Welcome to Aura

Speak your
next message.

Dictate messages, emails, and notes on your Mac. Insert text where supported, or copy and paste it into the app you’re using.

See how Aura works

Mac beta in development

Aura’s native dictation display with a teal waveform and a sample transcript
Your words, as you speak.Native interface preview with sample speech.

For the things you write every day

Have something to say?

A quick reply.

Say the message you want to write. Use insertion in a supported app, or copy it over.

An email draft.

Talk through what you want to say. Use the text as a starting point, then review before sending.

A thought worth keeping.

Dictate a note while it’s on your mind. Keep the words for whatever comes next.

How Aura works

From voice to usable text.

Start with a shortcut. Choose optional refinement and how your text is delivered.

Shortcut activation

Start with your voice.

Use your shortcut to dictate. See your words appear as you speak, then finish to begin processing and delivery.

Activation modesFeature guide

Hold to Talk Hold your configured shortcut while speaking. Release it to finish. Hands-Free Press the shortcut to start. Press it again to finish.

Choose your activation mode in Aura’s Settings.

Mac beta feature guide. Interface preview uses sample speech.

Requirements and current beta

Optional refinement

Requires macOS 26 and an available Apple Intelligence model. Refinement can leave text unchanged. When it is off or unavailable, Aura delivers recognized text without semantic refinement.

Insertion and copying

Insertion requires Accessibility permission and a suitable text field that remains focused. Results depend on the receiving app; recovery can offer copy or retry. Copy instead of insert sends finished text to the clipboard.

App compatibility

Aura is in beta. Insertion support varies by app; copy and paste provides an alternative.

Keep it your own

Your words.
Your preferences.

Leave refinement off to keep recognized text. Enable it for optional wording and punctuation improvements when available.

For recurring corrections, review saved captures and approve what Aura uses in future dictation. You can forget an approved correction later.

Made by Hector Apodaca

Why I’m building Aura.

I’m building Aura for the moment when you know what you want to say, but still have to type it all out. The goal is to make speaking a practical way to write in the apps you already use.

I want the experience to feel clear from start to finish: see the words as you speak, choose whether Aura refines them, and decide whether the result is inserted or copied. Your thought should stay yours.

Behind the product

Explore the work
behind Aura.

See how I approach practical problems through operations, design, and independent app development.

See Hector’s work