Where does Dictivo send dictation audio?
Dictivo has two separate processing paths. Local mode keeps dictation audio on your device. Cloud Fast is optional and sends only the recording you choose for faster remote transcription.
Short answer
In Local mode, Dictivo does not send your dictation audio to a transcription server. The app processes the recording on the device, then keeps the transcript, local history, dictionary terms, snippets, settings, and local model choices on that device.
In Cloud Fast mode, Dictivo sends the selected recording for faster transcription. Use Cloud Fast only when speed matters more than keeping that recording fully local.
- Local mode is the private default path for sensitive dictation.
- Cloud Fast is separate and optional.
- Switching modes changes the privacy boundary for that recording.
What stays on the device
Local transcripts, dictation history, dictionary terms, snippets, local settings, and installed local models stay on the machine where you use Dictivo. Local dictation does not require a Dictivo account.
This matters for daily working text: names, client details, research notes, prompts, drafts, support replies, medical notes you are allowed to process locally, legal notes you are allowed to process locally, and unfinished thoughts that should not become cloud transcription data by default.
- Use Local mode for private drafts and sensitive notes.
- Delete local history from the app when you do not want to keep past transcripts.
- Keep operating system and device security settings aligned with your own compliance needs.
What can use the network
The app may also use the network for update checks, model downloads, licenses, billing, support and optional Cloud Fast. These product operations are separate from uploading Local recordings for transcription. Usage statistics are off unless you enable them in Settings. Separately from that setting, the app reports content-free facts to app.dictivo.app (api.dictivo.app in versions before 0.3.51): once per install, that the app was first opened and, when it is decided, whether microphone access (and on a Mac, accessibility access) was granted, denied, or produced no audio; and, for the Local trial, two milestones — trial start and the first Local transcript successfully copied or pasted. Reports contain a hashed device identifier, platform, app version, the times of those events and a capability flag; the success report adds its time. Failed deliveries may retry. No report contains audio, transcript text, file names or application names. If you ask for it during setup or under Settings › Account & Billing, Dictivo stores the email address you type, a hashed device identifier, your interface language, platform, app version and your trial's start date on Dictivo's own server (a database whose primary copy is in Western Europe) for one purpose: to send you one email two days before your 14-day Local trial ends. Dictivo deletes the address from its database the moment that email is sent, and at the latest three days after the trial ends if it could not be sent; the email delivery provider keeps its delivery logs for its own retention period. You can withdraw at any time: cancel in the app, use the link in the email, or write to support@dictivo.app. This is based on your consent; withdrawing does not affect what was processed before.
If you need to verify the boundary yourself, run a Local dictation while a network monitor is open, then compare it with a Cloud Fast dictation. The two tests should not look the same.
- Network activity does not automatically mean Local audio was uploaded.
- The key question is whether a Local dictation recording was sent for transcription.
- Unexpected Local mode activity should be reported with the app version, operating system, timestamp, and destination host.
Frequently asked questions
01 Does Dictivo send audio to the cloud?
Only when you use Cloud Fast. Local mode is designed to keep dictation audio on the device.
02 Does Local mode need a Dictivo account?
No. Local dictation does not require a Dictivo account.
03 Are transcripts stored on Dictivo servers?
Local transcripts are kept on the device. Cloud Fast returns the transcript for the recording you chose to process remotely.
04 Which mode should I use for sensitive dictation?
Use Local mode when the recording contains sensitive, private, regulated, or unfinished working text.