---
title: "Transcription takes longer than expected"
description: "Determine whether you are waiting for local transcription, optional refinement or message delivery."
slug: "transcription-slow"
category: "troubleshooting"
language: en
editorial_status: published
capability_status: guide
reviewed_at: 2026-10-13
keywords: ["CueSpec slow transcription","local speech model performance","voice draft waiting"]
---

# Transcription takes longer than expected

Determine whether you are waiting for local transcription, optional refinement or message delivery. These stages have different dependencies and should not share one diagnosis.

## Find the waiting stage
If no draft has appeared after recording, check local model readiness and the capture/transcription state. If a raw draft exists but optional cleanup is waiting, inspect service configuration and account readiness. If the draft is correct but sending is pending, use the receipt guide.

Try a smaller ordinary-speech recording. Note the duration, input setup and whether the model was newly preparing. Avoid starting overlapping long attempts that make results harder to identify.

## Keep claims realistic
The reviewed materials do not establish a latency guarantee for every Mac, recording length or language. Universal packaging includes Intel, but not every Intel machine has a real performance test.

If a wait persists, retain the useful text and the visible state. A report should identify which stage is slow, rather than assuming every delay is a network problem. Local transcription does not depend on the optional refinement service, while later AI task work may depend on network and model capacity.

## Related reading

- [Prepare local voice input](/prepare-local-voice/)
- [Local transcription and optional text refinement](/transcription-vs-refinement/)
- [Other people’s words appear in the draft](/background-words-in-draft/)
- [CueSpec product facts at a glance](/product-facts/)