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Ask Lipo

Updated October 22, 2026

Ask Lipo writes or changes text from a spoken instruction. You say what you want, like "make it shorter" or "reply saying I'm busy on Friday", and Lipo puts the finished text where your cursor is. Lipo does not paste the words you speak. It follows them. Ask Lipo is part of Pro Plus, including the free trial.

How do I start Ask Lipo?

Start it from your dictation key in one of two ways:

• Double-tap your dictation key. In Toggle mode, tap the key twice, quickly. In Hold to talk mode, tap the key once, then press it again and hold it while you speak.
• Press the Ask Lipo key. Start dictating as usual, then press the Ask Lipo key. The default is /. You can press it any time while Lipo is listening.

The pill shows a wand and the words "Ask Lipo is listening". Say your instruction, then stop the way you stop a dictation. Lipo writes the result where your cursor is.

To change the Ask Lipo key, open the Ask Lipo tab, click the key box, and press the key you want. Any key works, on either side of the keyboard, except the keys Lipo already uses while it listens: Escape, Return, Space, Tab, Delete, and your dictation and translation keys.

What can I ask for?

What Lipo does depends on where your cursor is and what is selected.

Other things you can say:

• "Make it friendlier"
• "Turn this into bullet points"
• "Translate this to English"
• "Add that I'll be 10 minutes late"

How do I reply to an email or a chat message?

1. Open the message and click Reply, so your cursor is in the reply box.
2. Double-tap your dictation key.
3. Let Lipo see the message. Turn on Context awareness, or click the camera on the pill and drag over the message to take a screenshot.
4. Say what to reply, for example "reply saying I'm busy that day, but next Friday works".
5. Stop as usual. Lipo writes the reply in the reply box.

For an email, Lipo writes a greeting, the message in short paragraphs, and a closing line. When an email you wrote earlier is visible in the thread, Lipo uses the same greeting and closing that you used. Chat replies stay short, with no greeting or closing line. Lipo never presses Send, so you can read the reply first.

Which language does Ask Lipo write in?

You can speak the instruction in any of Lipo's 50+ languages. Lipo chooses the language of the result like this:

• When Lipo changes text, the text stays in its own language, unless you ask for a translation.
• When Lipo writes a reply, it uses the language of the message you are answering.
• In every other case, Lipo writes in the language you spoke.

For example, select the English sentence "Send me the invoice today. I already asked twice." and say, in Bangla, "এটাকে আরেকটু ভদ্রভাবে লিখে দাও" (write this a bit more politely). Lipo replaces it with an English sentence such as "Could you please send me the invoice today? I have already asked twice."

To get new text in your translation language, double-tap your translation key instead of your dictation key. Lipo then writes new text in the language set in Lipo pastes.

What is Context awareness?

Context awareness lets Lipo read the text on your screen when you dictate or use Ask Lipo. Lipo uses that text to spell names the way they are written on screen, to fit your words into the sentence you are writing, and to read the message you are replying to.

• Lipo reads text, never pictures. It does not take screenshots for Context awareness.
• Lipo reads the text near your cursor and the text in the window you are using, at the moment you start. It does not read other apps or other windows.
• Lipo skips password fields and password manager apps.
• Lipo sends the text with your request to the AI service that writes the result, and Lipo does not save it.

Context awareness is off until you turn it on. Turn it on with the Context awareness switch on the Dictation tab or the Ask Lipo tab. Both switches change the same setting.

Ask Lipo always reads the text you selected and the text box you are in, because that is the text it works on. It reads the rest of the window only when Context awareness is on.

How do I undo a change?

Press ⌘Z in the app right after Lipo writes. Most apps bring back the text that was there before. Lipo also keeps your instruction and the result on the Home tab, under Dictation history.

Lipo checks the text box again just before it writes. If you clicked somewhere else or changed the selection while Lipo was working, Lipo copies the result instead, so nothing you wrote is replaced by surprise. Press ⌘V to paste it.

Which plan includes Ask Lipo?

Ask Lipo is part of Pro Plus, and it works during the free 7-day trial. On Pro Starter, the Ask Lipo tab shows an upgrade card, and a double-tap shows "Ask Lipo is part of Pro Plus" on the pill. See Plans & account.

Frequently asked questions

Does Ask Lipo paste the words I say?

No. The words you say are an instruction, and Lipo writes the result of that instruction. To paste your own words, dictate as usual without switching to Ask Lipo.

Which apps does Ask Lipo work in?

Any app where you can type. Some apps do not share their text with other apps. In those apps, Ask Lipo cannot read or change the text that is already there, but it can still write new text at your cursor.

Does Ask Lipo send my message for me?

No. Lipo never presses Send or Return after Ask Lipo, even when Submit with Return is on. You always see the text first.

Do I need Context awareness to use Ask Lipo?

No. Ask Lipo always reads the text you selected and the text box you are in. Context awareness adds the rest of the window, which Lipo needs to reply to a message without a screenshot.

Why does a double-tap also start Apple's dictation?

macOS can start its own dictation when you press certain keys twice. Open System Settings, then Keyboard. Set Press 🌐 key to to Do Nothing, and choose a Dictation shortcut that does not use your Lipo key.