Private dictation for clinicians
Private dictation for clinicians means notes and letters get transcribed and cleaned up on your device, not sent to a server for processing. Parlo runs Apple's on-device speech engine and an on-device language model, keeps history encrypted at rest, and can sync it end-to-end encrypted through your private iCloud. Parlo has not been HIPAA certified.
Clinicians write a note or a letter after nearly every appointment or call, and typing it up afterward is time that could go somewhere else. This guide covers how private dictation with Parlo works for that kind of note, and what it does and does not do around privacy and compliance.
How does private dictation help with clinical notes?
- Dictate a note right after an appointment or call, from the iPhone keyboard or the Mac hotkey, while the details are still fresh.
- Parlo transcribes the note and cleans it up on your device, removing filler sounds and applying spoken formatting commands like "new paragraph."
- The note lands in your feed or Notes window, encrypted at rest, ready to copy into your record system or letter template.
What happens to the recording after you dictate?
Nothing is saved. Parlo captures the audio, transcribes it on your device using Apple's SpeechAnalyzer and SpeechTranscriber, and discards the recording immediately afterward. There is no server in that pipeline and no copy of the audio kept anywhere, on your device or off it.
Where does the finished note go?
| Setting | What it means for a clinical note |
|---|---|
| History sync off, or not signed in with Apple | The note stays only on the device where you dictated it, encrypted at rest |
| History sync on (the default) | The note is encrypted on your device first, then stored as ciphertext in your private iCloud database |
| Deleting a note | Moves to a device-local trash for 30 days, never synced, before it is gone for good |
| Local-only privacy mode | Available as a stricter setting if you never want sync active |
Sync is end-to-end encrypted and on by default. It only runs once your device is signed into iCloud, so turning it off in Settings, or not signing in with Apple, keeps the note on that device. There is no Parlo account and no server of Parlo's holding your content either way.
Is Parlo HIPAA certified?
No. Parlo has not been HIPAA certified. This page is not legal or compliance advice, and it does not tell you whether Parlo fits your practice's specific obligations around protected health information. Processing is on-device, and history sync is end-to-end encrypted through your private iCloud with an off switch in Settings, which is a factual description of how the apps work, not a compliance claim.
Can you turn off sync entirely and still use dictation?
Yes. Signed out of iCloud is a fully functional local-only mode. Dictation, transcription, and cleanup all work the same way whether or not sync is on. Sync only affects whether an encrypted copy of your history goes to your private iCloud.
How does a custom dictionary help with clinical terms?
You add terms and names once in the iPhone app's Settings, under Dictionary. Those terms feed the keyboard's autocorrect, so drug names, diagnoses, or a patient's name you type often stop getting autocorrected. Dictation itself does not read the dictionary.
What if you need to redo a note?
A saved edit in the app keeps the originally dictated words for one level of revert. If a transform or a manual edit goes wrong, you can step back to what you actually said before editing further. Deleted notes are not gone right away either: they sit in a device-local trash for 30 days first.
How does dictation on iPhone differ from dictation on Mac for this use case?
On iPhone, you dictate through the Parlo keyboard: tap the mic in any text field, speak, and swipe back to insert the cleaned note. On Mac, you hold Option, speak, and release, and the note pastes at your cursor in whatever app or record system you were using. Both platforms transcribe and clean up on-device and keep the same encrypted history. Which one fits depends on whether you are between appointments with your phone in hand or at a desk with a record system already open.
What spoken commands help when dictating a clinical note?
Saying "new paragraph" breaks a note into sections as you speak, and "parentheses ... end parentheses" marks an aside, without needing to edit afterward. Both apply through a deterministic pass, so they work whether or not the AI cleanup toggle is on. "Quote" and "end quote," for marking a patient's own words as a direct quote, need the on-device cleanup model turned on.
How does this compare with Apple's built-in dictation for notes?
Apple's dictation types what you say into whatever field you are in, and its own privacy page for Ask Siri and Dictation describes audio and transcripts as being processed on-device or sent to Apple's servers, depending on your device, language, and a setting. Parlo's transcription and cleanup run on-device every time, and Parlo adds a searchable history and a custom dictionary on top, which Apple's pages do not describe as user-facing features of Dictation itself. Neither app publishes an accuracy number, so the honest comparison is to try both on your own clinical vocabulary.
What should you check before relying on this for patient records?
Read your own organization's policy on where clinical notes can be drafted and stored. Confirm whether an unofficial dictation tool fits that policy before you dictate protected health information into it. This guide describes what Parlo's apps do, not what any specific regulation requires of you. It is a beta, so also expect rough edges, and reply to beta@parlokey.com with anything that looks wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Is Parlo HIPAA certified?
No. Parlo has not been HIPAA certified. This page is not legal or compliance advice; check your own obligations before you dictate protected health information.
Does dictating a note send audio anywhere?
No. Audio is captured, transcribed on your device, and discarded right after. Parlo never stores a recording of an appointment or a call.
Is history sync required?
No. Sync is on by default and end-to-end encrypted, but you can turn it off in Settings, or by not signing in with Apple, and notes stay local to the device.
Does Parlo learn drug names and other terms you use often?
No, not for dictation. A custom dictionary in Settings keeps the keyboard's autocorrect from changing drug names and terms once you add them.
What happens if you delete a note by accident?
A deleted note moves to a device-local trash for 30 days before it is gone for good. The trash is never synced.
Is the beta free to try for a clinical practice?
Yes. Both apps are free during the public beta, with no Parlo account required to install either one.