Ubuntu opens Myna offline dictation preview to LTS users

Ubuntu’s optional Myna dictation tool is now open for community testing as a technology preview. It turns speech into text in the active app, and Canonical says transcription runs on the computer: after downloading a model, it works offline and audio is not uploaded or stored. Myna is dictation only; it does not act as a voice assistant or control the desktop. The preview supports Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, 26.04 LTS and 26.10 on amd64/amd64v3 systems using GNOME on Wayland. That means it is not yet a general Linux desktop feature: other desktop environments and architectures are outside the published support list. Canonical says a supported NVIDIA GPU can accelerate some engines, while support for more accelerators is planned. The available engines include Parakeet, Whisper and FunASR, with different language coverage, accuracy and hardware needs. Canonical says the project is still under active development and users should expect rough edges. The preview is useful for testing privacy, language support and application compatibility, not a promise that dictation will work equally well on every setup. To try it, Canonical’s [installation instructions](https://ubuntu.com/blog/myna-speech-to-text-technology-preview-available) add its Myna PPA and install the settings app: `sudo add-apt-repository ppa:canonical-desktop-team/myna` `sudo apt install myna-config` [OMG! Ubuntu’s report](https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/10/ubuntu-release-myna-tech-preview/) also notes that model choice affects language coverage and hardware demands. The next useful test is how well it handles different accents and microphones; Canonical is asking preview users to report those results. ~linux ~ai