Write by talking.
Read by listening.
If typing slows your thoughts down, or long text makes you lose your place, it can help to change direction. Speak a messy first draft and get clean text. Select anything and hear it read.
How it works
- Talk like you talk.Ums, restarts, “eight” for 8. Say it the way it comes out; you don’t have to speak like a robot.
- It cleans up as you go.Fillers drop out, numbers and names come out right, and the punctuation lands where you’d put it.
- It lands where you’re typing.Mail, Slack, your editor, a browser tab: whatever had the cursor gets the finished words.
- To
- Priya Nair
- Subject
- Re: Friday review
You don’t have to say it right the first time.
Say it however it comes out
Ums, restarts and “wait, no” are fine. Fillers and false starts drop out, “scratch that” takes back the last sentence, and a list you say becomes a list. You get the thought, not the stumbles.
Hold fn to talk, or press fn Space to go hands-free while you pace around.
Then hear it back
Select any text and double-tap fn. The words light up in the notch as they’re read, so your eyes have one place to follow.
Raj 9:41
Went through the deck, and the flow works really well up to slide 7. Slide 9 says the same thing as slide 4, so I’d drop it. For 8 and 11, use last quarter’s actuals, not the projections. And can we move pricing before the demo? Shyam wants to end on the demo. Thanks, Raj
you hear
Raj likes the flow. Drop slide 9, use last quarter’s numbers on 8 and 11, and move pricing before the demo.
Or press and hold a line of Raj’s note to select it.
Long text, shorter
A long email or article can be read as just the gist: Brief, Balanced or Detailed. When you want every word, choose Talk-back.
Set a comfortable speed, or tilt the lid to change it on the fly. You can also turn on a light tap on the trackpad for each word.
Fewer things to remember
- Hold fn to talk. Double-tap fn to listen. That’s most of it.
- Knock twice on the palm rest to dictate, or slide the laptop away to hear a selection (both off until you turn them on).
- Right-click any text → Services → Read with Wisper Back.
What it is, and isn’t
Wisper Back is a writing and reading tool. It isn’t a treatment, a diagnosis or a medical device, and it won’t suit everyone. Your Mac also has free, built-in dictation and read-aloud; try those too and keep whatever works for you.
Questions
Does it work in Google Docs and in the browser?
Yes. Dictation types wherever your cursor is, and narration reads anything you can select, in any app.
Can I slow the voice down?
Yes. Set the speed in Settings, or tilt the lid forward while it’s reading to slow it down.
Can it read PDFs?
Yes, if you can select the text. Scanned pages work when Live Text can select the words.
Is it free?
Free to download and free to start. The Free plan has dictation, narration in the standard voice and 30 minutes of meetings a month. Every new account gets a free week of Pro, no card needed. Pro adds unlimited dictation with the best accuracy and hours of natural voices; plans are in the app.
Which Macs does it run on?
Macs with Apple silicon (M1 or later) on macOS 14 or newer. There is no Windows, iPhone or Android app.
Nothing listens
until you hold fn.
Hold it. That’s the only way the mic turns on.
- The microphone opens only while you talk or record a meeting.
- Your history stays on your Mac.
- What you send to be read aloud isn’t kept.
Free to start. Mac with Apple silicon, macOS 14 or later.