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v1.11.0

Pindrop v1.11.0: Code-Signed & Ready for Prime Time

The big one. Pindrop is now officially code-signed, eliminating unsigned binary warnings. Plus streaming transcription, media file support, speaker diarization, and a brand new Bubble indicator.

It’s been a busy few weeks since our last update, and we’ve got some major news: Pindrop v1.11.0 is now fully code-signed. This means no more scary “untrusted developer” warnings when you install or update the app. Just download, drag to Applications, and go.

But that’s not all—we’ve packed five releases worth of improvements into this announcement. Let’s dive in.

Code-Signed & Distributed

The headline feature of v1.11.0 is proper macOS code signing. This has been a long-requested change that removes friction from the installation process:

  • No more Gatekeeper warnings — macOS recognizes Pindrop as a trusted application
  • Seamless updates — Future updates will install without permission prompts
  • Apple Developer ID — Signed with our official Apple Developer certificate

⚠️ Important Upgrade Notes

Because this release switches to a new signed app identity, your existing settings will reset and need to be reconfigured. macOS will also ask you to grant Microphone and Accessibility permissions again.

If you run into permission issues after upgrading, you can reset them from Terminal:

tccutil reset Microphone tech.watzon.pindrop
tccutil reset Accessibility tech.watzon.pindrop

Then relaunch Pindrop and grant permissions fresh.

Streaming Transcription (v1.9.0)

You no longer have to wait until you finish speaking to see results. With the new streaming transcription feature, text appears word-by-word as you dictate:

  • Real-time output while recording
  • Reduced perceived latency
  • Works alongside AI enhancement
  • Toggle in Settings → Transcription

Speaker Diarization (v1.9.0)

Recording meetings or conversations? Speaker diarization automatically separates and labels different speakers in your transcripts:

  • “Speaker 1”, “Speaker 2” attribution
  • Works with both live recordings and imported media
  • Perfect for meeting notes and interviews
  • Enable in Settings → Feature Models

Transcribe Media Files (v1.10.0)

Pindrop can now transcribe audio and video files, not just live dictation:

Supported Sources

  • Local files — MP3, MP4, WAV, M4A, MOV, and more
  • Web links — YouTube URLs and other supported platforms (via yt-dlp)

Media Library

Imported and downloaded media appears in a dedicated library with:

  • Thumbnail previews
  • Searchable metadata
  • Folder organization
  • Progress tracking during import/download

Speaker Diarization for Media

Multi-speaker recordings get the same diarization treatment as live recordings, making it easy to follow who said what.

New Bubble Indicator (v1.9.2)

In addition to the Notch and Pill styles, we’ve added a Bubble floating indicator that appears beside the focused text field or caret:

  • More contextual placement
  • Less obtrusive than Notch
  • Choose your style in Settings → Appearance

The indicator system has also been polished with better drag behavior and more reliable state syncing during recording.

Fn/Globe Key Support (v1.9.3)

You can now use the Mac Fn/Globe key by itself as a push-to-talk hotkey. This is perfect if you want a dedicated dictation key without sacrificing other shortcuts.

Stability & Performance Improvements

Keyboard Monitoring (v1.10.1)

Fixed a bug where granting Accessibility permission while Pindrop was running could make system input sluggish. The fix involved:

  • Moving CGEventTap monitors off the main run loop
  • Better event-tap recovery with backoff
  • Full monitor recreation to prevent tight loops

Accessibility Permissions (v1.9.1)

Fixed repeated permission prompts after installing from DMG by hardening app bundle re-signing and adding strict deep-signature verification.

Transcript Output

Refined clipboard and direct insert behavior for more consistent results across different applications.

UI Polish

  • Better history view
  • Improved toast notifications
  • Settings flow refinements
  • Built-in dictionary is now easier to access
  • Pindrop can automatically learn word corrections as you use it

What’s Next

With code signing complete, we’re focusing on:

  • Smarter AI enhancement — Better context awareness and preset suggestions
  • Advanced media features — Batch transcription and export options
  • Plugin system — Third-party extensions for custom workflows

Changelog Summary

v1.11.0 — Code-signed distribution, AI enhancement overhaul, dictionary improvements
v1.10.1 — Keyboard monitor recovery fixes
v1.10.0 — Transcribe Media workflow with file and web link support
v1.9.3 — Fn/Globe key as PTT hotkey
v1.9.2 — Bubble floating indicator
v1.9.1 — Accessibility permission prompt fixes
v1.9.0 — Streaming transcription and speaker diarization

Download: GitHub Releases

Thanks for your patience as we worked through the signing process. Here’s to many more releases without scary security warnings! 🎉