Google launches offline-first AI dictation app on iOS

On Monday, Google quietly released an offline-first dictation app called Google AI Edge Eloquent on iOS. The new application enters a growing market for AI-powered transcription, positioning itself to compete directly with established dictation tools such as Wispr Flow, SuperWhisper, and Willow. Currently, the app is only available on iOS.

The app uses Gemma-based Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) models for dictation, which users download to start transcribing speech locally on their devices. When a user pauses, the app automatically filters out filler words and self-corrections to polish the text. According to the company’s App Store description, “Google AI Edge Eloquent is an advanced dictation app engineered to bridge the gap between natural speech and professional, ready-to-use text. Unlike standard dictation software that transcribes stumbles and filler words verbatim, Eloquent utilizes AI to capture your intended meaning. It automatically edits out ‘ums,’ ‘uhs,’ and mid-sentence self-corrections, outputting clean, accurate prose”

To format the transcribed text, the app provides several transformation options located below the transcript:

• Key points
• Formal
• Short
• Long

The app distinguishes between local and cloud-based processing. While the core dictation runs locally using Gemma, the app can use cloud-based Gemini models for text cleanup when cloud mode is enabled, offering users a choice between local-only processing and cloud-assisted editing. Additionally, the app can import keywords, names, and jargon from Gmail to help recognize specific terms.

Although the app is currently only available on iOS, Google updated the app store listing on April 7 to remove references to an Android app, which had initially suggested broader platform availability. However, the company noted that an iOS keyboard for the app is coming soon, indicating ongoing development for iOS. If the test is successful, improved transcription features could eventually be seen across Android devices as well.

Why it matters

Google is entering the increasingly popular AI-powered transcription app market with an experimental tool that emphasizes offline-first processing and advanced text cleanup.