Recognizing speech in live audio
At a glance
| Item | Summary |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Perform speech recognition and transcription on audio captured from the microphone of an iOS device. |
| App architecture | A Swift sample with the source-visible chain AppSceneDelegate → ViewController → IsolatedCaptureSession → Speech APIs. |
| Main patterns | View-controller organization, Delegate or data-source callbacks, Actor isolation |
| Project style | 4 scanned source file(s) across Swift, organized around ranked entry, type, and file boundaries. |
| Execution model | Source-visible boundaries: @MainActor, async declaration or closure, Sendable or @Sendable, MainActor.run, Task; none alone proves a background thread. |
| State/event model | No structured observation or publisher-scheduling marker indexed. |
| Key frameworks/packages | Speech, UIKit, Foundation, SwiftUI, Synchronization; these are source dependencies, not architecture labels. |
Project structure
Source bundle/
├── SpokenWord/
│ ├── AppSceneDelegate.swift
│ ├── ViewController.swift
│ ├── Transcription.swift
│ ├── Base.lproj/
│ │ └── Main.storyboard
│ └── Info.plist
├── datagenerator/
│ └── main.swift
├── Configuration/
│ └── SampleCode.xcconfig
└── SpokenWord.xcodeproj/
├── .xcodesamplecode.plist
└── project.pbxproj
Structure observations
- Architecturally prominent files are ranked from entry points and role-named declarations; resource-only paths are omitted.
- Primary languages: Swift.
- The verified tree contains 5 project/configuration file(s) and 7 source declaration(s).
Overall architecture
flowchart LR
N1["AppSceneDelegate"]
N2["ViewController"]
N3["IsolatedCaptureSession"]
N4["Speech APIs"]
N1 --> N2
N2 --> N3
N3 --> N4
Reference code
SpokenWord/AppSceneDelegate.swift:10 — architecture anchor
@main
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
}Interpretation
The arrows summarize the source-visible entry, role-named types or folders, and framework direction; when nodes come from structural folders, the sequence is a high-level interpretation rather than proof that every adjacent node calls the next. Ownership is claimed only where the next section cites a stored property or assignment. The diagram is intentionally limited to the dominant path into Speech.
Ownership and state
classDiagram
SceneDelegate o-- UIWindow : window
main o-- DictationTranscriber : locale
main *-- SFCustomLanguageModelData : data
ViewController o-- UITextView : textView
Ownership evidence
SpokenWord/AppSceneDelegate.swift:15 — stored dependency or nearest verified ownership anchor
class SceneDelegate: UIResponder, UIWindowSceneDelegate {
var window: UIWindow?
}| Owner | Object or state | Relationship | Mutation authority |
|---|---|---|---|
SceneDelegate |
UIWindow (window) |
stores or receives | App/module collaborators |
main |
DictationTranscriber (locale) |
stores or receives | Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable |
main |
SFCustomLanguageModelData (data) |
creates and retains | Initialized by the owner; the binding is immutable |
ViewController |
UITextView (textView) |
stores or receives | App/module collaborators |
Composition arrows indicate a source-visible construction expression or locally owned value state; aggregation means the owner stores or receives a dependency without proving exclusive lifetime ownership.
Concurrency, scheduling, and thread safety
Evidence limit: actor isolation, async/await, or Task creation does not by itself prove background-thread execution; Sendable conformance alone does not prove thread-safe mutation.
| Concern | Source mechanism | Verified placement or handoff | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main isolation | @MainActor |
The cited annotation marks its attached declaration or closure as main-actor isolated. | SpokenWord/Transcription.swift:51 |
| Suspension boundary | async declaration or closure |
The source declares or crosses an asynchronous boundary; it does not by itself establish background execution. | SpokenWord/Transcription.swift:65 |
| Transfer contract | Sendable or @Sendable |
The source declares a sendability boundary; this alone does not synchronize mutable state. | SpokenWord/Transcription.swift:114 |
| Main isolation | MainActor.run |
The cited operation explicitly enters a main-actor-isolated region. | SpokenWord/Transcription.swift:123 |
| Task creation | Task |
The source creates an unstructured task; surrounding context determines inherited actor isolation. | SpokenWord/ViewController.swift:154 |
@MainActor/MainActor.run, DispatchQueue.main, and RunLoop.main are reported as distinct isolation, queue, and event-loop mechanisms. A plain Task is kept separate from Task.detached; neither is labeled as a background thread.
Reference code
SpokenWord/Transcription.swift:51 — representative execution boundary
@MainActor
final class SpokenWordTranscriber {
private var transcriber: DictationTranscriber?
// ...
}State propagation, frameworks, and dependencies
Evidence limit: an import proves a source-level compilation dependency at the cited line; it does not prove runtime use, architectural adoption, or whether a Swift package is a direct application dependency.
| Category | Mechanism or module | Verified role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source import | Speech |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | SpokenWord/Transcription.swift:9 |
| Source import | UIKit |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | SpokenWord/AppSceneDelegate.swift:8 |
| Source import | Foundation |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | SpokenWord/Transcription.swift:8 |
| Source import | SwiftUI |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | SpokenWord/Transcription.swift:10 |
| Source import | Synchronization |
The cited file imports this module; runtime use and architectural role are not inferred. | SpokenWord/Transcription.swift:11 |
receive(on:) describes downstream delivery scheduling, while subscribe(on:) describes upstream subscription/request/cancel scheduling. An import Combine alone establishes neither behavior nor a Store, reducer, Redux, or other application architecture.
Class and protocol design
SpokenWord/AppSceneDelegate.swift:11 — representative type boundary
@main
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
}| Type | Responsibility | Depends on or conforms to |
|---|---|---|
AppDelegate |
Receives callback-driven events | UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate |
SceneDelegate |
Receives callback-driven events | UIResponder, UIWindowSceneDelegate |
ViewController |
View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | UIViewController |
IsolatedCaptureSession |
Owns a session-scoped interaction | Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks |
RecordingState |
Represents mutable feature state | Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks |
TranscriptionError |
Represents feature failure conditions | Error |
SpokenWordTranscriber |
Owns feature behavior and collaborator lifecycle | Concrete collaborators/imported frameworks |
No local protocol conformance is claimed as protocol-oriented design; external framework conformances are listed only as dependencies.
Access control
| Symbol | Access | Verified effect | Likely rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
transcriber (SpokenWord/Transcription.swift:53) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation. |
analyzer (SpokenWord/Transcription.swift:54) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: keep state mutation or dependency lifetime inside the owning implementation. |
downloadAssetsIfNeeded (SpokenWord/Transcription.swift:103) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: hide an implementation step that is not part of the collaboration surface. |
createDictationTranscriber (SpokenWord/Transcription.swift:132) |
private |
Use is restricted to the lexical declaration and same-file extensions allowed by Swift. | Inference: hide an implementation step that is not part of the collaboration surface. |
Reference code
SpokenWord/Transcription.swift:53 — representative boundary
@MainActor
final class SpokenWordTranscriber {
private var transcriber: DictationTranscriber?
// ...
}Swift declarations without a modifier are internal; explicit private, fileprivate, private(set), public, or open entries above are interpreted by language semantics. Objective-C/C samples instead rely on header and implementation boundaries, which are not equivalent to Swift lexical privacy.
Logic ownership and placement
| Logic | Owning type or file | Placement rationale |
|---|---|---|
| View lifecycle, callbacks, and feature coordination | ViewController |
The source’s Controller suffix makes this role explicit. |
| Receives callback-driven events | AppDelegate, SceneDelegate |
The source’s Delegate suffix makes this role explicit. |
| Owns a session-scoped interaction | IsolatedCaptureSession |
The source’s Session suffix makes this role explicit. |
Design patterns
| Pattern | Source evidence | Purpose or tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| View-controller organization | SpokenWord/ViewController.swift:11 |
A controller is the verified coordination boundary; this is MVC-style only where a separate model is present. |
| Delegate or data-source callbacks | SpokenWord/AppSceneDelegate.swift:11 |
Callback protocols invert event delivery back into the sample’s owner. |
| Actor isolation | SpokenWord/ViewController.swift:329 |
A declared actor creates an explicit isolation boundary; its executor is not described as a background thread. |
Main application flow
sequenceDiagram
participant ViewController
participant captureSession
participant MainActor
participant transcriber
ViewController->>captureSession: startRunning()
ViewController->>MainActor: Run UI-isolated work
ViewController->>transcriber: transcribeAudio()
ViewController->>captureSession: stopRunning()
ViewController->>MainActor: Run UI-isolated work
Reference code
SpokenWord/ViewController.swift:213 — captureAndAnalyzeAudio()
private func captureAndAnalyzeAudio(
transcriber: SpokenWordTranscriber,
captureSession: IsolatedCaptureSession,
audioSequence: any AsyncSequence<AnalyzerInput, any Error> & Sendable
) async throws {
if await captureSession.startRunning() {
await MainActor.run {
self.updateUI(captureIsRunning: true)
}
// Returns when task is canceled
try await transcriber.transcribeAudio(audioSequence)
await captureSession.stopRunning()
await MainActor.run {
self.updateUI(captureIsRunning: false)
}
}
}Naming conventions
- Types: Controller: ViewController; Delegate: AppDelegate, SceneDelegate; Session: IsolatedCaptureSession.
- Protocols: no local protocol declaration in the scanned source.
- Methods:
viewDidLoad,viewDidAppear,prepareEnvironment,startRecording,runSession,captureAndAnalyzeAudio,updateTranscription,stopRecording. - Files:
SpokenWord/ViewController.swift.
Architecture takeaways
AppSceneDelegateis the main source-visible entry or composition anchor for this sample.- Framework work reaches Speech, UIKit, SwiftUI, Synchronization through a deliberately small high-level chain; the detailed API graph remains inside the cited implementation files.
- Stored-property evidence identifies lifecycle collaboration; it does not by itself prove exclusive object ownership.
- Access-control conclusions separate verified language visibility from the likely design rationale.
- The source does not justify labeling the design protocol-oriented.
Source map
| Source file | Relevant symbols |
|---|---|
SpokenWord/AppSceneDelegate.swift |
Cited implementation, AppDelegate, UIKit, SceneDelegate |
SpokenWord/Transcription.swift |
Cited implementation, @MainActor, async declaration or closure, Sendable or @Sendable, MainActor.run, Speech, Foundation, SwiftUI, Synchronization, TranscriptionError, SpokenWordTranscriber |
SpokenWord/ViewController.swift |
ViewController, IsolatedCaptureSession, Task, RecordingState |
datagenerator/main.swift |
Feature implementation |