Does DanDin work offline? No, and here is what keeps your words safe
The short answer
No. DanDin needs an internet connection, on Mac and on Windows, and there is no offline mode today. But a dropped connection does not cost you your words. While you talk, DanDin sends a long dictation to its servers in pieces, at the natural pauses, so the wait after you stop stays short. When you finish, the text is typed at your cursor all at once, never half of it. DanDin also keeps a copy of the recording on your own computer until the text lands. If the internet goes while you are still talking, the pill says: "No internet right now. Your recording will be saved, and you can send it later". If a dictation fails, nothing is typed and you see one line, like "Couldn't connect. Your dictation is saved." with a Retry button. Press it when you are back online. The same recording goes again, so you never say it twice.
Why does DanDin need the internet?
Because the two steps that turn your voice into text do not run on your computer. The first step hears your voice and writes the words. The second step tidies them: it takes out the "ums" and the false starts and puts in the punctuation. Both live on DanDin's servers.
You do not have to wait for one big upload at the end. A long dictation is sent in pieces while you are still talking, each piece at a natural pause. So when you stop, most of the work is already done. The words still land in one go when you finish. You never get half a dictation typed into your document.
What happens if the connection drops?
Nothing is typed, and your recording stays on your computer. DanDin never fails quietly. It tells you in one short line, and when a second try can help, the line has a Retry button. A quick network blip gets one automatic second try first, so you may never see a message at all.
If the internet goes while you are still talking, you hear about it before you finish. The pill says: "No internet right now. Your recording will be saved, and you can send it later". Nothing you said is thrown away.
| What happened | What DanDin says | Saved? | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| It could not reach DanDin | "Couldn’t connect. Your dictation is saved." | Yes | Check your connection, then press Retry |
| DanDin is busy | "The service is busy. Your dictation is saved." | Yes | Wait a moment, then press Retry |
| It failed for another reason | "Dictation failed. Your dictation is saved." | Yes | Press Retry |
| Your free words for the week ran out | "You used all your free words for this week. Your dictation is saved." | Yes | Press Continue with Pro, or wait for free words. Then send it from the Home screen within 7 days |
| You are signed out | "Sign in to continue. Your dictation is saved." | Yes | Press Sign in, then send it from the Home screen |
| It heard nothing clear | "No clear speech heard. Try again." | No, there were no words to keep | Check the microphone and speak a little closer |
Swipe the table to see every column
Where is my recording kept, and for how long?
In a private folder on your own computer. DanDin keeps the copy until its text has landed, then deletes it. A dictation longer than 20 seconds is written to that folder while you speak. So even a crash or a power cut does not lose it: the next time DanDin opens, it offers Retry.
You can send a waiting recording in two ways. Press Retry on the pill, or open the Home screen of the app, which lists waiting recordings with Retry and Delete. Retry sends the same recording in the language setting you spoke it in, so it comes back the way you meant it. Where the text goes depends on where you press:
- Retry on the pill, on a Mac: the text is pasted into the app you were using.
- Retry on the pill, on Windows: the text is shown for you to copy.
- Retry on the Home screen: the text is copied, and you paste it where you want.
A waiting recording is deleted after 7 days. If the app is closed that day, it goes the next time the app opens. All waiting recordings together take 200 MB at most, and the oldest go first. A waiting recording never leaves your computer, except when it is sent to be turned into text. Only the account that made it can see it. When you sign out yourself, or delete your account in the app, DanDin removes the recordings your account saved on this computer.
How long can one dictation be?
Up to 30 minutes, whatever your connection. At 29 minutes the pill says "One minute left, then DanDin stops and types what you said". At 30 minutes it stops and types what you said. If you have more to say, start a new dictation.
What should I do when I see "Couldn't connect"?
Four steps, in the order that fixes it most often.
- Check that your internet really works. Open any page in a browser. A hotel or cafe network that is waiting for you to log in looks connected but passes nothing, and it gives exactly this message.
- Press Retry. DanDin sends the same recording again, so you do not have to say it twice. Most of these are a moment of bad network, not a broken app. If the message has gone, the recording is waiting on the Home screen.
- On a work network, check whether something blocks DanDin. A company firewall, a strict VPN or a filtering proxy can let every website work while blocking DanDin. You see the same "Couldn't connect" message. If browsing is fine and only dictation fails on a work laptop, that is the likely cause, and your IT team can fix it faster than we can.
- Tell us if it keeps happening. If your internet is fine and dictation still fails, email support@dandin.com and say roughly when it happened. That helps us more than you might think.
Will there be an offline version?
There is no offline mode today, and we are not going to put a date on one. If you need dictation with no signal, on a plane or out in the field, DanDin is the wrong tool right now. We would rather you knew that before you download it.
Does this mean my voice is sent somewhere?
Yes. That is what needing the internet means, and it would be wrong to write this page without saying so. Your voice goes to DanDin's servers to be turned into text. What is kept, for how long, and what you can ask us to delete is answered properly in our privacy policy.
Common questions
Does DanDin work without internet?
No. There is no offline mode today, on Mac or on Windows, and we are not promising a date for one.
What happens to what I said if the connection drops while I am talking?
Nothing is typed, but what you said is not lost. The pill tells you right away: "No internet right now. Your recording will be saved, and you can send it later". DanDin keeps a copy of the recording on your own computer until its text lands. When you are back online, press Retry. The copy is deleted as soon as your text arrives.
How fast does my internet need to be?
We have not measured a minimum, so we will not publish a number. If a dictation keeps failing while everything else on your connection works, tell us at support@dandin.com.
Can DanDin type half a sentence on a weak connection?
No. The text is typed when you finish, all at once, never half a dictation. One case is different by design: if the tidying step fails but the speech was recognised, you get the plain recognised text instead of nothing.
How long can one dictation be?
Up to 30 minutes. At 29 minutes DanDin tells you one minute is left. At 30 it stops and types what you said. That limit has nothing to do with your connection.
Sources
- DanDin: download and requirements, read on
Keep reading
- How to switch between Arabic and English in DanDinYou rarely need to switch: the default mode writes each sentence in its own language. Here is where the setting lives if you want one language only.
- Voice keyboard for PC: hold a key, talk, and the words appearA key on your computer keyboard does what the microphone button does on a phone keyboard, and the text lands in the app in front of you.
- Arabic dictation on Mac, Windows and the web: what actually works