Dictate into Slack, WhatsApp, and Messages
Parlo dictates into any app with a standard text field, including Slack, WhatsApp, and Messages. Switch to the Parlo keyboard, tap the mic, speak your message, and swipe back to insert the cleaned text where your cursor was. Cleanup and spoken formatting commands both apply, since the keyboard works the same way in every app.
Slack, WhatsApp, and Messages are three of the most common places people dictate short, quick text throughout the day. Since Parlo is a keyboard rather than a feature built into one app, it works the same way across all three. This guide covers the flow and what changes for a fast message versus a longer note.
Why does one keyboard work everywhere?
Parlo is not a Slack feature, a WhatsApp feature, or a Messages feature. It is a keyboard extension you switch to like any other keyboard. iOS treats a keyboard the same way regardless of which app opened the text field. That is why setup happens once, in Settings, rather than separately inside each app you dictate into.
How do you dictate into Slack from iPhone?
- Tap into the message field in Slack, then touch and hold the globe key on the keyboard and choose Parlo.
- Tap the mic key. The Parlo app opens and records while you speak your message.
- Swipe back to Slack. The keyboard inserts the cleaned text into the message field, ready to send.
The same three steps work whether you are replying in a channel, a thread, or a direct message. Slack's message field is a standard text field to the keyboard.
Does it work the same in WhatsApp and Messages?
Yes. WhatsApp and Messages both use standard text fields for composing a message, so the same globe-key switch, mic tap, and swipe-back flow applies without changes. Group chats work the same as one-to-one conversations, since the keyboard inserts into whichever field you left, not into a specific conversation type.
| App | Field type | Steps needed |
|---|---|---|
| Slack | Standard message field | Same 3 steps |
| Standard message field | Same 3 steps | |
| Messages | Standard message field | Same 3 steps |
| Any other app with a text field | Standard | Same 3 steps |
What if Slack, WhatsApp, or Messages ask for their own microphone access?
They do not, for a Parlo dictation. Recording happens inside the Parlo app, not inside Slack, WhatsApp, or Messages, since the keyboard extension cannot access the microphone at all. A microphone prompt from one of those apps is for their own native voice or video feature, not for anything Parlo does.
Does cleanup change a quick message the way it changes a note?
Yes, the same way. Cleanup runs on your device with an on-device language model and removes filler sounds, false starts, and repeated words. It works the same whether you are dictating three words or three sentences. A short "let me know when you are free, um, whenever works" becomes a cleaner message without you editing it by hand after the fact.
Can you add line breaks and paragraphs by voice?
Yes. Say "new line" or "new paragraph" to break up a longer message into blocks, or "parentheses" and "end parentheses" to wrap an aside. Those three commands work even with AI cleanup off, through a deterministic pass. "Quote" and "end quote" also work, but only with AI cleanup on, since the model handles that pair rather than the deterministic one. There is no "bullet" command, so a bulleted list still needs typing if you want one.
How do you fix a name it keeps changing when you type it?
Add the name once to your custom dictionary in the iPhone app, under Settings, Add word. The keyboard's autocorrect then stops trying to change that name whenever you type it, including inside Slack, WhatsApp, or Messages. That is a typing fix specifically. It does not change what a dictation of the same name sounds like to the speech engine.
Does the app you are in ever see your audio?
No. Recording and transcription happen in the Parlo app, not inside Slack, WhatsApp, or Messages. The keyboard extension cannot access the microphone at all, since iOS does not allow it. What reaches Slack, WhatsApp, or Messages is the cleaned text, handed to the keyboard after you swipe back. That is the same as it would be for any other app.
What shows on screen while the app records your message?
A Live Activity shows on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island while the Parlo app records. It gives you a visible sign that recording is underway and ends automatically once your text is ready, before you swipe back to insert it.
Does history from a message dictation show up in the app?
Yes. Every dictation lands in the same feed inside the Parlo app, encrypted at rest on the device. That is true whether it started in Slack, WhatsApp, Messages, or the Parlo app itself. That feed gives you a searchable record of what you dictated even after a message has been sent and scrolled past in the conversation itself.
What if the app switches keyboards on you?
Some apps remember your last used keyboard per text field, and some reset to the system default when you open a new conversation. If Parlo is not the active keyboard, touch and hold the globe key and choose it again. This is a normal part of switching keyboards on iOS, not specific to any one messaging app.
Is this reliable in a beta?
It is a beta. Dictating into Slack, WhatsApp, and Messages works every day for our testers. The same rough edges noted on the beta page apply here as anywhere else in the app. If a specific app behaves differently than this guide describes, reply to beta@parlokey.com with the app name and what happened.
Does this work for voicemail-style messages or only typed replies?
This guide covers dictating into the standard text field used for a typed reply in each app. It is not about a native voice message feature such as a WhatsApp voice note. Parlo produces text, not an audio clip. That suits a written message you would otherwise have typed by hand, one a reader can scan faster than they could listen to a recording.
Does a longer message need anything different from a short one?
No extra steps. The same globe-key switch, mic tap, and swipe back apply whether you dictate one sentence or several paragraphs. Spoken formatting commands and cleanup scale with the length of what you say. A longer message still comes back structured, without you needing to change how you start or finish the dictation.
Frequently asked questions
Does Parlo need Full Access to insert into Slack?
Yes, the same Full Access every app needs. It lets the app hand your dictated text back to the keyboard through a shared container, nothing Slack-specific.
Can I dictate into a Slack thread reply?
Yes. A thread reply is a standard text field like any other, so the same three steps apply.
Does WhatsApp's own voice message button use Parlo?
No. That records a native WhatsApp voice clip. Parlo only inserts text into the field you would otherwise type into.
Do spoken formatting commands work the same in a chat app as in a note?
Yes. New line, new paragraph, and parentheses and end parentheses work everywhere the keyboard runs, chat apps included.
Does the keyboard work in group chats?
Yes. The keyboard does not distinguish between a group chat and a one-to-one conversation. It inserts into whatever text field you left.