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Posted by RZelaya 7 hours ago

Apple rejected my dictation app for using the accessibility API(www.mitmllc.com)
249 points | 150 commentspage 3
longnguyen 3 hours ago|
If you emulate command+V, make sure to check the keyboard layout. You may need to translate the keycode V for the current keyboard layout like DVORAK etc
RZelaya 3 hours ago|
Good catch. Easy edge case to miss if you only test on QWERTY. I'll double-check the implementation, thanks for the heads up.

update: You're right, this is a real bug. The Direct version's auto-paste hardcodes the QWERTY keycode for V instead of translating for the active layout, so Dvorak / Colemak / AZERTY users would all hit it. The MAS version is unaffected (clipboard-only; the user presses their own Cmd+V, which is layout-correct). Fix is going into the next release. Thanks for the careful read.

longnguyen 2 hours ago||
Good luck. I’ve been building a native AI client[0] for the past 3 years and I didn’t catch this edge case until some of my users asked for it.

[0]: https://boltai.com

DelightOne 6 hours ago||
I don't want random apps to paste potentially dangerous things into other apps. Its understandable.

Imagine a banking app, and for example an IBAN field.

kuboble 6 hours ago||
Them you are free to not install them? Why ban them outright?

I'm using https://github.com/cjpais/Handy whichseems to be doing exactly what this app does, and has a very similar background story (author couldn't type die to injury).

SyneRyder 6 hours ago|||
Handy is excellent and cross platform, and really elegant. They've got a direct website here which might be easier to navigate than the Github repo:

https://handy.computer/

RZelaya 6 hours ago||
Handy looks great. More tools in this space is a good thing for people who need them.
mrweasel 6 hours ago||||
In this case it feels like it's a feature that the operating system should be providing or something that could be marked as an accessibility tool, which would allow it to use that API.

The problem from Apples perspective could be that there is a ton of tools that require access to the accessibility API because they want to do stuff that Apple have deemed a security risk and the only way to do it is by abusing the API. Some of these are also because macOS simply lacks certain APIs.

I think Apple overreacting due to previous API misuse by other apps.

RZelaya 6 hours ago||
[dead]
amazingamazing 6 hours ago|||
To their defense you cannot rollback apps, so if you did install and only an update had this function, you are out of luck
applfanboysbgon 6 hours ago||
"In their defense, the OS is even more insane with mandatory forced application updates that you have no control of". I hope I won't ever happen to have you representing me as a defense attourney!
RZelaya 6 hours ago|||
I see, that's a really fair point. And I can understand that banking field example. So I can see why they're guarding against it. My disagreement was less with the rule itself and whether Whisperpad's specific use case for users with mobility needs falls on the right side of it.
notlive 6 hours ago|||
I would like the option to allow the behaviour selectively
DelightOne 6 hours ago||
That's what install outside of the App Store is for. On your own risk-
boxed 6 hours ago||
Pasting doesn't seem very unsafe. Especially not when the app can't know what it's pasting into.
nullbio 5 hours ago||
Doesn't Wispr Flow do this though? How did they get past these limitations?
RZelaya 4 hours ago||
From what I understand Wispr Flow distributes directly from their website and doesn't ship through the Mac App Store, so they don't go through Apple's App Store review at all. They use the Accessibility API the same way the direct version of WhisperPad does. The 2.4.5 limitation really only kicks in if you want App Store presence.
sangeeth96 5 hours ago||
not in the app store?
-mlv 6 hours ago||
No surprises here, Google has also been restricting access to its accessibility API.
RZelaya 6 hours ago|
Useful context, thanks. I hadn't realized Google was tightening similarly. Would be interesting to see how the rationales compare.
artenesdev 6 hours ago||
Oof, thats rough. I'll still start facing those issues, just got accepted into the apple's dev program. I predict a ton of rejections coming my way.
RZelaya 2 hours ago|
[dead]
m-s-y 5 hours ago||
macOS already has a dictation feature that does this exact thing, albeit in real time. I use it extensively.

OP’s description in the linked article doesn’t say much more than this, so what am I missing with this particular app?

RZelaya 5 hours ago||
Apple's built-in dictation works for casual use, but in my own daily use the typo rate was high enough that I was constantly going back to fix things, which defeated the point (with a hand injury, those corrections cost me). WhisperPad uses Whisper models instead, doesn't cut off after 30-60 seconds like Apple's does, supports 99 languages offline, and pastes into any active field via hotkey. There's a 120-minute monthly free tier so you can see if it fits your use case. If Apple's built-in dictation handles what you need, that's a fair answer.
jiehong 4 hours ago|||
Apple's own dictation is quite limited, doesn't handle multiple languages very well, and many open source dictation models simply do better.
taormina 5 hours ago||
[flagged]
geor9e 5 hours ago||
Is this just an stealthy ad for another paid dictation app…
burnt-resistor 5 hours ago||
Accessibility things should be more useful than to just narrow accessibility uses only. Wheelchair ramps help move heavy objects. The accessibility API makes it possible to introspect all of the keyboard shortcuts an app provides for another app to list them.

Screw Apple and their persnickety, controlling myopia.

Fokamul 6 hours ago||
Easy, don't make apps for devices which are only leased to people.

Make apps for device, which are 100% owned by people.

shevy-java 6 hours ago|
This is another reason why one shouldn't become dependent on those giant companies. Just as Microsoft recently stated, you'll have to pay for GitHub CoPilot soon on a token basis. Apple controls access to its software ecosystem too.
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