How to check that a dictation app sends nothing over the internet

Disclosure: this guide is published by the makers of AURIS, a dictation app for Mac. The tests below work on any app, ours included, and none of them asks you to trust us.

What “sends nothing” can honestly mean

Many apps say they work “on device”. That can mean very different things: transcription on the computer but usage statistics sent in the background; a local mode next to an online mode; or audio sent to a server for some features only. A useful claim is narrower, and testable: nothing leaves the computer while you dictate.

An app can still have legitimate reasons to connect at other times: activating a license, checking for updates, downloading a speech model. Those connections should be listed by the vendor, triggered by you, and carry none of your words.

Test 1: dictate with Wi-Fi off (2 minutes)

1. Turn Wi-Fi off in Control Center and unplug any Ethernet cable.
2. Open Notes and dictate a few sentences with the app.
3. If text appears, the transcription happened on your Mac.

What it proves: the app can work without a network. What it does not prove: that the app sends nothing once you are back online. Some software stores data and sends it later. The next tests check that.

Test 2: watch the bytes sent in Activity Monitor (5 minutes)

1. Open Activity Monitor (Applications › Utilities) and choose the Network tab.
2. Find the app in the list and note how many bytes it has sent.
3. With Wi-Fi on, dictate ten times, in several apps.
4. Look at the number again. If it has not moved, the app sent nothing during your dictations.

Some apps use helper processes with a different name. Sort the list by bytes sent and watch what changes while you dictate.

Test 3: list open connections in Terminal (5 minutes)

This command lists the network connections of a running app. Replace AppName with the name of its process, as shown in Activity Monitor:

lsof -a -i -n -P -c AppName

Run it while you dictate. No output means the app had no network connection open at that moment. It is a snapshot: repeat it several times, or use a firewall (test 4) to watch continuously. For AURIS, the process is called Auris.

Test 4: a firewall that asks before each connection (20 to 30 minutes)

An outgoing firewall shows every connection an app tries to open and asks whether to allow it. Two well-known options on Mac: LuLu, free and open source (objective-see.org), and Little Snitch, paid (obdev.at).

1. Install the firewall and keep it in the mode that alerts you to new connections.
2. Use the dictation app normally for 20 minutes: dictate in several apps and languages, open each settings tab, leave it idle, then quit it. Some software sends its data when idle or when it quits.
3. Write down every alert that names the app, and what you were doing at the time.
4. Counter-check: trigger something you know connects, such as a manual update check. If the firewall catches it, your setup works.

Reading the results

• No connection during dictation, in every test: strong evidence that your words stay on the computer.
• A connection during dictation: not proof that audio was sent, but a question for the vendor. Ask what it is, what it carries, and whether you can turn it off.
• Connections from macOS itself: an app that relies on the speech recognition built into macOS may lead macOS to download the files for a language the first time. That connection comes from a system process, not from the app. Also check that the Dictation and Siri settings of macOS match what you expect.

Five questions to ask any vendor

1. What is the complete list of connections the app can open?
2. For each one: what triggers it, where does it go, and what does it send?
3. Is there any telemetry, analytics or crash reporting, and can it be turned off?
4. Where is the audio stored on my computer, and when is it deleted?
5. Is there a test I can repeat myself for each new version?

Applied to AURIS

The trust center lists every connection AURIS can open, what triggers it and what it sends, with these same tests. Run them on AURIS as you would on any other app. If you see something we did not list, tell us.

Last updated September 26, 2026. Editorial responsibility: Elio, for DBM Strategy LLC.