One of the biggest problems with dictation tools is that code and conversation require completely different handling. Saying "open paren" should produce ( in your IDE but "(open paren)" in your email.
Whisperer's per-app profiles solve this by automatically switching dictation modes based on which app you're using.
How Per-App Profiles Work#
When you create a profile in Whisperer, you assign it to one or more apps. Whisperer detects which app is in the foreground and activates the corresponding profile — automatically, with no manual switching.
Default Profiles#
Out of the box, Whisperer uses a natural language profile for all apps. When you upgrade to Pro Pack, you can create custom profiles:
| App | Suggested Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| VS Code | Code Mode | Symbols by voice, casing commands, no autocorrection |
| Cursor | Code Mode | Same as VS Code |
| Terminal | Code Mode | Handles dashes, dots, paths correctly |
| JetBrains IDEs | Code Mode | Full IDE support |
| Slack | Chat style | Casual, lowercase-friendly, natural flow |
| Gmail | Email style | Proper sentences, natural punctuation |
| Apple Notes | Natural language | Standard dictation |
| Safari/Chrome | Natural language | Web forms, search queries |
Setting Up Profiles#
Open Whisperer from the menu bar
Click the Whisperer icon in your menu bar
Go to Settings > Profiles
Navigate to the Profiles section in Settings
Click Add Profile
Create a new profile for your app
Name your profile
Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "IDE - Code Mode")
Select the mode
Choose Code Mode or Natural Language
Assign apps
Click Add App and select from your Applications
Profile-Specific Settings#
Dictation mode
Choose Code Mode or Natural Language for each profile
Language
Different languages per profile (e.g., English for code, Spanish for personal email)
Personal dictionary entries
Different terms for different contexts
Example Workflows#
Morning Standup (Slack)#
You open Slack to post your standup update. Whisperer detects Slack and switches to chat style:
“Good morning. Yesterday I finished the API migration and opened a PR. Today I'm working on the onboarding flow redesign. No blockers.”
Good morning. Yesterday I finished the API migration and opened a PR. Today I'm working on the onboarding flow redesign. No blockers.Result: Clean, casual text perfect for Slack.
Coding Session (VS Code)#
You switch to VS Code. Whisperer automatically activates Code Mode:
“async function camel case fetch user data open paren user id colon string close paren colon promise”
async function fetchUserData(userId: string): PromiseResult: async function fetchUserData(userId: string): Promise
Email Break (Gmail)#
You open Gmail to reply to a client. Whisperer switches to email style:
“Hi Michael. Thanks for the feedback on the prototype. I've incorporated your suggestions and the updated version is attached. Let me know if you'd like to schedule a walkthrough.”
Hi Michael. Thanks for the feedback on the prototype. I've incorporated your suggestions and the updated version is attached. Let me know if you'd like to schedule a walkthrough.Result: Professional, properly punctuated email text.
Terminal Work#
You switch to Terminal. Code Mode activates:
“kubectl get pods dash n production dash o wide”
kubectl get pods -n production -o wideResult: kubectl get pods -n production -o wide
All of this happens without any manual intervention. The profile switch is instant.
Advanced Tips#
Create separate profiles for different IDEs
If you use different languages (e.g., Python snake_case in PyCharm vs. JavaScript camelCase in VS Code)
Use the personal dictionary per profile
Add project-specific terms only where they're needed
Set a smart default profile
The default profile catches any app without a specific profile, so set it to natural language mode
Group apps together
You can assign multiple apps to one profile — group all your IDEs together, all communication apps together, etc.
Why This Matters#
Without per-app profiles, you'd have to manually switch modes every time you alt-tab between apps. That friction kills the voice dictation workflow. With profiles, the switch is invisible — you just speak naturally and the right behavior happens.
Related: Dictation for Slack, Gmail & Notion, Code Mode, Voice Coding Guide. See pricing and all features.
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