Dictation

Anywhere the app asks for more than a few words, there is a dictation button. Tap it and speak.

Where it appears

• Site diary — notes, issues, delay reasons
• Defects — the observation
• Incidents — the account of what happened
• Checklists — text answers

These are exactly the fields that get left blank or filled with one word when the only option is thumb-typing on a site.

Why it matters more than it sounds

The quality of a site record is decided by how easy it was to make.

A defect typed with one thumb becomes paint. The same defect dictated becomes “paint runs to the architrave on the door 3 side, about 300 millimetres, needs sanding back and recoating” — which is a description the trade can act on without ringing anybody.

The record you get is not marginally better. It is a different thing.

Dictate the detail, then tidy it

Speak the full description on site, and fix any wording later at a desk if it matters. Getting the facts captured while you are looking at the problem is the part that cannot be done afterwards.

Getting good results

Say the location first. “Main bathroom, wall behind the toilet, chipped tile second row from the floor.” It puts the important part at the front where it survives.

Speak normally. Slow, over-enunciated speech recognises worse, not better.

Turn away from the noise. A compressor or a drop saw will defeat it. Ten seconds somewhere quieter is faster than three attempts next to the noise.

Check numbers. Dimensions and quantities are what dictation gets wrong most — 300 and 3000 sound similar with an angle grinder running. Glance at anything numeric before saving.

Punctuation is optional. A run-on sentence that says the right thing beats a tidy one that took four attempts.

When it will not work

Dictation needs a connection. On a site with no signal, type a short note and add the detail when you are back in range — see Working with poor reception.

The phone’s own keyboard dictation also works in these fields if you prefer it.