On-device processinglocal processing
On-device processing means the speech recognition model runs on your own computer, so audio is transcribed locally and never uploaded. The alternative is cloud processing, where audio is sent to a server to be transcribed.
The distinction decides three things at once: privacy (nothing to intercept, subpoena, or breach on a server), offline behavior (local tools keep working without a network), and often latency (no round trip). The trade is that the model must fit and run on your hardware, which is why on-device tools state minimum requirements.
For confidential work, on-device is the difference between a tool your compliance review waves through and one that needs a vendor agreement: there is no processor of the audio other than your own machine.
In Flit
Flit is on-device only, verifiably: turn off wifi and everything still works.
The verifiable claim →Related terms
