Setup guide

Set up SpeechKey in a few minutes.

Bring your own API keys, paste them once, and start translating speech. No markup on AI usage — you pay your providers directly.

01 · How BYOK works

SpeechKey is the resilient speech layer. You bring the intelligence.

Two kinds of key power the app — and they do different jobs. You connect them once; SpeechKey handles routing, recovery and playback.

Translation engines

Understand what's said and translate it. You need at least one engine key to begin.

OpenAIQwenxAI GrokiFLYTEK

Voices / TTS

Speak the translation aloud in a natural voice. Optional, but recommended for spoken output.

ElevenLabsMinimax
Minimum: one engine key. Recommended: add a voice key for spoken output. Your keys are stored securely in the iOS Keychain and only ever leave the device toward the provider you chose.
02 · Get your keys

Create a key with each provider you want.

Every key is pay-as-you-go and billed by the provider — SpeechKey never touches your tokens. Grab one engine to start; add more for redundancy.

Translation engines
OpenAI
Realtime API · global default
  1. Sign up at platform.openai.com
  2. Open API keysCreate new secret key
  3. Copy the key and paste it into SpeechKey
sk-… Pay-as-you-go · billed by OpenAI
Qwen · Alibaba
Multilingual · strong Chinese & Asian
  1. Open Alibaba Cloud Model Studio / DashScope console
  2. Go to API keys → create a key
  3. Copy the key and paste it into SpeechKey
qwen-… / sk-… Pay-as-you-go · billed by Alibaba Cloud
iFLYTEK · xfyun
China-domestic route · dialects
  1. Open console.xfyun.cn
  2. Create an app
  3. Copy AppID, APIKey and APISecret into SpeechKey
AppID · APIKey · APISecret Pay-as-you-go · billed by iFLYTEK
xAI Grok
Reasoning · live web context
  1. Open console.x.ai
  2. Go to API keys → create
  3. Copy the key and paste it into SpeechKey
xai-… Pay-as-you-go · billed by xAI
Voices (TTS)
ElevenLabs
Most natural · expressive
  1. Open elevenlabs.io
  2. Go to ProfileAPI key
  3. Copy the key and paste it into SpeechKey
sk_eleven-… Pay-as-you-go · billed by ElevenLabs
Minimax
Fast · low-latency · multilingual
  1. Open the minimax.io platform
  2. Go to API keys → create
  3. Copy the key and paste it into SpeechKey
mm-… Pay-as-you-go · billed by Minimax
03 · Add keys to SpeechKey

Paste once. Validated instantly.

1

Open Settings → Providers

Everything BYOK lives in one place — engines and voices side by side.

2

Pick a provider, paste your key, tap Save

Repeat for each engine and voice you want connected. Mix freely.

3

A green check means the key is validated

Keys are stored in the iOS Keychain — never on a SpeechKey server.

Providers Settings → Providers
OA
OpenAI · Realtime
sk-proj-•••••••3kF8
Q
Qwen · Alibaba
qwen-•••••••4bZ1
11
ElevenLabs · Voice
sk_eleven-••••••••
Mx
Minimax · Voice
Paste key…
04 · Choose engine & voice

Set your defaults. Let routing handle the rest.

Default translation engine & voice

Pick the engine you trust most and the voice you like best. You can change either any time.

Adaptive routing

SpeechKey picks the fastest available provider per region and network — and switches mid-session if conditions change.

China stable mode

Automatically falls back to iFLYTEK on a domestic route when global providers are blocked or slow.

05 · Your first translation

Speak. Read it live. Hear it spoken back.

Real-time speech translation — point the mic at whoever is speaking and follow along. Not a two-way chat device; a layer that lets you understand what's being said.

1

Tap "Start Translator"

The mic lights up and the status reads CONNECTED · LIVE.

2

Speak, or point the mic at the speaker

Talk normally in any supported language — no turn-taking, no setup per person.

3

Read the translation live — and hear it

Words arrive as they're spoken, and are spoken back in your chosen voice.

SpeechKey Live English translation
CONNECTED LIVE
Heard · 中文
"Let's confirm the delivery date before we sign."
Speaking · ElevenLabs voice
06 · Costs, transparent

One small platform fee. Tokens go straight to your providers.

SpeechKey platform
€2.99 / month

For the resilient platform — routing, recovery, China mode and voice playback.

Your AI tokens
No markup

Token costs go straight to your providers. Monitor usage on each provider's own billing dashboard — SpeechKey never touches your tokens.

07 · Privacy & security

Your keys stay in the Keychain. Your speech stays yours.

Keys

API keys are stored in the iOS Keychain and only ever leave the device toward the provider you chose.

Audio

Audio streams directly from your device to your chosen provider. No middleman server stores your speech.

08 · Troubleshooting

Quick fixes.

"Invalid key"
Re-copy the key with no leading or trailing spaces, and make sure you pasted it into the right provider field (engine vs. voice). Confirm billing is active on that provider account.
Provider blocked in your region
Enable China stable mode and add an iFLYTEK key for a domestic route. Adaptive routing will fall back automatically when a global provider is unreachable.
No spoken output
Add a voice key (ElevenLabs or Minimax) under Settings → Providers. Without a voice key, translations appear as live text only.
High latency
Let adaptive routing switch providers, or change your default engine in Settings → Routing. Adding a second engine key gives routing a faster fallback.
Where do I see costs?
On each provider's own billing dashboard (OpenAI, Alibaba Cloud, xAI, iFLYTEK, ElevenLabs, Minimax). SpeechKey only charges the €2.99/month platform fee.

Ready to set up?

Download SpeechKey, paste your keys, and start translating speech in minutes.