What is Voice Typing?
Voice Typing lets you speak into your microphone and have Keyshepherd type the words into the app you are using (Word, Notepad, browsers, and more). It supports Sinhala and English, and can map text to your Wijesekara or Isiwara layout when needed.
Open it anytime with your Voice Typing shortcut (default is often Ctrl + Shift + 4 — check Voice Typing settings to confirm or change it). An internet connection is required for speech recognition.
Two speech engines — which should you use?
In Voice Typing → Speech Engine you will see two options:
1. Built-in (Default)
- Selected automatically when you install Keyshepherd — no setup required.
- No API key and no third-party account.
- Fast real-time dictation for everyday Sinhala and English typing.
- Best starting point for first-time users: try this first before changing anything.
2. Groq Whisper (Optional - English Only)
- Optional upgrade for users who want higher recognition accuracy for English.
- Important: Groq Whisper currently supports English transcription only in Keyshepherd. Use Built-in for Sinhala.
- You create a free Groq account and paste your own API key into Keyshepherd.
- Free Groq plans have daily limits. If a limit is hit (or the key is missing), Keyshepherd automatically falls back to Built-in so dictation does not stop.
- Keyshepherd never ships a shared Groq key and does not bill Groq usage.
Recommendation: stay on Built-in until you are comfortable with Voice Typing, and for all your Sinhala needs. Switch to Groq only if you want to try clearer English recognition with your own free account.
Using Built-in Voice Typing (first time)
- Open Keyshepherd → Voice Typing.
- Confirm Main engine is Built-in (Default).
- Choose your microphone and press Test Microphone if you like.
- Adjust Pause Delay and Mic Sensitivity if words cut off or noise is typed.
- Keep Capture English Also on if you mix English and Sinhala; turn it off for Sinhala-only.
- Click Save settings, then use your shortcut to dictate.
Optional — connect Groq Whisper
Step 1 — Create a Groq account
- Open console.groq.com and sign up (free plan is fine).
- Go to API Keys.
- Create a key and copy it. Keep it private — treat it like a password.
Step 2 — Link the key in Keyshepherd
- Open Keyshepherd → Voice Typing.
- Under Speech Engine, choose Groq Whisper (Optional).
- Paste your API key into the Groq API key field.
- Click Test & refresh limits to verify and see remaining plan limits.
- Click Save settings.
The same steps work on Windows and macOS. Mic, shortcut, pause delay, and language options still apply after you switch engines.
Understanding Groq limits
After a successful test or Voice Typing session, Keyshepherd may show remaining requests and reset times from your Groq plan. Groq does not expose a dollar “credit wallet” to apps — free plans use daily/request caps. For full usage charts, open your Groq Console dashboard.
Tips for best results
- Speak in clear phrases; pause briefly between sentences.
- If words cut off, raise Pause Delay slightly.
- Turn off Capture English Also when you only want Sinhala.
- On Groq, if dictation feels limited mid-day, wait for the daily reset or switch Main engine back to Built-in.
Privacy & responsibility
Built-in recognition uses Keyshepherd's default online speech path — no Groq account involved. If you choose Groq, your API key stays on your device in Keyshepherd settings, and audio is sent to Groq under your account. Keyshepherd does not provide or bill Groq usage. Accuracy and limits depend on Groq's service and your plan.