AI Polish Settings
AI Polish is TalkWriter's automatic text cleanup feature. It takes your raw dictation and refines it — adding punctuation, fixing grammar, removing filler words, and formatting for readability.
What AI Polish Does
| Cleanup | Description |
|---|---|
| Adds punctuation | Periods, commas, question marks inserted where appropriate |
| Corrects grammar | Subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, and more |
| Removes filler words | "um", "uh", "like", "you know" stripped out |
| Formats text | Proper capitalization at sentence starts |
Before & After Comparison
| Without AI Polish | With AI Polish |
|---|---|
| so um i was thinking we should probably uh move the meeting to next tuesday because you know the client wont be available this week | I was thinking we should move the meeting to next Tuesday because the client won't be available this week. |
The meaning stays the same. AI Polish only cleans up delivery, not content.
Enabling or Disabling AI Polish
- Open Settings (Cmd + ,)
- Navigate to Speech & Language
- Toggle AI Polish on or off
The change takes effect immediately on your next dictation.
AI Polish processes text on TalkWriter's backend servers. An internet connection is required. If you are offline, dictation still works but text is unpolished.
When to Turn AI Polish OFF
| Scenario | Why |
|---|---|
| Verbatim transcription | You need exactly what was spoken, including filler words |
| Creative writing | You want to preserve your natural voice and rhythm |
| Dictating code | Technical content may be altered incorrectly |
| Speed-sensitive workflows | Eliminates the brief processing delay |
If you mostly want AI Polish but occasionally need raw output, keep it enabled and use Cmd + Z (undo) immediately after dictation to revert to the unpolished text.
Performance Impact
- Latency: Typically 200-500ms of additional processing
- Network: Requires a round trip to TalkWriter's servers
- Battery: Minimal impact since processing happens server-side
For most users, the delay is imperceptible.
AI Polish and Plan Limits
AI Polish processing counts toward your word usage on the Free plan (2,000 words/week). The count is based on the final polished output, not the raw dictation.
On Pro ($9.99/mo) and Enterprise ($29/mo), there is no word limit.
FAQ
Does AI Polish change the meaning of my text? No. It only cleans up grammar, punctuation, and filler words. Content and meaning are preserved.
Can I customize what AI Polish does? Currently it is an all-or-nothing toggle. Granular controls (like keeping filler words but adding punctuation) are planned for a future release.
Does AI Polish work with all languages? Yes. It adjusts to the language you are dictating in. Quality is highest for English and major supported languages.
Is my text stored on the server during processing? Text is sent for processing and returned immediately. It is not stored on the server afterward. See Data Retention for details.