After using Doubao input method for a few days, I decided to switch back to WeChat input.
Last week, I wrote an article about how WeChat input has been getting better and better, particularly praising its massive improvements in voice input. The article got recommended and attracted a lot of attention and discussion.
But among all the comments, a surprising number were promoting Doubao input method.
Some said Doubao is the top 1 for voice input, others praised its fast response and dialect support.
When I shared the article on Xiaohongshu and V2EX, the comments were similarly consistent — everyone was pushing Doubao.
I figured since everyone recommends it so highly, I should give it a try.
So I downloaded Doubao and used it as my primary input method for a week.
But today, I finally couldn't take it anymore.
1. The Dealbreaker: Cross-Device Copy
Even though Doubao's voice input is excellent (this article's draft was actually written using Doubao voice-to-text), I had to switch back.
The reason is simple: cross-device copy-paste.
As an indie developer and blogger, my workflow depends heavily on phone-computer collaboration.
After writing a draft on my phone using voice, the next step is to send it to my computer for editing and formatting.
- With Doubao: I have to copy the text to WeChat's file transfer assistant, or send it to Feishu, then open it on my computer, copy it again, and finally paste it into my editor. This process is too fragmented.
- With WeChat input: Copy on phone, paste on computer with
Ctrl+V. Done.
This seamless experience — once you get used to it, there's no going back.
I really hope Doubao adds a cross-device clipboard feature, but it currently doesn't have one.
2. Voice Input: It's a Tie
Many say Doubao's voice recognition is "god-tier" and much better than WeChat's.
After a week of deep testing, my feeling is: it's good, but not overwhelmingly better.
Both are now optimized extremely well and fully meet daily voice input needs. Doubao might be slightly faster in post-processing corrections, but this tiny difference isn't enough to make me give up the convenience of WeChat's ecosystem.
Speaking of ecosystem, WeChat input has the home-field advantage:
- Emoji suggestions: When typing in WeChat chat, it automatically suggests emojis. This is huge for me as someone who uses a lot of emojis.
- Custom phrases: WeChat input makes adding custom phrases very convenient — just copy any text and convert it directly. Doubao requires manual entry one by one, which is more tedious.
As for people complaining about WeChat input's large installation size (200M vs Doubao's 140M), I don't think it matters with modern phone storage. If it works well, I'm happy to accept the extra 60M.
3. A Pleasant Surprise: PC Voice Input
Just today, I saw a screenshot in a group chat that solidified my decision to return to WeChat input.
It was a new feature in WeChat input's PC version: press a key to do voice input directly on your computer.
Yes!
In my last article, I wished that WeChat would add PC voice input. I didn't expect it to come so soon — maybe my article reached the WeChat input product manager 😄.
In contrast, Doubao doesn't even have a PC version yet.
Voice input on the computer is really important.
Especially now that we frequently talk with AI (ChatGPT, Claude). If you rely solely on typing, getting your thoughts out is too slow. At home, I'd much rather speak to my computer — it's extremely efficient. This is also why I've been advocating for "conversational programming" — speaking is the most natural form of interaction.
Although I'm currently using Zhipu input on my computer (giving Zhipu a plug here since CodeParty helped me a lot, they deserve this free promotion), and the experience is quite good.
But I believe once WeChat's PC voice feature rolls out widely, my primary computer input method will likely return to WeChat.
4. Why Did Voice Input Suddenly Explode?
After all this input method experimentation, I've been thinking about a question: Why has voice input suddenly become essential in the AI era?
I think there are two main reasons:
First, the interaction target has changed.
Before, we mainly chatted with people — short messages. Now we interact with AI, needing to provide lots of context and prompts. In this scenario, speaking is the most natural, highest-bandwidth interaction method.
Second, technology has reached a tipping point.
Thanks to large language models, voice-to-text (ASR) is now incredibly accurate. Whether it's WeChat, Doubao, or Zhipu, recognition rates have reached astonishing levels.
Technology has matured, demand has exploded, and voice input has become a new battleground.
Final Thoughts
My one-week "defection" experiment has ended.
Although I switched back to WeChat input, this doesn't mean Doubao is bad. On the contrary, I think it's a great thing that Tencent and ByteDance are competing in the input method space.
No competition, no progress.
As users, we benefit. I look forward to them continuing to compete and improve the experience.
I'm Gudong, and good tools deserve to be seen by more people.
By Gudong, indie hacker building inBox Notes.
Top comments (0)