Blueshift Rolls Out Offline Transcription App For iOS 13.2

Blueshift Development has released a dictation app that taps into Apple’s latest operating system – iOS 13.2 – for iPhones and iPads, 9to5Mac reported on Thursday (Nov. 7).

With Apple’s latest software upgrade and enhanced speech recognition APIs, third-party developers like Blueshift can use machine learning live on the device. Typically, transcription services send the audio to a cloud server for processing. The Blueshift app Dictation works even when the device is offline. With on-device transcription, there is no need for an internet connection. It also offers more privacy, as the audio never leaves the user’s device.

Dictation by Blueshift can transcribe audio in 13 languages and dialects and allows users to create bookmarks with timestamps. Users can also trim and export the audio or text even after the audio is transcribed.

A free one-week trial is available in the App Store, and is compatible with iPhones and iPads running iOS 13 or later. The regular subscription price is $20 annually.

Blueshift Development was founded by Matt Waller, a former newspaper reporter who recognized the need for a better transcription solution. Since entering the software field, he has developed numerous products, including the backend services for FDA drug trial data management.

In other iPhone news, Apple is assembling suppliers to launch the company’s first 5G iPhones. The three new iPhone models will be powered by a Qualcomm 5G modem chip. Sales of iPhones account for about 50 percent of Apple’s earnings.

Apple reportedly intends to distribute a minimum of 80 million of the new 5G phones. Its major competitors, Samsung and Huawei, have already launched 5G phones, as have smaller competitors Oppo and Xiaomi.

5G technology is essential to the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), making remote surgery, self-driving cars and other advancements feasible.

Apple’s support of the technology is expected to push global carriers like AT&T and Verizon to speed up their rollout of 5G infrastructure. China has already been building out 5G capabilities around the country.