished audio files. It cannot turn a voice message already received in imo into text.
How to dictate text instead of a voice message in imo. 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 imo 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 imo. 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 imo 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 imo. 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 imo 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 imo. 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 imo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | primary language | cloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline |
| 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 |