Frequently asked questions
Short answers about what Tinglang does today. If something is missing, open an issue on GitHub.
Is Tinglang free?
Yes. The app is free and open source under the GNU AGPL v3.0 only. Pro is an optional subscription for cloud allowances from the official cloud service, which isn't live yet, and priority support.
Do I need an account?
No. Everything in the app works without signing in, with no tracking and no server of ours in the loop. An account is only for Pro and, later, the official cloud service.
Where can I download it?
There are no prebuilt downloads yet. For now you build it from source on your Mac; the download page has the steps.
Which version of macOS do I need?
macOS 14.2 or later. Live captions and transcription currently need macOS 26, because they use Apple SpeechAnalyzer and Translation. On macOS 14.2–15 everything else works; on-device captions for older systems are planned.
Does my audio leave my Mac?
No. Speech recognition and translation run on your Mac. The app goes online for two things only: AI providers you added, when you generate a course or test the connection, and YouTube clips in the official embedded player.
Which apps can it caption?
Anything that plays sound on your Mac: a video, a meeting, a podcast, a game. Tinglang captions system audio or the microphone. The first time, macOS asks whether it may record system audio.
Which AI providers can I use?
There are 18 presets, including Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Qwen, Kimi, GLM, Doubao, Gemini, and local models through Ollama or LM Studio. You add your own key. You see the estimated cost first, and Tinglang asks before it sends a transcript to a cloud host. The basic course needs no provider.
Can I use recordings from my iPhone?
Yes, through Voice Memos. Recordings synced to your Mac through iCloud are listed and transcribed into History. Tinglang needs Full Disk Access for this, and it only reads the Voice Memos library.
Where is my data, and how do I back it up?
Everything lives in one folder on your Mac; Settings shows the exact path. To back up, quit Tinglang and copy the whole folder. The Markdown export is not a backup.
Can I import courses I already have?
Yes. Courses use the English V3 course.json format, and existing ones import too. COURSES.md explains how.
How do I share a recording or a course?
Export it as a .tinglang file and send it however you like; the other person imports the file. There is no sharing server.
Is there a Windows, iPhone or Android version?
Not yet. Tinglang runs on the Mac. Windows is planned; there is no phone app.
Does it score my pronunciation?
Not yet. Speak lets you record yourself and keep notes, but there are no pronunciation scores.