FAQ
Questions, answered
What permissions does Okato need?
Two, both granted once from macOS Settings. Screen Recording lets Okato listen to what plays on your Mac, and Audio Capture lets it subtitle or translate anything you hear, a film, a call, a lecture. Both are handled entirely on your machine: the audio is processed locally and never leaves it.
Does Okato need an internet connection?
No. Everything runs on your Mac, speech recognition, translation and speaker separation included. It works with the internet unplugged.
What languages can it transcribe?
30 languages, from the world's most spoken to regional ones other apps skip, including Cantonese, which general-purpose speech recognition struggles with.
How does live translation work?
As audio plays in any app, Okato transcribes it line by line and translates each line as it lands. Live mode runs a fast pass with no extra passes, so the translation arrives with the line.
What is file mode?
Drop a video or audio file into Okato and it runs the fullest accuracy pass, every word, every speaker, synchronised with the audio and video. Watch the film full screen while the transcript and translation roll underneath, then export Markdown, plain text, PDF, or timed subtitles, or burn the subtitles of your choice into a brand-new video file, baked in and ready to share.
Does it work with subtitles over other apps?
Yes. Okato's subtitle overlay floats over anything on screen, full-screen, click-through, with position, size and opacity you control. A floating notepad panel is also available with scrollback.
Can it tell speakers apart?
Yes. Speaker diarization separates voices and labels each line, so meetings and podcasts read like a script rather than a wall of text.
Do I need an account?
No. There is nothing to sign up for, no profile, no email. Okato is a one-time purchase that runs entirely on your machine.
What Macs does it support?
Okato runs on Apple Silicon Macs, M1 or later, with 8GB of unified memory or more, on macOS 13 or later.
Is my transcript saved anywhere?
Sessions are stored only on your Mac and you can delete them at any time. Export takes your transcript wherever you want it.