Dictate text on iPhone (2024)

Table of Contents

iPhone User Guide Turn on Dictation Dictate text FAQs

iOS 16

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iPhone User Guide

Welcome
- Setup basics
- Make your iPhone your own
- Take great photos and videos
- Keep in touch with friends and family
- Share features with your family
- Use iPhone for your daily routines
- Supported models
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone X
- iPhone XR
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (3rd generation)
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
What’s new in iOS 16
- Turn on and set up iPhone
- Wake and unlock
- Set up cellular service
- Use Dual SIM
- Connect to the internet
- Find settings
- Set up mail, contacts, and calendar accounts
- Learn the meaning of the status icons
- Download or bookmark the user guide
- - Learn basic gestures
  - Learn gestures for iPhone models with Face ID
- Adjust the volume
- Multitask with Picture in Picture
- Access features from the Lock Screen
- View activities in the Dynamic Island
- Perform quick actions
- Search from the Home Screen or Lock Screen
- Use AirDrop to send items
- Take a screenshot or screen recording
- Get information about your iPhone
- View or change cellular data settings
- Travel with iPhone
- Change sounds and vibrations
- - Create a custom Lock Screen
  - Change your Lock Screen
- Change the wallpaper
- Adjust the screen brightness and color balance
- Keep the iPhone display on longer
- Magnify the screen
- Change the name of your iPhone
- Change the date and time
- Change the language and region
- Use and customize Control Center
- Change or lock the screen orientation
- - Get apps
  - Use App Clips
  - Manage purchases, subscriptions, settings, and restrictions
  - Install and manage fonts
- - Buy books and audiobooks
  - Read books
  - Annotate books
  - Access books on other Apple devices
  - Listen to audiobooks
  - Set reading goals
  - Organize books
  - Read PDFs
- Calculator
- - Create and edit events in Calendar
  - Send invitations
  - Reply to invitations
  - Change how you view events
  - Search for events
  - Customize your calendar
  - Keep track of events
  - Use multiple calendars
  - Use the Holidays calendar
  - Share iCloud calendars
- - Adjust the shutter volume
  - Adjust HDR camera settings
  - Record videos
  - Record ProRes videos
  - Record video in Cinematic mode
  - Change video recording settings
  - Save camera settings
  - Change advanced camera settings
  - View, share, and print photos
  - Use Live Text
  - Scan a QR code
- - See the world clock
  - Set an alarm
  - Change the next wake up alarm
  - Use the timer or stopwatch
- Compass
- - Add and use contact information
  - Edit contacts
  - Add your contact info
  - Use other contact accounts
  - Use Contacts from the Phone app
  - Merge or hide duplicate contacts
- - Set up FaceTime
  - Make and receive calls
  - Create a FaceTime link
  - Take a Live Photo
  - Turn on Live Captions in a FaceTime call
  - Use other apps during a call
  - Make a Group FaceTime call
  - View participants in a grid
  - Use SharePlay to watch, listen, and play together
  - Share your screen
  - Hand off a FaceTime call to another device
  - Change the video settings
  - Change the audio settings
  - Add camera effects
  - Leave a call or switch to Messages
  - Block unwanted callers
- - Connect external devices or servers
  - View and modify files and folders
  - Organize files and folders
  - Send files
  - Set up iCloud Drive
  - Share files and folders in iCloud Drive
- - Adjust map settings
- - Intro to Fitness
  - Track daily activity
  - See your activity history, trends, and awards
  - Sync a third-party workout app
  - Customize Fitness notifications
  - Share your activity
- - Get started with Freeform
  - Create a Freeform board
  - Access boards on other devices
  - Position items on a board
  - Search Freeform boards
  - Share and collaborate
  - Delete boards
- - Intro to Health
  - Fill out your Health Details
  - - Download health records
    - View health records
  - Monitor your walking steadiness
  - - Log menstrual cycle information
    - View menstrual cycle predictions and history
  - - Track your medications
    - Learn more about your medications
  - - Use headphone audio level features
    - Check your headphone levels
  - Register as an organ donor
  - Back up your Health data
- - Intro to Home
  - Upgrade to the new Home architecture
  - Set up accessories
  - Control accessories
  - Control your home using Siri
  - Configure HomePod
  - Control your home remotely
  - Create and use scenes
  - Create an automation
  - Configure cameras
  - Face Recognition
  - Unlock your door with a home key
  - Configure a router
  - Share controls with others
  - Add more homes
- - Get music, movies, and TV shows
  - Get ringtones
  - Manage purchases and settings
- - Magnify nearby objects
  - Create activities
  - Change settings
- - - Add and remove email accounts
    - Set up a custom email domain
  - Check your email
  - Set email notifications
  - Search for email
  - Organize email in mailboxes
  - - Flag emails
    - Filter emails
  - - Use Hide My Email
    - Use Mail Privacy Protection
  - Change email settings
  - Delete and recover emails
  - Add a Mail widget to your Home Screen
  - Print emails
- - View maps
  - - Look around places
    - Take Flyover tours
  - Get rides
- - Measure
  - View and save measurements
  - Measure a person’s height
  - Use the level
- - Set up Messages
  - Send and reply to messages
  - Unsend and edit messages
  - Keep track of messages and conversations
  - Forward and share messages
  - Start a group conversation
  - Add photos and videos
  - Send and receive content
  - Watch, listen, or play together using SharePlay
  - Collaborate on projects
  - Animate messages
  - Use iMessage apps
  - Use Memoji
  - Send recorded audio messages
  - Send a Digital Touch effect
  - Send, receive, and request money with Apple Cash
  - Change notifications
  - Block, filter, and report messages
  - Delete messages
  - Recover deleted messages
- - Get music
  - View albums, playlists, and more
  - Play music
  - Queue up your music
  - Listen to broadcast radio
  - Listen to music with Apple Music Voice
  - Change the way music sounds
- - Get started with News
  - Use News widgets
  - See news stories chosen just for you
  - Read stories
  - Follow your favorite teams with My Sports
  - Listen to Apple News Today
  - Search for news stories
  - Save news stories for later
  - Subscribe to news channels
- - Get started with Notes
  - Add or remove accounts
  - Create and format notes
  - Draw or write
  - Scan text and documents
  - Add photos, videos, and more
  - Create Quick Notes
  - Search notes
  - Organize in folders
  - Organize with tags
  - Use Smart Folders
  - Share and collaborate
  - Lock notes
  - Change Notes settings
- - Make a call
  - Answer or decline incoming calls
  - While on a call
  - Set up voicemail
  - Check voicemail
  - Change voicemail greeting and settings
  - Select ringtones and vibrations
  - Make calls using Wi-Fi
  - Set up call forwarding and call waiting
  - Avoid unwanted calls
- - View photos
  - Play videos and slideshows
  - Delete or hide photos and videos
  - Edit photos and videos
  - Trim video length and adjust slow motion
  - Edit Cinematic mode videos
  - Edit Live Photos
  - Edit Portrait mode photos
  - Use photo albums
  - Edit and organize albums
  - Filter and sort photos and videos in albums
  - Duplicate and copy photos and videos
  - Find and delete duplicate photos and videos
  - Search for Photos
  - Find and identify people in Photos
  - Browse photos by location
  - Share photos and videos
  - Share long videos
  - View photos and videos shared with you
  - Use Live Text to interact with content in a photo or video
  - Use Visual Look Up to identify objects in your photos
  - Lift a subject from the photo background
  - Watch memories
  - Personalize your memories
  - Manage memories and featured photos
  - - Use iCloud Photos
    - Use iCloud Shared Albums
    - Set up or join an iCloud Shared Photo Library
    - Add content to an iCloud Shared Photo Library
    - Use iCloud Shared Photo Library
  - Import photos and videos
  - Print photos
- - Find podcasts
  - Listen to podcasts
  - Follow your favorite podcasts
  - Organize your podcast library
  - Download, save, or share podcasts
  - Subscribe to podcasts
  - Change download settings
- - Set up accounts
  - Add items to a list
  - Edit and manage a list
  - Search and organize lists
  - Work with templates
  - Organize with tags
  - Use Smart Lists
  - Change Reminders settings
  - Share and collaborate
  - Print reminders
- - Browse the web
  - Customize your Safari settings
  - Change the layout
  - Search for websites
  - Bookmark favorite webpages
  - Save pages to a Reading List
  - Find links shared with you
  - Annotate and save a webpage as a PDF
  - Automatically fill in forms
  - Get extensions
  - Hide ads and distractions
  - Clear your cache
- Shortcuts
- - Check stocks
  - Manage multiple watchlists
  - Read business news
  - Add earnings reports to your calendar
  - Add a Stocks widget to your Home Screen
- Tips
- - Translate text, voice, and conversations
  - Translate text in apps
  - Translate with the camera view
- - Connect apps and add your TV provider
  - Subscribe to Apple TV+, MLS Season Pass, and Apple TV channels
  - Get shows, movies, and more
  - Control playback
  - Watch together using SharePlay
  - Manage your library
  - Change the settings
- - Make a recording
  - Play it back
  - Edit or delete a recording
  - Keep recordings up to date
  - Organize recordings
  - Search for or rename a recording
  - Share a recording
  - Duplicate a recording
- - Keep cards and passes in Wallet
  - Set up Apple Pay
  - Use Apple Pay for contactless payments
  - Use Apple Pay in apps, App Clips, and Safari
  - Use Apple Cash
  - Use Apple Card
  - Use Savings
  - Manage payment cards and activity
  - Pay for transit
  - Use digital keys
  - Use your driver’s license or state ID
  - Use student ID cards
  - Apple Account Card
  - Add and use passes
  - Manage passes
  - Use COVID-19 vaccination cards
- - Check the weather
  - Check the weather in other locations
  - View weather maps
  - Manage weather notifications
  - Add a Weather widget to your Home Screen
  - Learn the weather icons
- Use Siri
- Find out what Siri can do
- Tell Siri about yourself
- Have Siri announce calls and notifications
- Add Siri Shortcuts
- About Siri Suggestions
- Use Siri in your car
- Change Siri settings
- Contact emergency services
- Use Emergency SOS via satellite
- Set up and view your Medical ID
- Manage Crash Detection
- Reset privacy and security settings in an emergency
- Set up Family Sharing
- Add Family Sharing members
- Remove Family Sharing members
- Share subscriptions
- Share purchases
- Share locations with family and locate lost devices
- Set up Apple Cash Family and Apple Card Family
- Set up parental controls
- Set up a child’s device
- View your Screen Time summary
- Set up Screen Time for yourself
- Set up Screen Time for a family member
- Get a report of your device use
- Charging cable
- Power adapters
- MagSafe chargers and battery packs
- MagSafe cases and sleeves
- Qi-certified wireless chargers
- - Use AirPods
  - Use EarPods
- Apple Watch
- - Wirelessly stream videos and photos to Apple TV or a smart TV
  - Connect to a display with a cable
- HomePod and other wireless speakers
- External storage devices
- Bluetooth accessories
- Printers
- Share your internet connection
- Allow phone calls on your iPad, iPod touch, and Mac
- Use iPhone as a webcam
- Hand off tasks between devices
- Wirelessly stream video, photos, and audio to Mac
- Cut, copy, and paste between iPhone and other devices
- Connect iPhone and your computer with a cable
- Intro to CarPlay
- Connect to CarPlay
- Use Siri
- Use your vehicle’s built-in controls
- Get turn-by-turn directions
- Report traffic incidents
- Change the map view
- Make phone calls
- Play music
- View your calendar
- Send and receive text messages
- Announce incoming text messages
- Play podcasts
- Play audiobooks
- Listen to news stories
- Control your home
- Use other apps with CarPlay
- Rearrange icons on CarPlay Home
- Change settings in CarPlay
- Get started with accessibility features
- Use built-in privacy and security protections
- Keep your Apple ID secure
- Create and manage Hide My Email addresses
- Protect your web browsing with iCloud Private Relay
- Use a private network address
- Use Advanced Data Protection
- Lockdown Mode
- Turn iPhone on or off
- Force restart iPhone
- Update iOS
- Back up iPhone
- Return iPhone settings to their defaults
- Restore all content from a backup
- Restore purchased and deleted items
- Sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone
- Erase iPhone
- Install or remove configuration profiles
- Important safety information
- Important handling information
- Find more resources for software and service
- FCC compliance statement
- ISED Canada compliance statement
- Ultra Wideband information
- Class 1 Laser information
- Apple and the environment
- Disposal and recycling information
- Unauthorized modification of iOS
Copyright

With Dictation on iPhone, you can dictate text anywhere you can type it. You can also use typing and Dictation together—the keyboard stays open during Dictation so you can easily switch between voice and touch to enter text. For example, you can select text with touch and replace it with your voice.

Turn on Dictation

Go to Settings > General> Keyboard.
Turn on Enable Dictation.

Dictate text

Tap to place the insertion point where you want to insert text.
Tap on the onscreen keyboard or in any text field where it appears (as in Messages, for example). Then speak.
If you don’t see , make sure Dictation is turned on. Go to Settings> General> Keyboard, then turn on Enable Dictation.
As you speak to insert text, iPhone automatically inserts punctuation for you.
Note: You can turn off automatic punctuation by going to Settings> General> Keyboard, then turning off Auto-Punctuation.
As you dictate text, you can insert emoji by saying their names (for example, “mind blown emoji” or “happy emoji”).
When you finish, tap .

Helpful?

Thanks for your feedback.

FAQs

Dictate text on iPhone? ›

Go to Settings > General > Keyboard, then turn on Enable Dictation. As you speak to insert text, iPhone automatically inserts punctuation for you. Note: You can turn off automatic punctuation by going to Settings > General > Keyboard, then turning off Auto-Punctuation.

Find Out More ›

How do I enable voice typing? ›

Turn Assistant voice typing on or off

On your phone or tablet, open any app that you can type with, like Messages or Gmail.
Tap where you can enter text.
At the top of the keyboard, tap Settings. Voice typing.
Turn Assistant voice typing on or off.