Speak instead of type: on-device voice in Gao Dao

You do not have to type your answers to Gao Dao 高导. In the AgentSoul iPhone app, hold the talk button, speak, and release. Your words are recognised on the iPhone itself, no audio leaves the phone, and the text drops into the message box so you can read it over before you press send.

Why voice suits a mentor conversation

Gao Dao asks about real moments: an argument last week, a decision at work, a time you felt let down. People tell those stories more fully out loud. Speaking is also kinder to anyone who reads Chinese comfortably but finds typing it slow, whether that is pinyin on a small keyboard or handwriting input. Voice keeps the conversation feeling like a conversation.

How to use hold-to-talk

1. Open a Gao Dao conversation and find the button labelled Hold to talk (按住说话).
2. The first time, the app asks for microphone and speech recognition permission. This only happens because you tapped; it is never asked on launch.
3. Hold the button and speak. The screen reads “Listening — release to finish” and your words appear as you go.
4. Release to finish. The transcript stays in the message box.
5. Read it, fix any misheard words, then send. Nothing is sent automatically.

If you change your mind mid-sentence, slide your finger off the button before letting go. That cancels the take and restores whatever was in the box before. A single hold is capped at about a minute, so for a long story, speak in a few passes and send when the whole answer is there.

What “on-device” means here

The app uses Apple’s speech recognition with on-device recognition required. If your iPhone does not have an on-device model for the language, the app does not fall back to sending audio to a server; it simply hides the talk button. That is why speech is not listed as audio data the app collects. The audio is turned into text on your phone and then discarded.

The text is a different matter, and it is worth being clear. Once you send a message, it becomes part of your Gao Dao conversation, which is processed by Google Gemini, a third-party AI service, to produce your reading. The app asks for your consent before anything is sent to AI the first time, and you can withdraw consent in Settings at any time.

Choosing the language you speak

Voice follows the app’s interface language. With the interface in Simplified Chinese, the recogniser listens for Mandarin; with the interface in English, it listens for English. Because Gao Dao speaks Chinese, most people will want the Chinese interface when they talk. Switch it in Settings before you start the conversation.

If the button is missing

• You declined microphone or speech recognition permission. You can turn them back on for the app in the iPhone Settings app.
• Your iPhone has no on-device recogniser for the current interface language. Try switching the app language, or type instead.
• You are using the web version at agentsoul.market in a browser. Voice input is part of the iPhone app; the web composer is text only.

Typing always works, and Gao Dao reads typed and spoken answers the same way. Use whichever lets you tell the story most honestly.

Tips for speaking to Gao Dao

• Find a quiet spot. On-device recognition is good, but background chatter still causes misheard words.
• Tell it like a story: what happened, who was there, what you felt, what you did next.
• Names and English terms are the words most often misheard; glance at them before sending.
• Pauses are fine. Gao Dao is reading your answer, not timing it.