Gmail Voice Dictation

Clear your inbox by speaking your replies.

Hold a key. Speak your thoughts. Keep your flow.

Write where you work

Aqua is a system-wide dictation layer for Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android. On a Mac or Windows PC, hold a key with a Gmail compose window open and speak, and your reply appears in the body, formatted and ready to send. It works the same way in the subject line and the search box.

Gmail

Get the reply out of your head

Thanks for the update. Tuesday at two works for me. Please send the agenda ahead of time so I can bring the right numbers to the discussion.

Illustrative dictation. Review the text before you use it.

How to dictate in Gmail with Aqua

Start in the body of a draft or reply. Aqua puts your words into the field you have focused.

[01]
Download Aqua for Mac or Windows and grant microphone access, plus Accessibility access on macOS.
[02]
Pick your hold-to-talk key in Aqua's settings.
[03]
Open Gmail and hit Compose, or open a thread and click Reply.
[04]
Hold your key and talk through the reply the way you would say it out loud. Release, and it lands in the body formatted.
[05]
Add client names, colleague names, and product terms to your custom dictionary so they come out right the first time.

Tips for dictating in Gmail

Talk through the whole reply before editing. The draft you get from one continuous pass is usually closer to sendable than a stop-start one.
Aqua reads the thread above your reply, so a client email comes out more formal than an internal one without you asking.
Dictate the subject line too. It is a text field like any other.
For anything with a number in it, an invoice, a date, a headcount, read it back before you send. Numbers are where dictation earns a second look.

Does Gmail have built-in voice dictation?

Not on desktop. Google's voice typing is scoped to Docs and Slides; the Gmail compose window has no microphone at all. On your phone you can tap the mic on the keyboard, but that is iOS or Android doing the work rather than Gmail. So the usual desktop options are a Chrome extension, macOS Dictation, or Windows voice typing. Aqua is the same idea done properly: it works in Gmail, and in every other app on the machine, it reads the thread you are replying to so the tone matches, and it keeps names and company terms right through a custom dictionary.

Built for the way you work

97.4% key-term accuracy on AISpeak-10, a SOC 2 Type II audit report, and 49 languages, on Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android. Start free with 1,000 lifetime words. Pro is $8 a month billed annually.

Explore the Product Guides

Aqua refining dictated text in real time

Your words, perfected by AI

Aqua’s model trained on real workflows to understand natural speech, correct grammar, and preserve every word while refining your text in real time.

Dictionary

Custom dictionary

Teach Aqua the words you use most, like names, brands, or technical terms, and watch accuracy improve instantly.

Custom prompting

Writing style, your way

Set your tone and rules. From lowercase Slack messages to structured docs, Aqua adapts to your preferences automatically.

49 Languages

Aqua multilingual speech model globe graphic

Speaks your language

Understands 49 languages with clarity and precision, adapting naturally to how you speak.

Private History

Aqua private transcript history interface

Secure transcript history

Access your past transcripts any time. Turn on Privacy Mode and nothing is stored on our servers at all.

Better Accuracy

Avalon: 97.4%
Whisper Large v3: 65.1%

AISpeak-10 · English technical-term recognition. Method and Results

Our Model in your hands

Avalon scored 97.4% key-term accuracy on AISpeak-10, our English technical-speech benchmark. Learn How Avalon Works.

What Aqua Voice customers say

Used by people at

@0xferruccio

For coding prompting with voice nothing beats @aquavoice All the other transcription apps don't work well with code like tailwind class names

@chiggyAI

just tried out @aquavoice and by far the most accurate voice to text tool i've used!!

@TheNathanRuff

Been using @aquavoice for a few months. Unbelievably better than the other companies that do this

@jamesfong

3 products that have broken into my forever home. And that's not an easy feat for me: @circlebackai, @aquavoice, and @superset_sh

@tzmartin

tbh @aquavoice is a vibe coder's delight.. lowest latency, highest quality STT I've used so far

@juanbuis

this is why @aquavoice is better than all other AI transcription apps it actually writes like you talk

@heyvyner

Mapping @aquavoice to this button on my mouse is a whole different level of productivity.

@nozmen

Aqua Voice: I barely type long prompts now, just talk. Saved ~5 hrs typing in 2 weeks. Much more accurate than macOS dictation.

@gkossakowski

Aqua is a true power tool: quick, reliable and understands your context - they were early at appreciating the value of context engineering.

@jackson_felty

@aquavoice is a prime example of how much better a product can be when the team focuses on making one simple use case incredible

@ArtemR

Aqua Voice @aquavoice is the voice-based text editor I think all of us have always wanted, but no company has been able to deliver so far. The demo is extremely impressive

@jaymehoffman

@aquavoice has saved me over 2 days of typing

@thebuildguy

Unpaid shout out — @aquavoice is probably one of my most used tool that has saved me quite literally a day of time!

@Memetic_Theory

If you're not using @aquavoice you're moving 15% slower than you could

@rickmanelius

Impressed with @aquavoice accuracy in a noisy airport.

@utkusays

just subscribed to aqua voice and wow you guys are cooking, best dictation app i've tried so far

@turboblitzzz

Started using @aquavoice a few weeks ago and now I barely type anything. My housemates want to kick me out because i keep talking to my computer. Life is good.

@curious_vii

Claude Code agents (new CLI view) + Ghostty + @aquavoice is actual calm computing

Frequently asked questions

Does Gmail have built-in voice typing?

Not on desktop. Google's voice typing feature covers Docs and Slides, and the Gmail compose window has no microphone. Mobile uses your phone keyboard's mic, which is the operating system rather than Gmail.

Does Aqua need a Chrome extension?

No. Aqua is a desktop app that types into whatever field has focus, so it works in Gmail in any browser, and in the Gmail app on iPhone and Android.

Will my replies sound formal or casual?

Aqua reads the thread you are replying to and matches it: professional for client correspondence, direct for internal threads.

Does it work on Windows?

Yes. Aqua runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android.

How much does it cost?

Free includes 1,000 words. With annual billing, Pro is $8 per month, Max is $24 per month, and Business is $19 per seat per month with a minimum of 2 seats.