How Dictivo updates work, and what renewal changes
Reference facts about how the Dictivo desktop app finds, verifies and installs updates, what the included update months cover, and what optional renewal adds.
Applies to: Dictivo 0.3.57 on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows x64. Read from the app's source and the published app by the Dictivo team on 10 November 2026.
Short answer
Dictivo checks downloads.dictivo.app for a new version about five seconds after launch and every 24 hours. It verifies each update before it installs it. A Dictivo Local license includes 12 months of updates. After that, the version you have keeps working, and newer versions install only after an optional renewal. Installs without a Local license, on the free Tiny model or the 14-day trial, keep receiving updates.
What happens after the included updates · How updates are verified
When Dictivo checks for updates
Dictivo looks for a new version on its own. It checks at these times:
- About five seconds after you open the app. When Dictivo starts at login, the first check waits about one minute.
- Every 24 hours while the app runs.
- When you click Check for updates in Settings › Account & Billing.
- If you installed Dictivo with Homebrew, also when you run
brew upgrade --cask dictivo. The app still updates itself.
The check asks downloads.dictivo.app for the latest version. It sends the name and version of the app's update component, and no license key or device id. Dictivo compares the new version with your update window on your device.
If a check fails, for example because you are offline, Dictivo logs it and shows no error. The app keeps working.
How an update installs
Dictivo verifies the signature of each update before it replaces the running app. It does not install an update that fails this check.
When a new version is available to you, Dictivo shows it in the app. Click Install and restart: Dictivo downloads the update, installs it and starts again.
On a Mac, the update installs inside the app. On Windows, Dictivo runs the new installer in passive mode.
To update by hand:
- Open Settings › Account & Billing.
- Click Check for updates.
- If a new version appears, click Install and restart.
On Windows, if you install an update by running its installer yourself, turn Start at login on again in Settings › General. Updates from inside the app keep this setting.
What the 12 months include
A Dictivo Local license includes 12 months of app updates and new local models.
The end date is stored with your license on your device. Settings › Account & Billing shows it as Updates included until.
The update window applies only to a Local license. An install without a Local license, on the free Tiny model or during the 14-day trial, is offered every new version.
What happens when the 12 months end
The version you have keeps working. Your license, the local models you downloaded, your settings and your history stay as they are.
Versions published after your end date are not offered for install. When such a version exists, Dictivo tells you that your update window has ended and offers a renewal.
From 30 days before the end date, Settings › Account & Billing shows a reminder with the date.
Renewal
Renewal is optional. It costs US$24 a year and gives your Local license a new 12-month update window, counted from the day you renew.
You buy it in the app: click Renew updates in Settings › Account & Billing. Checkout opens in your browser. When the purchase completes, Dictivo extends your update window on its own.
The Renew updates button appears only when Dictivo could load the renewal address from app.dictivo.app. If you received a renewal key by email, paste it under Renewal or replacement key and click Activate renewal.
Updates and your network
Update checks and update downloads use downloads.dictivo.app. The renewal address comes from app.dictivo.app.
If your network blocks downloads.dictivo.app, Dictivo keeps working, but it gets no update checks. To update, download the new installer from dictivo.app on a network that allows it, and run it. Speech models then download from huggingface.co instead, or you can import a model file.
All Dictivo docs
Questions
Does Dictivo update itself?
Yes. Dictivo checks for a new version about five seconds after launch and every 24 hours. It verifies each update before it installs it. Click Install and restart to update.
What happens after the 12 months of updates?
The version you have keeps working. Newer versions are not offered until you renew, and Dictivo tells you when one exists. Renewal is optional.
Do I lose anything if I do not renew?
No. Your license, the local models you downloaded, your settings and your history stay. You only stop receiving versions published after your update window ends.
Does the free Tiny model get updates?
Yes. An install without a Local license, on the free Tiny model or during the 14-day trial, is offered every new version. The 12-month update window applies only to a Local license.
Can I turn off update checks?
Dictivo 0.3.57 has no setting for this. If your network blocks downloads.dictivo.app, the checks fail without an error and Dictivo keeps working. You then install new versions by hand.