Based on Gemma: Google launches new AI dictation app for iPhone
The search giant's smaller AI model runs locally on iOS and Mac, competing with Whisper. However, it requires the cloud for more advanced features.
Google AI Edge Eloquent: It's not a chatbot (shown here on Mac).
While the name might sound a bit cumbersome, Google's latest iOS app, Google AI Edge Eloquent, can be quite useful in everyday life: The free tool allows users to convert speech to text with high quality on iPhone and Mac without a subscription fee. The app utilizes Google's own open-source language model, Gemma, which is based on Google's large Gemini models.
Cleanup runs in the cloud
Beyond dictation, Edge Eloquent offers more: When leaving the offline mode, the app can automatically clean up and format the captured text. “[The app] automatically transforms disorganized speech and stumbles into flalwess text, understanding context to deliver your actual mneaning,” Google writes in its documentation. It's also possible to create a custom dictionary to better recognize the user's vocabulary. All machine learning is performed on the iPhone or Mac, and audio or other personal data are not sent to Google.
However, a quick test revealed that the app requires Google's cloud for a range of features, such as further text polishing. Fortunately, there's a clearly visible cloud switch to control what is sent to the internet and what isn't. Useful: The app automatically removes “uhs” and “ahs” from the transcription and can detect when the user corrects themselves, retaining only the correct version. Gemma is said to be sufficiently fast even on older iPhones – it's recommended from iPhone 15 onwards. Google also promises a "Zero Cost Architecture" with no charges or usage limits for users.
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Competition for OpenAI's Whisper
Initially, Google AI Edge Eloquent is only available as an app, but later versions are expected to offer deeper integration into iOS via a custom keyboard. The exact implementation details remain unclear. With this application, Google is competing with open transcription models like OpenAI's Whisper, which is already integrated into many iOS dictation apps.
There is a significant drawback, however: Unlike Whisper-based applications, the app currently only understands English for dictation. Attempts to use it in German or other languages will fail. Consequently, it is currently only available for download in the US App Store. Another Gemma-based app called Google AI Edge Gallery provides access to other Gemma-4 features, including a chatbot, agentic functions, and image recognition. This app is also available for Android, while Google AI Edge Eloquent is exclusive to Apple devices.
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