Releases: watzon/pindrop
Releases · watzon/pindrop
Pindrop v1.18.0
What's New
- Apple on-device speech transcription is now built in: Pindrop can use Apple's native speech recognition stack alongside the existing transcription pipeline, giving you another local transcription option on macOS.
- AI Enhancement got a major upgrade: transcripts can now flow through stronger cleanup and enhancement presets, with the new Clean Transcript default helping first-time users get polished results immediately.
- Update alerts now show release notes in-app: Sparkle update windows can display version-specific release notes directly in the modal, so you can see what's changing before you install.
Improvements
- Live dictation is easier to trust with a committed-versus-tentative streaming presentation that makes in-progress recognition more readable while the transcript is stabilizing.
- Floating indicators feel much more polished thanks to the new Dot indicator default, animation refinements, and broader visual tuning across the indicator system.
- Pindrop's visual identity has been refreshed with the new ripple mark, updated app and status bar icons, and theme adjustments that better match the brand.
- Language and localization controls are clearer: locale switching works again, and language pickers now show native language names to make selection easier.
- Built-in MCP support opens Pindrop to AI tooling workflows with an embedded MCP server and new settings for managing that integration.
Bug Fixes
- Default AI enhancement behavior is more consistent for new users thanks to cleaner preset seeding and settings migration behavior.
- Dock and app icon rendering are more reliable by using the packaged native icon assets instead of generating full-size artwork on the fly.
- Development and release automation are more robust with cleanup of obsolete tooling files and a release pipeline that now publishes versioned HTML release notes alongside the appcast.
Upgrade Notes
- Existing settings and history should carry forward from
v1.17.0. - If you use AI-agent workflows, look for the new MCP settings after updating.
- Future update prompts will include release notes directly inside the update window when the feed provides them.
Full Changelog
Pindrop v1.17.0
What's New
- Redesigned media transcription workflow: the Transcribe workspace now centers around a real queue for file imports and pasted links, with per-job model, language, and output options plus a cleaner path into processing and transcript detail views.
- Named participants with voice learning: diarized transcripts can now learn recurring speakers, keep participant profiles over time, and let you rename speakers from transcript detail screens or the new Participants settings section.
- Refreshed navigation and workspace layout: the main app flow now unifies dashboard, history, and transcription surfaces behind a redesigned sidebar that can be docked left or right, collapsed when you want more room, and restored in the same state next time.
Improvements
- Transcript detail views are much richer with playback-following transcript highlights, participant sidebars, source-aware titles, improved metadata presentation, and the schema groundwork for optional AI-generated titles and summaries.
- Settings are more complete and easier to navigate with expanded Theme, About, Updates, Support, and Participants sections, plus searchable settings tabs inside the main workspace.
- Imported media handling is more resilient for audio and video sources, including better preparation of MP4 and similar containers with an
ffmpegfallback when native preparation is not enough. - History and media organization received a substantial polish pass to better support imported recordings, meeting-style transcripts, folders, and unified browsing across the app.
Bug Fixes
- Sidebar state now persists correctly and window traffic lights no longer overlap the updated navigation layout.
- Media preparation is more defensive when imported files need transcoding before transcription can begin.
- Streaming transcription messaging is clearer by explicitly calling out the current English-only limitation in the UI.
Upgrade Notes
- This release upgrades the transcription store to schema V7, adding participant profiles, participant training evidence, and new metadata fields for richer transcript titles and summaries.
- Existing transcription history and media records should migrate forward automatically from
v1.16.0. - Learned participant data is now part of your local app database. You can review or remove it from Settings -> Participants.
Full Changelog
v1.16.0
What's New
- Back to a native macOS app: Pindrop now ships from the restored SwiftUI/Xcode codebase again, keeping the macOS-specific behavior and workflows that fit the app best.
- Direct Insert works on non-QWERTY layouts: direct typing now injects Unicode characters instead of relying on QWERTY key mapping, so Dvorak and other keyboard layouts behave correctly.
- Preferred microphone stays selected: recordings now re-apply your chosen input device if the live audio engine reconfigures mid-session.
Improvements
- Floating indicator placement is more reliable across multiple displays and mode changes.
- Model downloads show clearer native progress states during onboarding, settings, and startup repair flows.
- Release pipeline and project docs are back to a native macOS workflow using Xcode, SwiftPM, and
just.
Bug Fixes
- Status bar startup is more defensive, helping the menu bar item recover cleanly during launch.
- Direct Insert streaming updates preserve Unicode text insertion behavior without falling back for supported accessibility sessions.
- Audio input routing no longer drifts to a secondary microphone after recording starts when a specific input device is selected.
Upgrade Notes
- Existing settings, history, and downloaded local models should carry forward from
v1.15.0. - This release intentionally returns Pindrop to the native macOS architecture while preserving the macOS-specific fixes that still matter.
Full Changelog
Pindrop v1.15.0
What's New
- Cross-platform foundation ships with this release — most business logic has moved into Kotlin Multiplatform shared modules, making transcription orchestration and shared UI state reusable beyond macOS.
- First step toward Windows/Linux delivery — shared Kotlin presenters and core modules are now integrated so future desktop ports can build on the same business logic.
- Kotlin shared presenter layer landed — app-side coordinator logic now consumes shared presenters for cleaner boundaries and easier future platform ports.
Improvements
- Kotlin bridge and Gradle pipeline updates reduced platform-specific coupling and keep shared module builds lighter.
- Media transcription flow is streamlined with unified state handling between audio/media paths.
- Settings and locale behavior improved so app language changes are captured in snapshots used by UI/state synchronization.
Bug Fixes
- Provider handling is more resilient when a transcription provider is unavailable or unsupported.
- Model download progress strings and locale lookups are more stable, including the newly added Turkish strings path.
- Floating indicator behavior improves around screen tracking and compact hover interactions.
Full Changelog
Pindrop v1.14.0
What's New
- Anthropic Claude for AI enhancement—connect your Anthropic API key and use Claude alongside your existing AI options. Model IDs stay current with flexible aliases so you are not stuck on dated snapshot names.
- Floating indicators get a clearer pulse—recording and processing states now use a unified waveform visualization, with improved screen tracking and more reliable behavior when you open settings menus.
- More app languages—Dutch, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese (Brazil) join the localized UI. Pick your language in Settings as before.
- Parakeet in recommendations—recommended model lists now include Parakeet options where they fit your setup.
Improvements
- Boot logging adds structured logs for launch, onboarding, and model downloads so support and debugging are easier when something goes wrong off the bat.
- Settings no longer does a redundant theme refresh at startup, trimming a little work from every launch.
- AI enhancement answers follow transcript questions more reliably instead of drifting off-topic.
Bug Fixes
- Settings dropdowns that use the anchored floating panel no longer misbehave when the panel is pinned near screen edges.
- Anthropic requests use the correct model API identifiers end-to-end.
Upgrade Notes
- If you use AI enhancement, open Settings and add an Anthropic API key if you want to try Claude; existing providers and history are unchanged.
- Transcripts and SwiftData content carry forward as in prior updates.
Full Changelog
v1.13.0
What's New
- Pindrop now speaks your language—literally. We've added full support for Spanish, French, German, and Simplified Chinese. The app will automatically match your system language, and you can switch languages anytime in Settings.
- Choose your transcription language when starting a recording. Whether you're transcribing in English, Spanish, or another supported language, Pindrop now lets you specify the target language for better accuracy.
- Find models faster with the new search feature in the Model Browser. Type to filter models by name, and use the new "Recommended" filter to see our curated picks for your Mac.
- More models, more choices—we've added all the missing WhisperKit CoreML models, including multilingual variants and specialized sizes.
Improvements
- The transcription row component is now consistent across the Home and History pages, making the UI feel more polished and unified.
- Sparkle update checks now use gentle reminders designed for background apps, so you won't be interrupted while working.
- Model browser search filtering has been moved off the main thread for smoother performance, even when browsing hundreds of models.
- The EventTapRunLoopThread now runs at user-interactive QoS for more responsive hotkey handling.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed an issue where SwiftData stores with missing schema objects could fail to load. Pindrop now recovers gracefully and rebuilds the store when needed.
- Fixed model search alignment and made search work across all tabs in the model browser.
Upgrade Notes
- Language support is automatic—if your Mac is set to one of the supported languages, Pindrop will use it immediately. Visit Settings to change languages manually.
- Existing transcript history and settings will remain intact during this upgrade.
Full Changelog
Pindrop v1.12.0
What's New
- Pindrop now includes preset-based app theming, making it easier to personalize the app's appearance without manual tweaking.
- Settings now live directly in the main window, so configuring recording, transcription, and output options feels faster and more cohesive.
- Single-speaker transcripts are cleaner and easier to read because unnecessary speaker labels are no longer shown.
Improvements
- Release builds now consistently use the hardened runtime and a stricter notarization flow, improving reliability for signed macOS distribution.
- Pindrop's SwiftData store now lives in Application Support, which helps the app behave more predictably across installs and updates.
- Release tooling now fails more clearly when notarization is rejected, making future updates safer to ship.
Upgrade Notes
- Existing transcript history and app data should migrate to the new Application Support store location automatically during upgrade.
- If you are upgrading from an older release and macOS prompts for permissions again, re-approve the requested access and relaunch Pindrop if needed.
Full Changelog
Pindrop v1.11.0
What's New
- Pindrop now ships as a properly signed macOS app. This is the first release using the new signed distribution workflow instead of the previous self-signed setup.
- AI enhancement setup and settings have been overhauled to make model selection, onboarding, and day-to-day configuration easier to manage.
- The built-in dictionary is now easier to access from the main window, and Pindrop can automatically learn word corrections as you use it.
Improvements
- Refined transcript output behavior so clipboard and direct insert modes behave more consistently.
- Polished the history view, toast behavior, settings flows, and several shared UI components for a more consistent app experience.
- Aligned bundle identifiers and release tooling with the new Apple Developer signing setup used for local exports and distribution builds.
Upgrade Notes
- Because this release switches Pindrop to a new signed app identity, your existing app settings will reset and need to be configured again after upgrading.
- macOS may ask you to grant Microphone and Accessibility permissions again. If output insertion or recording permissions get stuck, reset them and relaunch Pindrop:
tccutil reset Microphone tech.watzon.pindroptccutil reset Accessibility tech.watzon.pindrop
- If you're upgrading from an older self-signed build and see permission or launch issues, remove the old app from
/Applications, install the new signed build fresh, then re-enable the permissions above if needed.
Full Changelog
Pindrop v1.10.1
What's New
- Fixed a keyboard-monitor recovery bug that could make system input sluggish after granting Accessibility permission while Pindrop was already running.
Improvements
- Moved the CGEventTap monitors off the main run loop so normal UI work no longer starves the global key monitors.
- Added bounded event-tap recovery with backoff and full monitor recreation to prevent tight disable and re-enable loops.
Full Changelog
Pindrop v1.10.0
What's New
- Added a new Transcribe Media workflow for turning local audio/video files and supported web links into transcripts inside Pindrop.
- Media transcriptions now include speaker diarization and timestamps so multi-speaker recordings are easier to review.
- Imported and downloaded media now appear in a dedicated library with thumbnails, searchable metadata, and folder organization.
Improvements
- Added managed-media ingestion for both local files and web links, including progress updates during import and download.
- Added compatibility handling for web media downloads, including yt-dlp and ffmpeg setup checks before link transcription starts.
- Expanded persistence and regression coverage for media ingestion, folder management, and media-transcription state handling.