Dictation stopped working on Mac Mini M4Pro with Sequoia 15.2

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Level 1

14 points

Dictation stopped working on Mac Mini M4Pro with Sequoia 15.2

Recently upgraded to Sequoia 15.2 and dictation no longer works in iMessage, Notes, Reminders, and Safari. Dictation works for Word and Google, so it does not appear to be a microphone issue.

Dictation is turned on in system settings. Shut down numerous times, changed language to UK and Canadian English, rebooted. No luck with fixes on the web.

Ideas? Thanks.

Posted on Jan 2, 2025 12:50 PM

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Answer 1

Dsherman Author

Level 1

14 points

Jan 19, 2025 6:59 AM in response to Dsherman

With the help of Apple Support it was determined that Webroot Secure Anywhere can interfere with Mac dictation: The following is infor related to the problem and the fix courtesy of Google AI:

The cause:
Webroot's Secure Keyboard Entry feature is designed to protect against keyloggers, but it can also interfere with certain applications that rely on specific key combinations, including dictation on Mac.
Symptoms:
- Dictated text not appearing correctly (Note: dictation did not work, when the F5 microphone key was pressed that would normally start dictation, a "Boop" sound occurred only)
- Difficulty with accented characters
- Issues with emoji selection on Touch Bar (if applicable)
Solution:
- Open the Webroot SecureAnywhere menu bar icon
- Select "Pause Secure Keyboard Entry"
- Once you're done dictating, you can re-enable Secure Keyboard Entry if needed.

The solution above works, but can be permanently fixed by unchecking the setting in Webroot Secure Anywhere Advanced Settings/Real Time Shield/Secure keyboard entry mode. Doing this does impact security against keyboard loggers, but does permit dictation.

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