Apple Intelligence transcription instruments being demonstrated by Apple — picture credit score: Apple
Newly launched to builders, Apple Intelligence’s transcription instruments are quick, correct, and usually double the pace of OpenAI’s longstanding equal.
This may very well be one other instance of Apple coming into a market late however doing it finest. Since OpenAI launched its Whisper transcription know-how in September 2022, it has turn into the usual mannequin in dozens of apps — however now could not keep that method.
For throughout WWDC 2025, Apple introduced that it was opening up its Apple Intelligence instruments to third-party builders. Whereas Apple barely gave any particulars, and positively didn’t promote its transcription instruments, builders at the moment are discovering what services it brings.
MacStories author John Voorhees and his son spent a reported ten minutes or so, establishing a fast software to make use of Apple’s transcription know-how on the Mac. Particularly, they used components of Apple’s Speech framework known as SpeechAnalyzer and SpeechTranscriber, which have been launched to builders part of Apple’s macOS Tahoe and iOS 26 betas.
This fast software, a command-line one they name Yap, is on the market to obtain from Github. It requires an Apple developer account and macOS Tahoe.
AI transcription instruments rely mainly on the LLM getting used, so comparisons will not be at all times easy. Nevertheless, pitching Apple Intelligence towards MacWhisper’s Massive V3 Turbo mannequin confirmed a dramatic distinction.
Apple’s Speech framework instruments have been constantly simply over twice the pace of that Whisper-based app.
A take a look at 4K 7GB video file was learn and transcribed into subtitles by Apple Intelligence in 45 seconds. It took MacWhisper with the Massive V3 Turbo LLM at whole of 1 minute and 41 seconds.
Then the MacWhisper Massive C2 mannequin took 3 minutes and 55 seconds to do the identical job.
None of those transcriptions have been excellent, and all required modifying. However the Apple Intelligence model was as correct because the Whisper-based instruments, and twice as quick.
In addition to releasing these Apple Intelligence instruments to builders, Apple has printed movies with particulars of how one can implement the know-how.
The corporate has additionally, in fact, leveraged the identical know-how throughout its beta releases of macOS 26, iOS 26, and extra. It is the know-how that drives its reside translation in Messages and cellphone calls.
