Why do I get a Synchronization Error message saying that speech recognition is not available?

When you try to do your first sync of a video deposition in TranscriptPad you will be shown an alert by iPadOS/macOS asking your permission to access Speech Recognition. This alert is saying that TranscriptPad needs access to Speech Recognition to sync the video and audio with the associated transcript. If you want to be able to sync video depositions you have to tap/click OK.

Even though the first part of the alert says that speech data will be sent to Apple, this is incorrect and this text is not something we can edit.

If you instead tap/click on Don’t Allow, and then try to sync a video deposition, you will receive the following alert indicating that TranscriptPad does not have permission to use Speech Recognition:

To sync video depositions you will need to manually change the following Speech Recognition settings:

Additional Troubleshooting

If you receive the error message “Speech recognition is not available for use on this device” make sure that no other speech service is in use. If you make a Siri request while syncing, or use voice dictation in Messages or any other app that accesses the microphone to recognize your speech, this will take priority over TranscriptPad’s syncing and disable it.

Enable Siri

You may need to enable the Siri service on your iPad or Mac device to activate the speech recognition feature.

If the above settings are already enabled, briefly turn off the setting and then turn it back on. This should re-activate the speech recognition feature. The speech recognition feature can take some time to activate therefore allow a few minutes before re-attempting to synchronize your transcript.

Note that by enabling the Siri service, Apple will show an alert stating the Siri service sends information to Apple servers from your device. This is only for processing Siri requests when you use the Siri feature. TranscriptPad only uses the speech recognition feature locally on your device and does not send your data to Apple or any other third party.

Enable Dictation

Changing the dictation settings can also interfere with the availability of the speech recognition service. Turn on dictation by adjusting the following settings.

If the above settings are already enabled, briefly turn off the setting and then turn it back on. This should re-activate the speech recognition feature. The speech recognition feature can some time to activate therefore allow a few minutes before re-attempting to synchronize your transcript.

Reset TranscriptPad

If after adjusting the above settings, you still get an alert that “Speech recognition is not available for use on this device” try quitting all the open apps and restarting the iPad following these directions: https://support.litsoftware.com/how-do-i-quit-all-my-apps-and-restart-my-ipad

If you continue to receive an error alert, or if you are using a Mac, you may need to delete the app and reinstall it from the App Store (you will not be charged again). When you start a sync you will again be presented with the alert asking your permission to access Speech Recognition and you should tap/click on OK.