Voice to Text for Apple Reminders
The best time to capture a reminder is the moment you think of it. But by the time you open Reminders and start typing, half the thought is gone. Blurt lets you speak reminders naturally — hold a button, say your task with notes and due dates, release. Your reminder appears exactly as you said it, ready for Siri to parse the date. Titles, notes, lists, subtasks — just say them. $10/month or $99/year. First 1,000 words free. macOS only.
The Typing Problem
Reminders slip away before you can type them
You're in the shower when you remember to call the insurance company. By the time you're dry, dressed, and at your Mac, the thought has vanished. The gap between 'I need to remember this' and 'reminder captured' is where important tasks go to die. Quick capture needs to be quicker than thought.
Typing reminder titles breaks your flow
You're deep in focused work when a task pops into your head. Opening Reminders, typing the title, adding a note, picking a list — it takes 30 seconds and costs you 15 minutes of focus. The friction is just high enough that you tell yourself you'll remember. You won't.
Adding notes to reminders is tedious
A reminder without context is useless two days later. 'Call Sarah' — about what? You need to add the phone number, the reason, the background. But typing all that feels like too much work for a simple reminder. So you skip it, and future you has no idea what the reminder meant.
Building subtasks kills your momentum
You're planning a project and need to break it into subtasks. Add subtask, type, add subtask, type, repeat. Your brain works faster than your fingers. By item five, you're rushing and forgetting things. The task list that should be thorough becomes incomplete because adding each item is tedious.
Organizing across lists takes too many clicks
You have lists for work, personal, errands, and projects. Each reminder needs to land in the right place. But switching lists, typing titles, adding details — the organizational overhead makes you dump everything in one place. Your carefully designed list structure goes unused.
How It Works
Blurt works anywhere you can place a cursor on macOS — including Reminders' title field, notes section, and subtask inputs. Just hold, speak, release.
Hold your hotkey
Press your chosen shortcut with your cursor in any Reminders text field. A small indicator shows Blurt is listening.
Speak your reminder naturally
Say the task title, add notes with context, or list out subtasks. Blurt handles the transcription with automatic punctuation.
Release and done
Text appears at your cursor. Reminders parses natural language dates automatically. Move on with your day.
Real Scenarios
Quick capture without breaking focus
You're writing a report when you remember to send the contract to the client. Without leaving your document, open Reminders with a shortcut, hold your hotkey, and speak: 'Send contract to Marcus at Acme Corp by Friday. Include the revised payment terms.' Release. Back to your report in 5 seconds. The thought survived, your focus didn't die.
Adding context that makes reminders useful
You need to call your dentist. But which dentist? What number? What's it about? Hold hotkey in the notes field: 'Dr. Patterson at City Dental, 555-0147. Reschedule the cleaning because I have a conflict with the Tuesday appointment. Ask about evening availability.' Now future you can actually complete the task.
Building subtasks in one breath
You're planning your weekend home project. Instead of typing each subtask, hold and speak: 'Buy paint supplies at Home Depot. Tape off the trim and cover furniture. Sand the walls and fill any holes. Apply primer coat. Two coats of color with drying time between.' Five subtasks captured in 8 seconds. Your project plan is actionable.
Capturing reminders with natural language dates
You need to submit expenses by end of month. Hold button, say 'Submit expense report by the last Friday of January.' Release. Reminders parses the date and sets the due time. No clicking through date pickers, no typing exact formats. Just speak like you think.
Processing ideas during commute or walk
You're walking to get coffee when you remember three things: email the team, buy printer paper, and research vacation flights. At your Mac later, rapid-fire capture: hold, speak first reminder, release. Repeat twice. All three captured in 15 seconds. The walk back was productive.
Detailed reminder notes for complex tasks
You need to prepare for a client meeting next week. Hold hotkey in the notes: 'Review the Q3 sales data before the call. Check if the new pricing went into effect. Sarah mentioned concerns about delivery timelines — have an answer ready. Meeting link is in the calendar invite.' Context captured. You'll actually be prepared.
Organizing across multiple lists
You're doing your weekly planning, sorting tasks across Work, Personal, and Errands lists. For each list: click into it, hold hotkey, speak the reminders that belong there. 'Pick up dry cleaning. Grocery run for the dinner party. Return the library books.' Three items captured in one dictation. Move to the next list. Weekly planning takes minutes, not an hour.
Why Reminders users choose Blurt over asking Siri
| Blurt | Siri Voice Commands | |
|---|---|---|
| Activation | Silent hotkey, works anywhere | Wake word or button, speaks out loud |
| Notes and details | Add unlimited context in notes field | Limited to basic reminder titles |
| Subtasks | Add multiple subtasks by speaking | Not supported via voice |
| List selection | Click into any list, speak there | Must specify list name verbally |
| Privacy | Audio processed securely, not stored | Processed through Apple servers |
| Environment | Works silently in quiet offices | Requires speaking to Siri out loud |
Frequently Asked Questions
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