What does Dev mode do?

It changes the push-to-talk key from hold-only to tap-or-hold. A quick tap types the key's character (backtick on US keyboards, § on European ones), and holding the key past about a fifth of a second starts dictation. Release to paste. It is a single toggle in Settings, off by default.

Why can't I type the backtick while Parakeety is running?

Parakeety registers that key as a global shortcut, so macOS routes the press to Parakeety instead of the app you are typing in. That is what makes push-to-talk work from anywhere, but it also means a bare press of the key never reaches your editor. Dev mode is how you get it back: with Dev mode on, a tap types the character and only a hold triggers dictation.

Does Dev mode slow down dictation?

Barely. Dictation starts once you have held the key for about a fifth of a second, which is shorter than a deliberate press already takes. If you hold the key to talk the way push-to-talk expects, you will not notice the threshold. Tapping and releasing quickly is what types the character instead.

Can I still type a tilde?

Yes. Shift plus the key, the tilde on US layouts, was never captured by Parakeety, with Dev mode on or off, so it always types normally. Dev mode only affects a bare press of the key on its own.

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Dev mode: keep typing the backtick key while you dictate

Short answer: Parakeety's push-to-talk key is the one below Esc, § on ISO keyboards and the backtick on ANSI ones, and while the app runs it holds that key so it can listen for it anywhere. That is a problem if you also type that character, which anyone writing code or Markdown does all day. Dev mode fixes it. Turn it on in Parakeety's Settings and the key does both jobs: a quick tap types the character as normal, and a hold past a short beat starts dictation. It is off by default, so push-to-talk works the moment you install.

Why the key gets held in the first place

Push-to-talk has to work from inside any app: your editor, a browser, a chat window. The way an app reaches across that boundary on macOS is a global shortcut. Parakeety registers the key below Esc as one, so the moment you press it, the system hands the press to Parakeety rather than to whatever you were typing in. That is exactly what you want for dictation, and it is also why a bare press of that key never lands in your text. The character is intercepted before it gets there.

For most people that key is dead weight they never miss. For engineers it is the opposite. The backtick wraps inline code and fences code blocks in Markdown, and § sits under the same finger on European keyboards. Reserving it full-time is the one place push-to-talk steps on a working programmer's toes.

What Dev mode changes

Dev mode keeps the same key but splits its behavior by how long you press it:

Tap it. Press and release quickly and the character types, exactly as it would with Parakeety closed. A backtick on US keyboards, § on European ones.
Hold it. Keep the key down past about a fifth of a second and Parakeety starts recording. Talk, release, and the transcript pastes at the cursor, the same push-to-talk you already know.
Shift plus the key is untouched. The tilde on US layouts was never captured, on or off, so it keeps typing normally.

The threshold is short enough that a deliberate hold-to-talk press never trips it, and long enough that an ordinary keystroke never gets mistaken for dictation. In practice the two gestures stop feeling like a choice within a minute of use.

Turning it on

Open Parakeety's menu bar icon, choose Settings, and flip the Dev mode toggle. There is nothing else to configure: the key stays the one below Esc, and the change takes effect immediately. Turn it back off any time and the key returns to plain push-to-talk.

Who should leave it off

If you never reach for the backtick or § key, leave Dev mode off. Default push-to-talk is the simpler model, hold to talk, release to paste, with no threshold to think about, and it is unchanged by this release. Dev mode exists for the people who live in code and Markdown. The wider picture for that crowd is in Parakeety for engineers and developers, with the editor-specific workflows in Dictating into VS Code and Dictating into Cursor.

FAQ

What does Dev mode do?: It changes the push-to-talk key from hold-only to tap-or-hold. A quick tap types the key's character (backtick on US keyboards, § on European ones), and holding the key past about a fifth of a second starts dictation. Release to paste. It is a single toggle in Settings, off by default.
Why can't I type the backtick while Parakeety is running?: Parakeety registers that key as a global shortcut, so macOS routes the press to Parakeety instead of the app you are typing in. That is what makes push-to-talk work from anywhere, but it also means a bare press of the key never reaches your editor. Dev mode is how you get it back: with Dev mode on, a tap types the character and only a hold triggers dictation.
Does Dev mode slow down dictation?: Barely. Dictation starts once you have held the key for about a fifth of a second, which is shorter than a deliberate press already takes. If you hold the key to talk the way push-to-talk expects, you will not notice the threshold. Tapping and releasing quickly is what types the character instead.
Can I still type a tilde?: Yes. Shift plus the key, the tilde on US layouts, was never captured by Parakeety, with Dev mode on or off, so it always types normally. Dev mode only affects a bare press of the key on its own.

Try it

Parakeety is a Mac menu-bar app. Hold the key below Esc, talk, release; your words paste at the cursor in whichever app you were typing into. Audio never leaves the machine. If you code, turn on Dev mode and keep the backtick. There is a free 7-day trial with no card required. After that it is $30 once.

Try Parakeety free →