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How to type with your voice on iphone and ipad.

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If you have a complex idea you'd like to jot down quickly on your iPhone or iPad, you can simply speak it with your voice thanks to Apple's built-in dictation feature. Here's how to use it.

Any time you're in an app where you can input text with the keyboard, you can use voice dictation instead of typing. To do so, tap the text input field so that your on-screen keyboard pops up. Next, tap the small microphone button located to the left of the space bar.

(If you don't see the microphone icon on your keyboard, make sure that  Dictation is enabled on your device . To do so, launch Settings, then navigate to General > Keyboard and turn "Enable Dictation" on. And if your on-screen keyboard doesn't appear , then you likely have an external Bluetooth keyboard connected.)

After tapping the microphone button, the on-screen keyboard will be replaced with a moving waveform made out of lines that change based on how loudly you're talking. As you speak, words will appear on the screen once your device has recognized them.

When you're all done speaking, tap the keyboard button at the bottom of the screen, and dictation mode will end.

The on-screen keyboard will reappear, and you can use it to add to or edit your dictation input. If you ever need to get back into dictation mode, just tap the microphone button again.

While using dictation on the iPhone, you might wonder how to do things like start a new line or enter punctuation. In those cases, you'll need to speak out your commands or the names of the punctuation characters. Here are some examples.

• Numbers: If you'd like to enter a number as a numeral instead of as a word, say "numeral" before you speak the number. For example, saying "numeral 4" will print a "4" on the screen rather than the word "four."
• Punctuation and Symbols: If you want to use punctuation, say the name of the punctuation character. For example, "period," "comma," "question mark," "exclamation mark," and "hyphen" all produce their special equivalent characters on the screen instead of the words themselves. Similarly, you can say "asterisk," "ampersand," "hashtag," and more to get the proper symbols on the screen.
• Line Breaks: To go to a new line (like pressing Return on a keyboard), say "new line." You can also say "new paragraph" to insert a new paragraph break.
• Emoticons: You can speak out several old-school emoticons, such as "smiley face" :-), "frowny face" :-(, and "winky face" ;-), and they will appear on the screen as the proper symbols.
• Capital Letters: To capitalize a single letter, say "cap," then the letter. To turn on capitalizing the first letter of every word, say "caps on" (and disable with "caps off"). To make the next word entirely capitalized, say "all caps" before you speak the word. And to switch caps lock on, say "all caps on." You can disable it by saying "all caps off."

When you dictate on your iPhone or iPad, be aware that recordings of your voice and other data are being sent to Apple if you are connected to the internet. That's because Apple's ever-improving voice recognition algorithms in the cloud can generally do a better job than an on-device solution. Apple claims that this dictation data is not linked to your Apple account and is not sold or used to build a marketing profile.

If you are offline, dictation will still work, but only in your region's main language. Still, you might find that it doesn't work as well as the online version. If absolute privacy is an issue, you can avoid using dictation or disable dictation completely in Settings by visiting General > Keyboard and switching "Enable Dictation" to "off."

Still, Dictation on the iPhone is a powerful feature to have, and it works very well compared to dictation technologies of the past, so experiment and have fun!

Related: How to Remove the Microphone Button from Your iPhone Keyboard

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Dictation in iOS 16 is so good you’ll want to use it every day–here’s how

You’ve been able to dictate text to your iPhone instead of typing for a very long time, and over the years it has occasionally gotten better. But with iOS 16 , the dictation features are taking a huge step forward in usability—so much so that you might actually start using it all the time. As long as you have an iPhone with an A12 Bionic chip or better (that’s an iPhone XS), you’ll be able to seamlessly talk and type or edit, which makes the entire dictation “workflow” a lot smoother. Automatic punctuation can add commas, periods, and question marks. And you can add emoji via voice, too.

Here’s how to make the most of these awesome new dictation features to speed up your typing.

Just tap the mic

You start using dictation the same way you would in earlier versions of iOS: just tap the microphone icon in the lower right corner of your keyboard. You’ll notice in Messages, the mic icon is right in the text entry field, replacing the old voice memo button.

Then, simply start talking. In nearly any text entry area other than Search fields, words will start appearing as you speak but the keyboard will remain on screen, with the microphone button highlighted.

While you’re speaking, you can switch to typing at any time, then just resume speaking to keep entering text that way. Alternate between typing and speaking freely–once you get the hang of it, it’s quite fast. You can double-tap words to select them, press and hold on the space bar to move around the cursor like a trackpad; all the usual text entry controls are always right there, you can just speak now in addition to tapping and swiping.

You’ll notice a small “stop dictating” microphone icon right next to the text cursor. Tap that, or the microphone icon at the bottom of the keyboard, to stop dictating. Dictation will also stop automatically if there’s a long stretch of silence.

Talking tips

Dictation works best if you annunciate clearly and speak at a regular pace. It’s a little different than speaking casually, but it’s worth the effort for the improved speed.

There are a host of commands you can give to format text or type special characters. While the new auto-punctuation feature (see below) will attempt to correctly insert commas, periods, and question marks, other punctuation can be added just by speaking. Here’s a list of some of the most useful formatting commands. Just speak them as you talk, such as “In iOS 16 comma dictation is incredibly useful exclamation point”.

You have been able to add a couple of different emojis in dictation for years, mostly just smiles and frowns, but iOS 16 greatly expands the number. You’ll have to experiment a little to find which descriptions correspond with the right emoji, but the key is to say “emoji” after it. If you want to type the word “shrug,” say “shrug.” But if you want to type 🤷‍♂️ then say “shrug emoji.”

Important settings

There are two important settings to know about for dictation. Open Settings > General > Keyboard and then scroll down to the Dictation section to find them. The first will turn off the dictation feature entirely. This is generally not necessary–Apple will sometimes send voice samples back to its servers to improve dictation quality, but the phrases are brief and anonymized, it’s not like there’s an open mic recording your every word. Simply not entering dictation mode is enough to keep it inactive.

The other toggle turns the auto-punctuation feature on or off. This is a new feature for iOS 16 and it attempts to insert commas, periods, and question marks intelligently by paying attention to your phrasing and tone of voice. It’s a little hit-and-miss in the iOS 16 beta, so if you find that whatever time this saves you is offset by all the corrections you make, just turn it off.

Author: Jason Cross , Senior Editor, Macworld

Jason has written about technology for more than 25 years - first in the gaming press, then focusing on enthusiast PCs and general technology. He enjoys learning how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.

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How to Turn on Voice to Text on iPhone

• iPhone’s Dictation feature provides voice-to-text for users.
• This handy Accessibility feature is also easy to enable.
• Dictation can be the most useful for quickly sending Messages.

Wondering how to turn on voice-to-text on iPhone? Well, wonder no more. Since the inception of the iPhone, Apple has consistently delivered new Accessibility features within various iterations of iOS. From small things, such as being able to change the size of the font, to larger things, such as Assistive Touch and Siri, Apple ensures that the iPhone is as accessible as it possibly can be. Fortunately, for those that need it, or simply want to have it, the iPhone does have a rather powerful voice-to-text feature. 

With that in mind, I’m going to take a look at this iPhone Dictation feature, which is one way to get voice-to-text on iPhone. In addition to going over how to enable the feature, I’ll show you some iPhone voice commands, and what to do if voice-to-text on iPhone is not working. I also cover a few tips and tricks you can implement to have a better experience using your device Dictation. For those that need it, a good speech tool can be extraordinarily helpful, so let’s take a look at this screen keyboard replacement. 

Why Opt for Voice to Text on iPhone?

Apple has made it easy for those that want to dictate to their iPhone rather than navigate their onscreen keyboard. For those that have an iPhone X or later (as well as the second-generation iPhone SE), you have the option to dictate your speech rather than use keyboard inputs. This can be particularly useful for those that would rather input text via voice dictation rather than using the onscreen keyboard, and it also serves as a useful Accessibility feature . 

However, be aware that Dictation is not available in all countries or regions. The feature may also vary by region. You can view the list of languages that are available on Apple’s website . You may also need a software update to enable Dictation. Ensure your device is up to date by navigating to Settings > General > Software Update . Also, remember that Dictation may require an internet connection. 

How Do I Activate Voice to Text?

To activate voice-to-text, there’s a series of steps you need to follow, which mainly involves finding Dictation in Settings. 

Time needed:  1 minute

Follow these steps to enable Dictation or Voice-to-Text.

That’s all there is to it! You now have access to your iPhone’s dictation tools. To use Dictation Mode, simply tap the microphone icon on your keyboard. Essentially, continue to use your iPhone as you would normally, only you will now press the microphone icon rather than typing keys on your onscreen keyboard. Note that dictation has automatic punctuation, though you are able to turn it off via Settings > General > Keyboard > Auto-Punctuation . If you are using iOS 16, you can say the name of any emoji to add the emoji in dictation.

There’s no set length to a voice dictation, though you can stop a dictation at any time by tapping the mic icon again, or simply stop talking for thirty seconds. If you need to disable the feature, you can always go back into your keyboard settings but remember that you need to tap the microphone button to activate the feature. 

Getting the Most Out of iPhone Dictation and Voice to Text

Using Dictation is as simple as tapping the microphone button, though you should be aware that it will move depending on what app you are using. For example, within Messages, the microphone icon is actually right next to the text input box. Typically, the mic icon can be found at the bottom of your keyboard, so remember this distinction.

Using Dictation, you can switch between texting and talking at any point during your input. You can even begin speaking, start typing and then go back to speaking. Just like when using your keyboard, you can double-tap words to highlight and select them, or you can press and hold the spacebar to move the cursor around within the text field. Essentially, Apple makes it easy to use the keyboard, Dictation or a combination of both. 

Also, remember that there are voice commands for creating certain special characters. Consult our article on using Mac Dictation to view these special characters, which allows you to use the Punctuation and Special Character commands for Dictation. Also, remember that you can disable Auto-Punctuation within this dictation feature. 

Tips for Seamless Dictation

If you’re looking for the best Dictation accuracy, there are a couple of things you should keep in mind. First, try to ensure that you are in a quiet environment, as this will produce the best audio quality for this speech feature. Having an area free of distractions is going to help your device manage your Dictation requests.

Another good tip is to consider your speech speed and Dictation functionality. While the feature is beyond capable of interpreting speech, you may still want to try an even-paced voice when first using it. Try to go a tad slower than your typical voice, keeping a consistent pace as you talk. You might have an issue with your speech at the start, but it shouldn’t take too long to get the hang of the speech function. 

Why Is My Voice To Text Not Working on My iPhone?

If you are having issues with Dictation, there are a couple of things you can try. First, ensure that you are using an iPhone that supports the feature, and make sure to check for any software updates that may be available. You can always check for an iOS update by going to Settings > General > Software Update . Below, I also cover other issues you may experience. 

Why Can’t I Enable Voice Texting?

You should also ensure that your Siri speech models are downloaded to your iPhone. You can check this by navigating to Settings > Siri & Searc h. Below your Siri & Dictation History, it should say “Voice input is processed on iPhone”. If you do not see this, make sure Siri is enabled by turning on the Listen for “Hey Siri”. If you are using iOS 17, you will also just be able to say “Siri” to enable Siri .

Looking for the Listen for “Hey Siri” feature is also important, as it can be another way to fix Dictation issues. Disabling Siri and then reenabling it can be a solution to Dictation not working. Navigate to Settings > Siri & Search , and ensure Listen for “Hey Siri” and Allow Siri When Locked are disabled and then enabled.

You can also try changing the language. Some users are reporting that having English (United Kingdom) doesn’t work for them, but it does work when switched to English (United States). This can be found in the Siri & Search menu under Language. Lastly, you can also try putting your iPhone in Airplane Mode and then turning off Airplane Mode. This will soft reset your network settings. 

If you find that Dictation is not working with a third-party app, note that the app may not support this feature. While the most popular apps in the Apple App Store won’t have this problem, more obscure apps potentially might. 

Having the ability to dictate your ideas to your iPhone can be particularly useful, especially as an Accessibility feature . As mentioned, be sure to experiment with the feature a couple of times before attempting to use it daily; you will get a lot more mileage out of this built-in text-to-speech feature if you have experience using it. The more you use the feature, the higher chance you and your phone have of developing higher dictation quality. Of course, if you found this article helpful, or you have your own ideas and thoughts, feel free to share them in the comments below. 

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• Nick deCourville

How to enable, use, and disable dictation on iPhone and iPad

Dictation gives you the ability to talk to your iPhone or iPad instead of typing. You can access it almost anytime your keyboard is on screen, so if you really want you never have to type a text, email, note, or even Facebook message ever again.

How to enable and disable dictation on iPhone and iPad

How to use dictation on iphone and ipad.

• Launch the Settings app from your Home screen.
• Tap General .
• Tap Keyboard .
• Tap on the On/Off switch next to Enable Dictation . Green means on, and gray means off.

• Launch any app that uses the keyboard. I will use Messages for this example.
• Tap on the text field to bring up the keyboard.
• Tap on the Dictation button. It's the microphone between the Emoji button and Space Bar.

• Start speaking . You should notice the words come up as you go.
• Tap Done when you are done speaking. Alternatively, if your microphone isn't picking up any sound for a short amount of time it will shut off itself.

Dictation isn't perfect, so make sure you are speaking loud and clear in order to get the most accurate results. It works best when your iPhone or iPad is connected to a Wi-Fi network, and it won't work if you have no reception of any kind. If you care about proper sentence structure at all, you'll need to speak any punctuation. For example, "Hi mom [exclaimation point] I'm coming by later [period] Do you want me to pick anything up from the store [question mark]"

Anything things else you want to know about dictation on the iPhone and iPad? Let us know in the comments below!

Master your iPhone in minutes

iMore offers spot-on advice and guidance from our team of experts, with decades of Apple device experience to lean on. Learn more with iMore!

Luke Filipowicz has been a writer at iMore, covering Apple for nearly a decade now. He writes a lot about Apple Watch and iPad but covers the iPhone and Mac as well. He often describes himself as an "Apple user on a budget" and firmly believes that great technology can be affordable if you know where to look. Luke also heads up the iMore Show — a weekly podcast focusing on Apple news, rumors, and products but likes to have some fun along the way. 

Luke knows he spends more time on Twitter than he probably should, so feel free to follow him or give him a shout on social media @LukeFilipowicz .

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How to Dictate on iPhone

Turn dictation on from Keyboard settings, tap the microphone, and speak away

• University of Texas at Arlington

In This Article

Jump to a Section

• Step-by-Step: Turn on Dictation
• Step-by-Step: Use Dictation
• Keywords for Punctuation

What to Know

• Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > toggle on Enable Dictation .
• Open on-screen keyboard in app with text field > tap the microphone > speak > view your words on screen.
• Use keywords for punctuation > tap the microphone, keyboard, or empty part of screen to stop dictation.

This article explains how to dictate on iPhone with instructions for turning on, using, and ending Dictation. Also included are keywords that you can say to add punctuation and line breaks. Instructions apply to iPhones running iOS 15 or later and iPads running iPadOS 15 or later.

Dictation isn't available in every language and region. Depending on where you are, you may incur data charges when using this feature.

How to Turn on Dictation on iPhone

One of the most powerful features of iOS and iPadOS is also one that is easy to miss: dictation.

Siri may get all the press for being a  great personal assistant , but Dictation may be at its best when it's taking notes, and it's available for both the iPhone and the iPad.

If you haven't used this feature yet, the first step is to turn it on. Here's how:

Voice dictation is available any time the on-screen keyboard is available, which means no hunting around for it when you need it. You can use it for text messages, email messages, or taking notes in your favorite app.

Open Settings .

Tap General .

Choose Keyboard .

Move the toggle on (green position) beside Enable Dictation .

How to Use Dictation on iPhone

Once you've enabled dictation on your iPhone, follow these directions to help you use it.

If using the on-screen keyboard of your iPad is inconvenient when typing more than a line or two, use dictation instead. Voice dictation makes the iPhone a viable alternative to a laptop for sending and replying to emails. However, older devices may require an internet connection to do the heavy lifting.

Display the on-screen keyboard by tapping a field that accepts text (such as an email or note).

Tap the microphone icon.

You may be prompted to enable dictation even if you turned it on from Keyboard settings. Tap Enable Dictation to confirm.

Start talking. The device listens to your voice and turns it into text as you speak.

Use keywords to insert punctuation or paragraph breaks as needed.

Tap the small microphone in the text field or keyboard, or tap an empty area in the text field > Stop to end dictation.

You may also see a keyboard icon as the prompt for stopping dictation. Dictation also times out after 30 seconds in iOS and iPadOS 16 or later.

Make adjustments to the text as necessary with the keyboard.

Add Punctuation With These Dictation Keywords

To get the most out of Dictation, use these keywords to add punctuation or line breaks:

• Period : The "." is the standard way to end a sentence.
• Question Mark : The "?" punctuation mark.
• New Paragraph : Starts a new paragraph. End the previous sentence before beginning the new paragraph.
• Exclamation Point : The "!" punctuation mark.
• Comma : The "," punctuation mark.
• Colon : The ":" punctuation mark.
• Semi-Colon : The ";" punctuation mark
• Ellipsis : The "..." punctuation mark
• Quote and Unquote : Puts quotation marks around words or phrases.
• Slash : The "/" symbol.
• Asterisk : The "*" symbol.
• Ampersand : The "&" symbol, which means "and."
• At Sign : The "@" symbol found in email addresses.
• Emoji : Say emoji names like "heart emoji."

Voice dictation automatically adds spaces after punctuation that needs it—periods, commas, and closing quotation marks, for example. You can turn off automatic punctuation from General > Keyboard > Automatic Punctuation .

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The 6 Best Dictation Apps for iPhone

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Voice dictation is convenient. It allows for multitasking while at home, speeding up chores such as writing down a shopping list, and even effectively note down professional meetings to free you up to focus on the discussion. Making a note on your phone simply by saying it rather than having to write it down can be a game-changer.

Speech-to-text can be much faster than you can type, and it can be a very helpful tool in day-to-day life. Picking the best dictation app for iPhone is a smart move, and we've got you covered on choices.

Native iPhone Dictation

iPhone 6s or later have a native dictator built-in. You can access it by tapping the microphone icon on your keyboard and then simply start speaking to dictate.

Any word that the dictator isn't sure it heard correctly will display with a blue squiggle underneath, which allows you to double-check before sending a message, or finalizing a grocery list.

While an in-built native dictator is a good feature from Apple, its barebone functionality may lead you to try alternatives.

Best Third-Party Dictation Apps for iPhone

1. dictation - speech to text.

Dictation is one of the highly-rated dictation apps on the App Store and for good reason.

It has a simple user interface, allowing you to type or speak via the Start Recording button located on the bottom menu. It has an in-built Translation feature, the ability to import recordings to Transcribe , and you can also share it via the app to AirDrop and pretty much any messaging app. You can store text in your iCloud Drive with this app.

It works with UK English, American English, and Spanish. It is very accurate with both UK and American English, with good ratings on the App Store for Spanish.

Finally, its Settings section allows for a lot of customization in the visuals of the interface.

Dictation's offering of translation, customization options, and its dedicated help section make it a worthy alternative to iPhone's native dictator.

Download: Dictation for iOS  (Free, in-app purchases available)

Scribe is a relatively new app, but its seek, calming UI, and less-is-more approach make it a worthy consideration for your dictator app of choice.

As you make a voice recording, its AI will turn it into text. When you've finished and saved your recording, you can swipe left on it to bring up some options such as Export, Rename, and Delete.

Related:  The Best (Free) Speech-to-Text Software for Windows

Its export feature allows all the main messaging apps and the built-in Files app. Keeping all voice recordings that you created via dictation can help with self-organization. For instance, knowing that all meetings where you need to use dictation can be kept within the Scribe app. This is a plus against the iPhone's native dictator, which simply works with the keyboard and doesn't have a dedicated library of files.

Download: Scribe for iOS  (Free)

3. Transcribe

Transcribe by DENVIP utilizes very capable artificial intelligence to provide near-instant transcriptions of your speech recordings. This can take a lot of pressure off for you if you regularly attend meetings, or otherwise need to make a lot of notes that often break the flow of your work.

With its premium model, Transcribe is probably best for people who are using the app for professional reasons.

You can import videos or audio recordings from your iCloud Drive or iPhone into the app, or simply use their native Voice Recorder. With three forms of English as well as French available, Transcribe offers lots of choices in terms of what you can import into it.

The premium version allows you to export dictation files to text, PDF, DOCX, SRT, and JPG, as well as continue editing it in on a web browser on Mac or PC.

Its comprehensive export and importing abilities, as well as its feature of adding photos to Files make it a great alternative to iPhone's native dictator.

Download: Transcribe for iOS  (Free, subscription available)

Otter is the clear winner on this list for UI, and it's not hard to see how this app has some of the best ratings out of the dictation apps available on the App Store. Its Recorder allows for photos to be added in, and you can also invite someone via a link to edit, comment, or simply view the recording.

It has a feature that lets you sync it up to your calendars so that you can make a reminder while in a meeting for a follow-up.

It's also pretty generous with its free Basic plan, allowing 600 minutes of usage before you'll need to pay to continue using the app.

Otter offers the ability to filter recordings into Groups or Folders , with a dedicated tab for the recordings that have been Shared with You by others. Its Import feature seamlessly syncs with iCloud Drive.

Download: Otter for iOS | Android  (Free, subscription available)

5. Transcribe Live

Transcribe Live is a very simple app that does what it says on the tin. It has only four tabs - Record , Transcriptions , Credits , and Settings .

While it does not support importing from iCloud Drive or somewhere else, you can record your dictation in-app via the Record tab, and then it will automatically transcribe for you via the Transcribe tab.

Transcribe Live allows you to export your recordings and transcriptions to any messaging app, or to be saved to your Files. You can edit the transcriptions outside the app where you've exported them to to make sure that it is 100% correct.

The app gives you 15 minutes for free when you first start the app, and has one-off purchases as well as subscription options available for purchasing more.

Download: Transcribe Live for iOS  (Free, in-app purchases, subscription available)

Drafts is a highly comprehensive app, and while it can be a little overwhelming, it is highly capable of your needs. Its customization, exporting options, and seamless syncing with Apple Watch makes it a strong entry into this list. While Microsoft Word can be used effectively with voice typing , Drafts is more than a match for Word with its seamless integration of dictation into its feature offering.

You can make notes by tapping the Search icon, which allows you to open a New Draft , New with Clipboard , or New with Dictation . Exporting options include Google Drive, Evernote, OneNote, iCloud Drive, and you can also export directly as a WordPress post, a Tweet, or an email on Gmail.

The text can be arranged using a drag-and-drop mechanic, and you can also manually add in syntax. You can also group together different Drafts utilizing their Tags feature. Its Pro version allows three different color schemes for the UI and other customizations that make the app's visual organization appealing to you.

Drafts is not only a great alternative to iPhone's native dictator, but to in-built apps such as Notes, Voice Memos, and Pages.

Download: Drafts for iOS  (Free, subscription available)

Read My Lips

Sticking with the native iPhone dictator is fine enough, but if you use dictation a lot in your professional life, then a third-party alternative such as the ones covered here will be a better option for you.

• Note-Taking Apps
• Speech Recognition

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7 Best speech to text apps for iPhone in 2024

Some people can type hell for leather, but we have to agree that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. How would it be if you could type as fast as you speak? Well, why think when you can execute! While iPhone’s native Notes app can handle your basic transcribing needs, it lacks added functionality.

So, here’s a list of the best speech-to-text apps for your iPhone!

• dictate2us Record & Transcribe
• Rev Voice Recorder & Memos
• Day One Journal

1. Evernote: Notes organizer – Editor’s choice

Evernote is a widely used application for note-taking. However, it serves multiple purposes like clipping articles, scanning documents, and also allows adding content (pictures, videos, audio, etc.) with notes.  

Open the virtual keyboard and tap the mic below the return key to dictate text. You can now dictate, and it’ll not only be converted but also sync across your devices.

If you’re a student, you can use the app to take notes, track them, and even create separate notebooks. Further, you can also bring people, projects, and ideas together with shared Spaces. This is especially helpful for businesses or if you are working on a group project. Evernote also has multiple other features and is free to use.  

• Scan and convert handwritten notes
• Transcription works flawlessly
• Numerous useful templates
• Note linking
• Excellent organization system
• Cannot save data offline
• Lean cloud storage
• Cannot sync with more than 2 devices with the basic plan

Price : Free (In-App Purchases start at $10.00)

2. dictate2us Record & Transcribe – Fastest transcription service

Dicatate2us is one of the leaders in transcription services, and you can get the audio transcribed within an hour regardless of the time, 365 days a year. You can record letters, reports, case notes, interviews, etc.  

All you need to do is save a recording which will get uploaded to the platform. A person, yes, an actual person, will sit and transcribe the audio, after which an editor will check if there are errors, and then the Google doc file will be sent to you.  

Dicatate2us can be downloaded for free, and you get a $15 free trial credit. After the trial ends, you are charged a minute rate depending on the turnaround time. D2U uses military-grade encryption, so you need not worry about confidential data being hacked.

• Military-grade encryption
• Fast turnaround time
• $15 Trial credit
• Can’t transcribe instantly

Price : Free ($15 trial credit) 

3. Transcribe: Speech to Text – Instant transcription

Some people repeatedly listen to their voice memos as reminders. However, listening to the whole message to get to something you want to hear might be a time-consuming event, and Transcribe comes in. It is among the fastest transcription apps. A tap of a button is all it takes to transcribe your audio or video files. 

It lets you transcribe any voice or video file into text. All is done with the help of AI. You get 15 minutes of the free trial, after which you will need to either upgrade to the Pro version or buy add-on hours. Transcribe Pro offers features like exporting files in TXT, PDF, and DOCX formats. You also get 5 hours of transcription every month and can save up to 50GB of files on its cloud.  

• Instant transcription
• Supports both audio and video files
• Supports multiple file formats
• Not great for longer duration transcriptions
• Users have reported frequent app crashes

Price : Free (In-app purchase starts at $4.99)

4. Rev Voice Recorder & Memos – Simplified design

Rev Voice is yet another transcription service that people have employed to transcribe audio. The company claims a 99% plus accuracy rate alongside fast turnaround times. You can get a 30-minute recording transcribed under 12 hours.  

The Rev Voice app has a clean and minimal user interface. Besides transcribing audio, it also lets you record audio, trim the audio, etc. You can use the recorder in the background, and it will automatically pause when you receive a call.  

While the application is free to download, Rev charges 1 credit for a minute of audio transcribed, and if you avail of their services through their website, it’ll cost you $1.50 for a minute of audio transcribed. You can also view the progress of your order, and once done, you’ll receive it in your email inbox and the app.

• Affordable rates
• Effortless editing
• High accuracy rate
• The subscription model would make the service more appealing
• Turnaround times are longer

Price : Free (1 credit costs $1.99)

5: Dictation: Speech to text – Translate your transcription

Dictation serves one purpose, converting speech to text, and it does the job quite decently. But there are instances where it might miss a few words. You can not only record audio in the app but also import audio files.

Further, translation is a unique feature offered by Dictation. It supports over 40 languages. All you have to do is tap a button to translate the transcribed text.

The app also has iCloud Synchronization. Once turned on, you can dictate text from your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, etc.

Besides, you can also share the text across several social media platforms like Twitter, WhatsApp, etc. However, the app is infested with ads. You will need to upgrade to the pro version to get rid of ads, costing $17.49 per year.

• Translation with support for 40 languages
• Works flawlessly across multiple iOS devices
• Cluttered UI 
• Infested with ads 

Price : Free (Pro version costs $4.99 per month)

6. Day One Journal: Private diary – Journalling made fun

If you want to get into the habit of maintaining a daily journal but have been postponing the idea for a long time because you find writing to be a tedious process, Day One Journal is here to help. You can add notes to your journal at any time of the day as the app provides speech-to-text services.

It’s not just words; you can also add videos and images alongside handwritten entries or drawings to your journal. However, this feature is limited to the premium version. You can also take notes from your Apple watch. If that was not enough, you could also send text messages or emails to your journals.  Pretty impressive, right?

• Easy to use
• Supports and integrates images, videos, etc., in the journal
• Can only be used as a diary

Price : Free (Premium costs $5.99 per month)

7. Otter: Transcribe voice notes – Best for businesses

Otter works flawlessly for transcribing text and is an excellent tool for personal use. But it shines more when put to use in a corporate environment. You can automatically take notes (through speech to text), save these notes, and share them with everyone on the team.

Another great feature of Otter is that it provides live captioning to the deaf or people with special needs. The app also lets users highlight text, and the punctuation is quite accurate.

The integration of Otter with iOS helps you start recording through Siri shortcuts and syncs notes with the iOS calendar, contacts, etc. You can also record with AirPods. The app offers all these features for a limited amount of time as a free trial, after which the Pro subscription offers 6000 transcription minutes per month. A great overall app for businesses!

• Caters to specially-abled users
• Great iOS integration
• The free plan is good for personal use
• Transcription is a hit or miss for longer audio files
• No support for images in notes

Price : Free (Premium Costs $16.99 per month) 

Wrapping up!

Well, this was my list of the best speech-to-text apps for iPhone and iPad, which are beneficial for both students and professionals. If you found the right speech-to-text app that suits your requirements, share your thoughts in the comments below!

• Best translation apps for iPhone and iPad
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• Top alarm apps for iPhone and iPad
• Best voice recorder apps for iPhone

Consumer Technology and Motorcycles are the two things that excite Darryl the most. Why? Because Tech helps better people's lives, and solving people's problems related to tech is something he enjoys. And what about bikes, you ask? Well, drop a gear and disappear.

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Apple's iOS comes with several valuable features, Dictation on iPhone being one of them. The feature allows users to type without straining their fingers on a small screen. It's powered by advanced voice recognition and voice processing and generally works seamlessly.

Apple's voice assistant Siri is also based on the same technology. The fact that smartphones can convert speech to text in real-time shows how far smartphones have come. iPhones can also translate text from one language to another without using any third-party apps or platforms using Translate.

Related: How To Add Effects To iMessage On iPhone

Dictation on iPhone lets users dictate text pretty much anywhere they can type. Users can even use Dictation alongside typing, in which the keyboard remains on the screen while users speak what they wish to enter in a text field, so they can easily switch between the two input modes. First, users must activate the feature in Settings > General > Keyboard > Enable Dictation. Then, they should head to the platform with a text field where they wish to insert text. Now, tap on the microphone icon in the text field or the microphone icon on the keyboard and start dictating text. The iPhone will process the words and convert them to text with punctuation.

These iPhones Support Voice Dictation

The speech-to-text feature on iPhones can be handy, especially when users don't wish to type, but there are certain things that they should know. The models that support Dictation include iPhone SE (2nd generation and later), iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and all the models in the iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 lineup. On the official support page, Apple mentions that Dictation requests are processed on iPhones offline . However, the text is shared with the providers when users speak to type on search engines. The feature is available in many languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Arabic, Greek, Hindi, Russian, and Vietnamese.

While dictating text, users can add emojis by saying phrases like " mind-blown emoji " or " laughing emoji ." When done with the message, tap on the small microphone icon with a cross to stop dictating. It appears along with the cursor. Alternatively, the feature turns off when users do not speak for 30 seconds. Since there is no limit on the length of the message that can be created, users can easily dictate long emails with pointers or short messages to friends on social media platforms. Dictation on iPhone works well with most communications apps, including Apple Messages , WhatsApp, Instagram, Mail, Gmail, and on other apps such as Notes.

Next: How To Send A Voice Message On An iPhone With iOS 16

Source: Apple

How to Fix iPhone Dictation Not Working

Mehvish Mushtaq is a computer engineer by degree. Her love for Android and gadgets led her to develop the first Android app for Kashmir. Known as Dial Kashmir, she won the prestigious Nari Shakti award from the President of India. She has been writing about technology for 6+ years and her favorite categories include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, social media, and web apps.

Arshmeet has been a tech tinkerer since childhood, but she realized her love for technology and writing about 5 years ago. Since then, she has been honing her skills and helping people figure out how things work, troubleshoot problems, choose the right app and products, and dig deep into the new and old concepts of technology. She is a self-professed Apple Enthusiast who loves debating what’s good and what’s not. It is her passion for finding techniques, hacks, apps, and products that make everyday life simpler.

• Firstly check if Dictation is enabled on your device. Go to Settings → General → Keyboards → Enable Dictation.
• Switching to English(UK) has worked for many. Go to Settings → General → Keyboards → Keyboards → select English (UK).
• Check for Screen Time limitations for Siri and Dictation; disable it to use Dictation seamlessly.

Basic Fixes

• Restart iPhone – The first thing that you must do if voice-to-text functionality isn’t working on your iPhone is to restart it. Many times, simply restarting the iPhone is enough to fix the issue of dictation on the iPhone not working.
• Check for microphone-related Issues – If the dictation feature doesn’t convert speech to text on your iPhone, there are chances that the microphone of your iPhone isn’t working properly. Try using the microphone in a different app like Voice memo , if the mic isn’t working check out these ways to fix the microphone not working on iPhone .
• Disable low power mode – One of the reasons behind Dictation not working on iPhone could be that low power mode is enabled. Try disabling it and then testing the feature.
• Update iOS – Sometimes, the dictation not working issue can happen due to a bug in the current version of iOS. You must update the iOS to the latest version to fix the issue.

Fix 1. Ensure Dictation is Enabled

To use the iPhone keyboard voice typing feature, you must enable Dictation in settings. Moreover, disabling and re-enabling the Dictation feature might help if voice Dictation not working.

Step 1 : Open Settings. Go to General .

Step 2 : Tap the Keyboard .

Step 3: Scroll down to Enable Dictation ,

• If disabled , toggle on the switch next to Enable Dictation and tap Turn Off Dictation.
• If enabled , toggle off the switch → Disable Dictation. Toggle on the switch after some time to enable Dictation again.

Fix 2. Switch to the Default Apple Keyboard or English (UK)

While third-party keyboards like Grammarly , Gboard, etc., supports the Dictation feature, there might be some error on their end. To check for the issue, switch to the default Apple keyboard and see whether Dictation starts working or not.

Moreover, in a bizarre behavior from Apple Keyboard, many users, have found out that changing the Dictation language to English (UK) fixed the Dictation not working issue for them.

You can try using the default Apple Keyboard or add the English (UK) keyboard to resolve the issue.

Step 1: Go to Settings → General. Select Keyboard from the options.

Step 2: Tap Keyboards and select English UK.

Note: If you can’t find the English UK keyboard, follow the steps in Fix 4. and add it to your keyboards.

Fix 3. Check if Siri & Dictation Are Restricted

If the microphone aka dictation button doesn’t appear on your iPhone’s keyboard, it’s because of app restrictions set for Siri and the dictation feature. You must turn it off in screen time settings as shown below:

Step 1: Open Settings on your phone.

Step 2: Go to Screen Time . Next, tap ‘ Content & Privacy Restrictions ‘.

Step 3 : Tap Allowed Apps .

Step 4: Enable the toggle next to Siri & Dictation .

Pro Tip: You can also try turning off all content restrictions under Settings → Screen Time → ‘Content & Privacy Restrictions’. Turn off the toggle next to ‘Content & Privacy Restrictions’.

Fix 4. Check and Enable Dictation Language

The Apple Keyboard speech-to-text functionality works for languages added under the keyboard settings. If you are trying to use the Dictation feature for the language that is disabled or not added, it will not work.

Therefore, you must first add the dictation language and enable it as shown below:

Step 1 : Go to Settings → General → Keyboard .

Step 2 : Tap Keyboards . Here, check whether the keyboard of the desired Dictation language is added.

Step 3 : If not, tap Add New Keyboard .

Step 4 : Select the Keyboard (language) you want. Tap Done .

Step 5 : Next, go to Settings → General → Keyboards → scroll down and tap on Dictation Languages. Ensure the preferred Dictation language is selected.

Change Dictation Language

To change or switch between Dictation languages, touch and hold the microphone icon on the Apple Keyboard. Select the language that you want to switch to.

Fix 5. Reset All Settings

Lastly, if nothing seems to fix the issue of speech-to-text not working on your iPhone, you must reset your iPhone settings . Doing so will revert all the settings like permissions, Wi-Fi, etc., to their default values.

Step 1 : Go to Settings → General → ‘ Transfer or Reset iPhone ‘.

Step 2 : Tap on Reset followed by Reset All Settings . Then enter your Password to continue.

Tip : If you forgot your device’s password, here’s how to reset iPhone passcode .

If even with so much effort, Dictation still doesn’t work on your iPhone, you should try alternative keyboard apps that support voice-to-text. You can use Gboard , Grammarly , or SwiftKey keyboard.

FAQs About Dictation Not Working on iPhone

There isn’t any global toggle to enable or disable the microphone on your iPhone. Therefore, you must mute or unmute the microphone in a specific app. However, if the microphone isn’t working in any particular app, make sure it has microphone permission. Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone. Enable microphone for desired apps.

The dictation feature only converts speech to text. It doesn’t play back the speech that you have spoken. So, there is no need to adjust the volume. But if the dictation feature can’t understand your speech, you must speak a bit loudly and near the microphone of your iPhone.

First, try the fixes mentioned above. If those don’t help, go to Settings > General > CarPlay on your iPhone. Tap on your car name and press ‘Forget This Car’. Then, set up the car again.

Yes, while only on supported models and for limited languages, Dictation requests are processed on your device. Additionally, when using on-device Dictation, you can dictate the text of any length without a timeout or worrying about data usage or speed.

Dictation accuracy can be influenced by factors such as background noise, speaking speed, accent, and the quality of your device’s microphone. Make sure you’re in a quiet environment, speaking clearly, and consider training the system by using it more frequently.

Yes, you can edit the dictated text before sending or saving it. Simply tap on the dictated text to activate the keyboard and make necessary corrections before finalizing the content.

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Last updated on 21 June, 2024

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

14 Comments

The changing it to English uk worked!

Thank you ! Changing it to English UK fixed it! How ridiculous!!

Both my Siri and my speech-to-text haven’t been working for so long now and it has really irritated me because everything that I tried to fix it always failed. That is until I found this article and by changing my Siri language to English(UK) and my keyboard to the same, everything works perfectly now. I just wanted to give a BIG thanks to you for helping me with this annoying issue! Thank you so much!!

I got to step 6. Not sure which step fixed it but it’s fixed. Thank you thank you thank you

Very useful and easy to follow. Love the illustrations included in each step!

This was brilliant!

I got all set up with the first couple of suggestions

I’ve tried all these suggestions and my dictation still will not work consistently. If I restart my phone and or turn off and back on my dictation it will work for a minute or two then stops working again.

thanks!! by second suggestion, my iphone mic was working again

Thank you for this EXCELLENT tutorial ! Our problem was solved with a simple restart (duh), but the rest of the tutorial is REALLY WELL DONE! ????????

Thank you so much for this guide!! I got my dictation to work with UK English. You saved me from a headache ????

I started looking for all the software reasons I could no longer dictate messages. The audio and phone worked fine so I bypassed the microphone on my SE2022. Nothing would work. I could speak and hear the phone, use voice recording too. But dictation into any app wouldn’t work. Then I looked at the microphone holes at the bottom of the device. The inner left hole had a seed in it. It was jammed in there too so I used a pick and scalpel to excise it carefully. Works like new! Just one hole plugged and the dictation failed. Makes me wonder how the audio input actually works on these things. Do they eliminate background and stereo sound input for dictation. Why would one out of six holes being plugged cause the entire mic to fail? You might add a stopped up microphone hole to your list.

English UK did the trick for me. Thank you! This was bugging me for two weeks. I deleted the default English US keyboard so that would not need to select the UK one. What a weird bug!

Bug in the fix! Now, using the “English UK” keyboard w/speech-to-text I cannot say “period” to create a period at the end of a sentence. Instead, I must say “full stop.” Grrrr.

This was extremely helpful. I’d prefer written how-to’s like this instead of having to watch a video and wait for the part I need to show up. Even if the video is segmented with topics identified so you can skip to the part you need, sometimes you do and realize there’s something you still need to do before you get to the part that’s specifically about your problem and you have to watch the video to find it.

By contrast, when the writer divides things in a sort of outline form as you did here, I can see really quickly what part(s) of your explanation I need.

Another great thing about how you explain things is the clarity and completeness of your explanation. You don’t assume the reader already knows about a step, or flat-out forget to mention it, both of which a lot of computer whizzes sometimes do, so that regardless of how well they know a procedure, they really can’t describe it to a newbie.

The clarity as also helped enormously by your use of screenshots with arrows.

Thank you so, so much for being so terrific at this; your site is literally reducing the overall frustration level in the world.

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How to Enable or Disable Dictation on iPhone 13

Your iPhone 13 has a dictation feature that you can use to speak and convert that speech to text in apps like Mail, Messages, Notes, and more.

This is a useful feature, but it’s also something that you may find yourself activating when you don’t want to.

If you would like to turn this setting on or off, then our tutorial below will show you how.

You can change the dictation setting on an iPhone 13 by going to Settings > General > Keyboard > then tapping the button to the right of Enable Dictation to turn it on or off.

For additional information on this topic, you can check out our video on YouTube .

How to Add or Remove the Microphone on the iPhone Keyboard

• Open Settings .
• Select General .
• Choose Keyboard .
• Tap the Enable Dictation button.
• Touch Turn Off or Turn On Dictation to confirm.

Our guide continues below with additional information about how to enable or disable dictation on an iPhone 13, including pictures of these steps.

Voice typing and speech-to-text tools have gotten very good over the years, and you will find options to use this style of text input on many devices.

This includes your iPhone, and it’s a setting that is controlled from the Keyboard settings menu on the Apple smartphone.

Whether you would like to enable this option to start using it or you won’t to turn it off because you have found it to be problematic, you can find this setting in the same location either way.

How to Turn on or Turn Off the iPhone Dictation Feature

The steps in this article were performed on an iPhone 13 in the iOS 16.4.1 operating system.

These same steps will work for most other iPhone models and iOS versions.

Step 1: Find the Settings app on your Home screen and tap it to open the menu.

Step 2: Scroll down and choose the General option.

Step 3: Select Keyboard from the menu.

Step 4: Touch the button to the right of Enable Dictation .

Step 5: Tap Turn Off Dictation or Turn On Dictation to confirm that you understand what this change will do concerning data with Siri.

You can now open the keyboard in an app like Messages to confirm that the microphone button has either been added or removed. If the change hasn’t been applied, then you might need to close out the app and re-open it to force the change.

You can close an app on your iPhone by swiping up and then to the left from the bottom of the screen, then swiping the app to the top of the screen.

Now that you know how to enable or disable dictation on an iPhone 13, you will be able to customize these elements of the device so that you can either use it for speech to text or prevent yourself from constantly activating this tool.

The color of the message bubbles that you send is important, so if it changes from blue to green for one of your messages, then you might be wondering why.

The next section discusses several of the reasons that might happen on your iPhone.

Why an iMessage Sends as a Text Message

When you send a message on your iPhone with a blue bubble, it indicates that the message was sent as an iMessage.

For more information on this topic, check out our post about iMessages sent as text messages.

This is a feature that works for messages sent between users on Apple devices like the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Mac computers.

The IMessage service includes many interesting features that let you transmit information and media to your friends, family, and coworkers.

So if you are having a conversation in iMessage that suddenly switches to a standard text message with a green bubble, then you might be wondering why. This can happen for several reasons, such as:

• The message recipient has an Android device.
• Their phone is turned off.
• You or they have a poor Internet connection.
• The iMessage service is down, or is disabled on one of the devices.
• The recipient has blocked you.

Often, when people see this message-type change, they immediately think that it’s due to being blocked. While this is possible, it’s often one of the other reasons instead. It’s usually best to wait a bit and send some more messages before making a final decision.

Continue Reading

• How to Enable iMessage on iPhone 13

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

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How to Fix Dictation Not Working on iPhone after iOS 18/17.5.1 Update

Dictation or Speech to Text is a valuable and convenient feature of the iPhone. After a long day at the office, it’s tough to keep fingers on the keypad when someone wants to chat. But still, we can’t ignore our beloved ones, so we take the help of the Dictation feature of the iPhone. It reliably types our speech in no time.

Besides, if you want to type a vast paragraph, the Dictation microphone is helpful at that time. Unfortunately, like any other software issue, the Dictation sometimes stops working on iPhone spotlight search or on Keyboard. If you are facing Dictation not working on your Mac computer or iPhone, then continue to read the troubleshooting and fix it.

IN THIS ARTICLE

Fix Speech to Text not working on Any iPhone

Solution 0: Check Diction Service is not in Maintenance by Apple

If Apple’s dictation service is under maintenance, then there could be a problem with dictation not working on any Apple device. Please check the Apple support system page to see whether the dication service is green or not. (Green means it is not a server issue). Suppose the service is under maintenance; then wait for it to activate again or contact Apple support.

Solution 1: Make Sure Dictation is Enabled on iPhone

When Dictation not working on iPhone, the very first setting to be checked is whether dictation is enabled or not. If dictation is turned on, disable and re-enable it after restarting the iPhone.

• Open the Settings app.
• Tap General .
• Now tap on Keyboard appears between Date & Time and Fonts.

• Scroll to Enable Dictation ; please turn the toggle green next to the Enable Dictation button.
• A pop-up comes; let’s again tap on Enable Dictation to confirm.

That’s it. Now go back to the Home screen.

After enabling Dictation on the iPhone, you can also set the Dictation Languages . It may be that dictation stopped working on your iPhone because you were not using the same or Not Selected Primary language while dictating as the selected Dictation Languages.

How to Set or change Dication language

Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Dictation Languages > Choose Primary Default Language from the Available or Added Language to your iPhone.

Now, Check the issue is fixed after iOS Update.

Is your Microphone missing from iPhone Keyboard ? Here’s how to re-enable or Add a Dictation/Microphone Option.

Solution 2: Disable Screen Time Restrictions for Siri & Dictation

Screen Time is a great feature that lets parents control their child’s daily usage of the iPhone and iPad. But, if screen time is enabled, it could disturb you with issues like dictation not working on iPhone .

• Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
• Press on Screen Time
• Tapping on Content & Privacy Restrictions .
• Choose the Allowed Apps option.
• Now make sure that Siri & Dictation toggle gree. if not, please turn the toggle to the right side to remove restrictions (Siri & Dictation) for a specific device.

Another solution to remove restrictions is to disable the Content & Privacy Restrictions. It is to be noted that turning off Content & Privacy Restrictions will remove restrictions from all the apps/features, including Siri & Dictation.

• Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Disable Content & Privacy Restrictions .

Solution 3: Check Microphone is working or not

If there is any hardware issue with iPhone’s microphone then dictation will not work and there’s no meaning in following this long tutorial. Your iPhone has three microphones at different locations, as you can check out our article on Where is the Microphone on iPhone .

Test each microphone one by one; for instance, the bottom microphone, and the microphone in the ear-speaker can be analyzed by calling someone. The third microphone is near the rear camera of the iPhone, to test it, record videos on your iPhone.

Solution 4: Remove & Add Apple Keyboard

Deleting and adding the Apple Keyboard have fixed dictation not working on iPhone many times. Try your luck in fixing the keyboard issues on the iPhone.

• Tapping on General
• Select Keyboard .
• Tap on Keyboards .
• Tap Add New Keyboard . Select any third-party keyboard if it is installed or choose a keyboard of another language.
• Now, get back to the previous screen and remove Apple Keyboard. To do so, swipe left and tap Delete . Or tap Edit > Red mark near to Apple Keyboard > Done .

Restart the iPhone and again follow the steps from the beginning to add Apple Keyboard.

Solution 5: Disconnect Headphone

Most of the time, our iPhone gets stuck in Headphone Mode , and we were wondering why there is no sound on iPhone or Apple Music not playing songs. If dictation not working on your iPhone, then make sure your iPhone is not stuck on headphone mode or you have not connected any headphones while using dictation on your iPhone. Here’s how to disconnect headphones from iPhone,

• Open the Settings app
• Tap Bluetooth
• Tap on (i) next to the headphone name
• Choose Forgot This Device.

Solution 6: Reset Network Settings

The dictation feature may require an internet connection to convert your speech to text . In that case, if your iPhone’s internet connection is not working or responding, it’s time to reset the network settings of the iPhone. While Reset Network Settings , all the Wi-Fi passwords, Internet Settings, VPN , and APNs , will be restored to default. So keep a backup of all this information if needed.

Steps to Reset Network Settings

• Open “ Settings ” App.
• Tap “ General
• Scroll down the screen to “Transfer or Reset iPhone” .

• Lastly, tap “ Reset ”
• Choose “ Reset Network Settings ”
• Enter your iPhone Lock screen passcode.
• Finally, confirm to reset network settings; retry to use dictation after Reboot once.

This Process won’t erase other important settings, Media, Messages, and more.

Solution 7: Factory Reset your Apple iPhone

The last workaround is always, relentless, as it takes you to the Apple Genius Bar or you have to Factory Reset iPhone. Restoring the device to factory settings deletes all the data, including personal data, customized settings, downloaded applications, and more. Make sure to back up the iPhone before the factory reset it.

• Jump to the Settings app.
• Tap General
• Click Transfer Or Reset iPhone .

• Select Erase All Contents & Settings .
• Click Continue and Enter Passcode for this iPhone.
• Now, follow the on-screen instructions.

The iPhone will reboot as new within a short time, so set it up.

Keyboard dictation not working DUE TO a HARDWARE ISSUE

Many users reported keyboard dictation not working simultaneously, can’t hear on call in speaker mode, and voice memos won’t recording , Siri hearing broken.

If you face this kind of symptom on your device, that means the audio chip failed. It occurs in most cases due to falling down the phone.

I suggest  Visit the nearby Apple Store . Inform them of your device problems; perhaps Apple won’t repair the Audio IC because it is a crucial part of the device motherboard. In this situation, you will have to go to a third-party store to repair that offers good expertise.

5 thoughts on “How to Fix Dictation Not Working on iPhone after iOS 18/17.5.1 Update”

I gave a brand new XR. I use voice frequently, but just 2 days ago, I started to get a message that I need to tap and then send. I’ve never had this prompt with prior iPhones. When I’d tap the microphone icon, a voice wave signal would appear and an audible alert. Now, I tap, and nothing happens

I gave a brand new XR. Voice was working as advertised until two days ago. I tap microphone icon, and get a message to tap icon and send message. Normal use of this feature would give me an audio wave signal and an alert, and I’d merrily go along speaking. I am completely unable to get recording.

Check any Update is pending under the settings,

Go to the Settings > General > Software Update.

Once reset the All Settings, Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings.

Now you can use Default Settings just like a new iPhone.

My dictation problem started two days ago, after updating to iOS 17.3

I use the microphone icon on the keyboard all the time, for disability reasons. For some reason iOS 17.3 the microphone is listening all the time now – even when I disable it☹️

Even when I turn the microphone off it’s still types in what is being said on the TV or radio.

This is very frustrating and I can’t find a fix for it. Surely I’m not the only one with this problem. Is there an available fix? Thank you in advance😊

Well, if you disabled dication in keyboard settings, then the mic icon no longer appears on your iPhone keyboard. hence, it will not pick up your speak command while you ask to your tv or even radio.

Settings > General > Keyboards > Scroll the screen, and turn the toggle to the left side next to Enable Dictation. > A pop-up will show up, tap on Turn off dictation. That’s it.

in the future, if you need dictation on the iOS keyboard, then follow the same steps to enable dictation toggle again.

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How To : 10 Things Everyone Should Know About the iPhone's Keyboard for a Better Typing Experience

Seventeen years ago, Apple released iPhone, the first mainstream consumer phone with a touchscreen as its main typing input method. Apple has been perfecting its onscreen keyboard for almost two decades, and it's built with some fantastic features that make typing faster and easier. But it's easy to overlook some of these features, so here are some tips and tricks you need to be using if you aren't already.

1. Access Special Symbols and Diacritics

When you touch and hold or long-press specific keys on your iPhone's keyboard, you'll gain access to special characters such as letters with diacritic marks, currency symbols, less common punctuation, and more. Diacritics, which include accents, dots, macrons, slashes, and other marks, usually appear above or below a letter. These special composite characters change the way letters are pronounced, such as a change in pitch, stress, or syllable emphasis.

To see all the special characters on your iPhone's keyboard, visit our complete guide to hidden iOS keyboard characters . There, you'll also learn each character's name, what they're used for, and which iOS versions they are compatible with.

• Full List: Every Hidden Special Character on Your iPhone's Keyboard That You Can Unlock Right Now

2. Use the Domain Name Extensions Shortcut

When typing an email or website address in a compatible field, your iPhone gives you another hidden keyboard shortcut: quick access to common top-level domains . Enter the first parts of an email address (username@rootdomain) or website URL (https://www.gadgethacks, though you don't always have to type a protocol/scheme or subdomain), then touch and hold (or long press) the period (.) key or .com key.

You'll see common top-level domains such as .com, .net, .org, .edu, and .us. Simply swipe your finger to the one you want and release it to drop in the extension. This works in any field iOS recognizes as a field to enter email and web addresses, such as the email and website fields when editing contact details or the search bar in Safari. It won't work in regular text input fields.

The top-level domains you see under the period (.) key will correlate to the keyboards installed on your iPhone. For example, the English (US) keyboard gives you the above extensions — .com, .net, .org, .edu, and .us. — and installing English (UK) will add the .eu, .uk, .ie, and .co.uk extensions.

• Complete Guide: Add More Domain Extensions to Your iPhone's Keyboard Shortcut to Type Email Addresses or Website URLs Faster

3. Switch Between Keyboard Views Faster

When you need to type numbers or special characters amidst regular letters, like when typing in a complicated Wi-Fi password or coupon code, you might tap the "123" key to view the numbers and special characters layout, type in a number or punctuation, then tap the "ABC" key to return to the letters view. But there are a couple of faster ways to do this.

With two hands:

• Touch and hold the ABC, 123, #+=, or Shift key, and don't let go.
• Tap the key or keys you need with a finger on your other hand.
• Release the ABC, 123, #+=, or Shift key to return to your previous view.

With one hand:

• Slide your finger to the key you need.
• If you need a hidden character, keep your finger above its parent key, then slide your finger to the character in the menu.
• Release your finger to return to your previous view.

4. Unlock the Hidden Trackpad

It's not obvious, but your iPhone's keyboard can double as a trackpad , which is one of my favorite iOS features. Released alongside 3D Touch on the iPhone 6 S models with iOS 9, the gesture became accessible to all iPhone models since iOS 12 thanks to Haptic Touch.

To unlock the trackpad, touch and hold the space bar on your keyboard with one finger until all the keys go blank. Then, slide your finger across your new trackpad to move the insertion point (cursor) in a text field. Let your finger go to return to the regular keyboard.

• Don't Miss: Turn Your iPhone's Keyboard into a Trackpad for Easier Cursor Placement

5. Use the One-Handed Keyboard

When you only have one hand available to type, try your iPhone's one-handed keyboard , which shifts the keyboard layout to the left or right side so that you can type more easily with just your left or right thumb.

To accomplish this, touch and hold the globe icon on your keyboard (or the emoji icon if you don't see the globe), then select the left or right keyboard icon. The keyboard will then shift to that side of the screen, squeezing the layout to roughly 75% of its original size. You can return to the full-width keyboard with the center keyboard icon in the globe menu.

• More Info: This Trick Makes It Easier to Type on Your iPhone with One Hand

6. Slide to Type Words Faster

Swipe-based typing had long existed on Android devices before it came to the iPhone via third-party keyboards like TouchPal, Swype, and SwiftKey. Still, Apple's implementation, called "Slide to Type," works exceptionally well and doesn't require third-party access to what you type, as it's all built into iOS.

To use this feature, touch the first character of the word you want to type, then slide your finger to the remaining characters one by one before releasing after the last character. Your keyboard will determine what you spelled and automatically insert it into the text field. Keep doing this, and it'll continue to insert the words you swipe-type with a space in between each.

Slide to Type is enabled by default. If it's not working for you, tap the globe icon on the keyboard and select "Keyboard Settings" or head to Settings » General » Keyboard, then ensure the "Slide to Type" toggle is on. If you don't like Slide to Type, you can also disable it from here.

7. Reset Your Keyboard's Dictionary

Every time you fix a suggested or auto-corrected word when typing on your iPhone, whether it's because you spelled it right the first time or need to adjust capitalization, your keyboard remembers it for the next time. Unfortunately, it can also learn mistakes, and it's not easy to train your keyboard away from them.

If your keyboard gives you too many wrong suggestions or corrections, it might be time to reset your dictionary. This is also handy for removing frequently used emoji from the Emoji keyboard.

Head to Settings » General » Transfer or Reset iPhone, then tap "Reset." From the action sheet, tap "Reset Keyboard Dictionary," then enter your password to confirm. Resetting the keyboard's dictionary will not affect any of your custom text replacements — just frequently used emoji and words you added by rejecting suggestions and auto-corrections.

• Don't Miss: 12 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Text Replacements on Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac

8. Quickly Replace Message Text with Emoji

Emoji can sometimes help you express yourself more effectively and clearly, making a message easier and more fun to read. If you don't like hunting for emoji midsentence in the Messages app, type everything with the regular keyboard. Then, with the cursor still in the text field, tap the emoji key to switch to the Emoji keyboard. When you do this, Messages will highlight words in your text that it thinks would work well as emoji. Tap each highlighted word to see the suggestions, then tap the emoji you want.

• Don't Miss: 9 Emoji Tricks Most iPhone Owners Never Knew Existed

9. Unlock the Secret Emoticon Keyboard

Everyone uses emoji, so switch up your texting game with emoji's older sibling, emoticons, short for "emotion icons." Emoticons are glyphs composed of multiple ASCII characters that depict various emotions and actions. Your iPhone has a hidden emoticon keyboard you can unlock for quick access to common emoticons. Actually, there are a few emoticon keyboards available!

To get them, you have to add a Japanese or Chinese keyboard to your list of keyboards. It's the Kana and Remaji keyboards for Japanese, while most Chinese variations will work. To find emoticons, switch to the keyboard, look for the emoticon key, and tap that to open the emoticon picker. Check out our complete guide for more details.

• Complete Guide: How to Unlock the Secret Emoticon Keyboard on Your iPhone

10. Make Your iPhone Speak Typed Words

When you're typing very quickly, sometimes you just need some reassurance that you're pressing the right keys and typing the correct words. Thanks to an iOS accessibility feature, you can get your iPhone's voice to read all the words or characters you type out loud for a little extra verification.

To make this work, head to Settings » Accessibility » Spoken Content » Typing Feedback. Once there, enable the toggle for "Speak Words." Now, whenever you type a complete word, your iPhone's voice will automatically speak it aloud, allowing you to verify what you typed. You can also enable the option to hear individual characters, auto-text, or predictive text.

• More Info: Unlock Your iPhone's Many Hidden Text-to-Speech Features to Make It Read Virtually Any On-Screen Content

Just updated your iPhone? You'll find new features for Podcasts, News, Books, and TV, as well as important security improvements and fresh wallpapers. Find out what's new and changed on your iPhone with the iOS 17.5 update.

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My speech to text is permanently on without pressing the microphone button. Is this a fault with IOS13?

My speech to text is permanently on without pressing the microphone button. This is a real issue when I am trying to type a message in an noisy environment and it’s typing in background conversations at the same time as my typing. Is this a fault with IOS13? What can I do to sort the problem out?

iPhone 11, iOS 13

Posted on Dec 5, 2019 6:08 AM

Posted on Dec 9, 2019 5:07 AM

I've managed to stop the issue by switching off Voice Control - Setting > Accessibility > Voice Control > Voice Control [toggle button switched to off]

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Dec 9, 2019 5:07 AM in response to Jonnydas72

Dec 9, 2019 3:00 AM in response to Joseph_S.

Hi Joseph. Thank you for replying. I've tried your suggestion, namely switch dictation on, then off and restart. Also tried several variations of switching on and off dictation and restarting but nothing seems to work. Its still typing in spoken words when in keyboard mode. The speech to text to microphone icon is no longer showing and defaults to keyboard but still types in any spoken word. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated as its virtually impossible to type when I am in a noisy environment where people are talking. Thanks again.

Dec 8, 2019 2:03 PM in response to Jonnydas72

Hello Jonnydas72.

Welcome to Apple Support Communities.

If I'm understanding correctly, you have been experiencing issues with dictation always being on. I will be glad to assist.

Let's toggle the Dictation setting on, then off and restart your iPhone to see if it helps:

Dictate text on iPhone

"Enable Dictation

• Turn on Enable Dictation.

Restart your iPhone

Dec 9, 2019 6:47 AM in response to Jonnydas72

Hi Jonnydas72.

Thanks for following up. Glad to hear that you are all set.

iOS 18 — our 9 favorite new features coming to your iPhone

There's a lot of new features in iOS 18, but these are the best

• Apple Photos
• IPhone mirroring

Locked apps

• Satellite messaging

Tap to Cash

• Control Center

iOS 18 is shaping up to be one of the biggest upgrades Apple has rolled out in several years, with a huge number of extra features, upgrades and customization options on the way. It makes other software upgrades, like Android 15 , look positively boring by comparison.

Of course, new features aren’t all made equal, and they can range from something as major as Apple Intelligence to something as basic as adding statistics to the Journal app. So which iOS 18 features should you be the most excited about? Here are our picks for the top iOS 18 features.

Apple Intelligence

The biggest new feature coming to iOS 18 is Apple intelligence , and it isn’t even a close contest. To the point where we have to bundle everything together to make it fair on the rest of iOS 18’s incoming upgrades. AI is going to have limited reach on the iPhone, since it’ll be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and the iPhone 16 series. But that doesn’t make it any less exciting.

Features coming as part of Apple Intelligence include image generation (aka Image Playground), access to ChatGPT , a new image editing tool called Clean Up, custom Genmoji, AI summarization, proofreading, smart replies and more. The best part is most of it will be running on your device, rather than some random cloud server. Be sure to check out our list of the top Apple Intelligence features to find out more about everything it will be able to do.

All New Siri

While related to Apple Intelligence, the all new AI-infused version of Siri is a key part of the iOS 18 upgrade. And frankly it is something that is long overdue. This new version of Siri will be smarter than ever, and capable of responding to a lot more than individual queries. This new Siri is conversational and contextual, meaning it can understand follow-up questions and responses — making the interaction seem more natural in the process.

On top of that, Siri will be aware of what’s happening on screen to better help it understand how to help you, and will let you send commands by typing instead of using your voice. What’s really cool is that Siri will be able to control actions in various apps, saving you the effort of having to do the whole thing yourself. While that’s likely to be quite limited at first, Apple is giving developers the chance to add that functionality to their own apps as well.

Apple Photos redesign

Apple Photos was never going to win any beauty contests, which is why we’re glad Apple is revamping the whole app into something (hopefully) better. Tabs are out, in favor of a new unified screen that gives you access to everything without having to jump back and forth. 

Your Photo Library is now split into Photos and Collections), while a new carousel feature lets you see featured and favorite photos at a glance. Essentially, iOS 18 is going to make finding photos a lot easier, and much nicer to look at in the process. Apple Photos will also tie into Apple Intelligence, with features like the Clean Up image editor being available in the app. For more, see our guide to all the iOS 18 Photos features . 

iPhone Mirroring on Mac

Given how tight-nit the Apple ecosystem is, it’s no surprise that Apple is upgrading the Continuity feature to support iPhone mirroring . This feature beams across a virtual version of your iPhone to a connected Mac or Vision Pro headset , letting you control your mobile device without actually having to touch it. In fact,the phone doesn’t even need to be unlocked for the link to work.

That means you can keep your iPhone in your bag or pocket and still get things done through another device — using either the keyboard and mouse or visionOS’s motion controls. Better still, you can drag and drop content from your iPhone onto your Mac, and pump the iPhone audio through your Mac’s speakers. It’s a wonder Apple didn’t do this sooner.

We store a lot of sensitive and private information on our phones, and the last thing we want is for someone to have access to that when we’re not looking. iOS 18’s Locked apps feature lets you keep those apps extra secure, in the event that someone stumbles across your unlocked phone or manages to get past your lock screen.

Plus, if there are apps you’d rather people don’t know you had, iOS 18 will also include a locked folder for hiding those apps from prying eyes. Locked and hidden apps are more or less treated like they’re not there, suspending all notifications and not having any details show up in search or Siri recommendations.

Messaging via Satellite

There are plenty of places where data and phone signals don’t reach, which is why Apple’s Emergency SOS via satellite is so important. But it was restricted to emergency communication only, and that’s something Apple is changing with iOS 18. This time anyone with an iPhone 14 or newer will be able to send text messaging (with emojis if you want them) to anyone via a satellite link. 

The key difference is that this service is available in non-emergency situations, too. So if you’re hiking in the wilderness and need to text your roommate asking them to buy eggs on the way home, you won’t have to wait until you return to civilization. The system works just like regular iMessage , but it’s limited to text-based communication only. No voice notes or video calls are allowed. (For more on the changes to the iPhone's built-in messaging app, check out our guide to iMessage on iOS 18 .)

Apple Pay and Wallet are getting a bunch of little upgrades with iOS 18, but none of them are quite so impressive as Tap to Cash. This feature utilizes the NameDrop system that debuted on iOS 17, letting you send Apple Cash to your fellow iPhone users by tapping the top of your phones together.

This should make it significantly easier to settle bills and other financial scores, even if Apple Cash is the only payment system supported right now. Especially since it doesn’t share any personal information. Though, like other instant Apple Cash transfers, we’d assume that there will be fees associated with this particular service.

Customizable Control Center

Of the myriad of personalization options in iOS 18 , the customizable Control Center is arguably our favorite. Because it finally lets you have a say in what the pull-down menu finally has to offer. You choose what appears, how big the buttons are and fine-tune that menu to match your own personal tastes.

On top of that, there are two more screens featuring revamped media and smart home controls. These are essentially quick-access widgets you can get to from anywhere on your phone, and with the same customization options as the main Control Center screen.

RCS Messaging

After years of resisting, Apple is finally improving the state of iPhone-to-non-iPhone communication by adding RCS . While it’s not going to be as robust as iMessage, it means significant improvements to the way you text and communicate with Android users. 

The biggest upgrades include end-to-end encryption and the ability to send photos and videos at full quality — no compression required. It also means you should have read receipts, the ability to send Tapback-style reactions and can add Android users to group chats without the whole thing breaking down.

More from Tom's Guide

• iOS 18 is getting a huge upgrade with reminders — what you need to know
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Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.

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Here's How to Disable This Annoying iPhone Texting Feature

The iOS 17 feature could lead to some confusing texts, so it might be good to disable it.

• Apple software beta tester, "Helps make our computers and phones work!" - Zach's grandparents

While iOS 18 is set to introduce a handful of new features to your iPhone's   Messages app in the fall, you can disable a Messages feature that some people have called annoying now, thanks to  iOS 17.2 . Apple released that iOS update in December, and it introduced a lot of new and useful features to your iPhone, like the long-awaited  Journal app . iOS 17.2 also lets you disable a feature introduced in iOS 17 in September called inline predictive text . 

Apple wrote online that  Inline predictive text  is meant to predict what you're going to write as you type, and if you hit space the predicted text would be added to your text. The feature wouldn't always accurately predict what you were typing. So if you hit space, you might add the wrong text to your message.  Some people -- myself included -- found the feature annoying, and Apple seemingly heard the complaints and allowed people to turn this feature off with iOS 17.2.

Here's how to turn inline predictive text off.

Read more:   Why Apple's WWDC Presentation Changed My Mind About iOS 18

Turn inline predictive text off

1. Open Settings 2. Tap General 3. Tap Keyboards 4. Tap the switch next to Show Predictions Inline

Now, when you type a message, you won't run the risk of adding a word you don't intend to add. You'll still see predictive text, the suggested words and emoji, over your keyboard. 

Turn all predictive text off

You can turn all these suggestions off in a few easy steps.

If you find all predictive text annoying, you can easily turn that off, too. Here's how: 

1. Open Settings 2. Tap General 3. Tap Keyboard 4. Tap the switch next to Predictive Text

When you type a message now, you won't see a box over your keyboard with suggested words or emojis. Turning predictive text off also disables inline predictive text, so you won't see any suggestions whatsoever. You can type without interruption.

For more on Apple, you can check out everything the company announced at  WWDC 2024  and all the features coming in  iOS 18 . You can also check out  how to download the iOS 18 developer beta  and  why you might want to wait .

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iPhone Life's Best Message & Chat Apps (2024)

Who remembers the early days of texting? Whether you had a Blackberry with a built-in keyboard or struggled through repeatedly tapping keys on your flip phone, texting has come a long way. Here's our roundup of the best iPhone messaging apps; check out these fun, easy, and safe ways to communicate today.

Best Messaging Apps

The best apps we found to communicate your way, whether your main focus is security or the ability to send fun stickers. For more iPhone tips, check out our  Tip of the Day  newsletter. Here's our list of the best messaging apps this year.

Voxer Walkie Talkie Messenger - (Free)

Sending voice messages is faster than typing. Voxer is an excellent voice messaging app that prioritizes push-to-talk messaging and is secure to boot. You can also text, share photos and videos, and share your location. 

Telegram Messenger - (Free)

Delete all messages for both the sender and recipient at any time. It will leave no trace! Telegram is private, reliable, but still fun, with customizable themes and stickers.

WeChat - (Free)

Merge messaging with social media. Exchange money with any WeChat user, have fitness competitions with contacts, and so much more.

Google Chat  - (Free)

One-on-one or group chats made easy! Use Google Workspace with friends and colleagues to securely chat, share links, work on documents, have meetings, delegate tasks, and plan events.

WhatsApp Messenger - (Free)

Communicate without restrictions like the green text bubble in Messages! Text, video call, and share media with others for free, no matter where the other person is or what phone they have. 

Rakuten Viber Messenger - (Free)

Enjoy worry-free communication that is private and secure. Send sensitive messages that automatically disappear, chat in groups of up to 250 people, and call up to 60.

Discord - Talk, Play, Hang Out - (Free)

Chat with strangers with shared interests. Join groups to discuss collaborations, crowdsource information, and even organize virtual or in-person events.

Dust - a safer place to text  - (Free)

Receive alerts if anyone screenshots your messages, delete messages from both ends, and enjoy automatic auto-deletion after 24 hours.

Slack - (Free)

Virtually meet with a team of colleagues or a group of friends to chat, share media, and make calls. Slack is reliable, works across Apple devices, and offers multiple workspaces.

Signal - Private Messenger - (Free)

Signal is one of the best private messaging apps available. It offers end-to-end message encryption and it's open source so users can spot weaknesses and request fixes.

Threema. The Secure Messenger - ($5.99)

Threema allows you to give absolutely no data to the app. It generates a random ID you can use to have friends connect with you, so you don't even have to enter your phone number.

KakaoTalk  - (Free)

Enjoy brand-new levels of customization. Create a different profile for each contact you have and different channels to chat in, and even get digital coupons for using the app.

GroupMe - (Free)

GroupMe is one of the best group messaging apps. This chat app allows you to easily set up group chats for the mixed iPhone/Android groups. Join preset groups or create your own and customize to your heart's content!

Grammarly: AI Writing Keyboard - (Free)

Whether you do a lot of work on your phone or just like to edit your texts, the Grammarly app will polish all your written communication to a shine. 

Animal Stickers - (Free)

There are sticker packets out there for pretty much anything you want, but this one is cute and comprehensive. Choose still or animated stickers of any animal and let your mood be known

GIPHY: The GIF Search Engine - (Free)

Welcome to GIF central! Whether you want to search a database of these short animations to spice up your texts or create your own, this app has you covered.

If you liked this message and chat app list, check out our full list of best iPhone apps  in the categories of entertainment, finance, health and fitness, dining and cooking, design and photo, and staff and reader favorites.

Author Details

Olena Kagui

Olena Kagui is a Feature Writer at iPhone Life. In the last 10 years, she has been published in dozens of publications internationally and won an excellence award. Since joining iPhone Life in 2020, she has written how-to articles as well as complex guides about Apple products, software, and apps. Olena grew up using Macs and exploring all the latest tech. Her Maui home is the epitome of an Apple ecosystem, full of compatible smart gear to boot. Olena’s favorite device is the Apple Watch Ultra because it can survive all her adventures and travels, and even her furbabies.

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ChatGPT for Mac is now available to all

You can now more easily use ChatGPT on your Mac computer. OpenAI’s popular AI chatbot is available to all macOS users, the company announced on Tuesday. The app was first announced ahead of Apple’s WWDC 2024 in June, where the companies jointly announced integrations between OpenAI’s chatbot and Apple’s operating systems for iPhone, iPad and Mac.

On the latter platform, users can quickly call up ChatGPT by using the keyboard combination of Option + Space after installing the new ChatGPT app.

The ChatGPT desktop app for macOS is now available for all users. Get faster access to ChatGPT to chat about email, screenshots, and anything on your screen with the Option + Space shortcut: https://t.co/2rEx3PmMqg pic.twitter.com/x9sT8AnjDm — OpenAI (@OpenAI) June 25, 2024

This makes access to the AI chatbot something that will immediately feel familiar to macOS users who regularly use other keyboard shortcuts like Command + Space to pop up a search bar to access Spotlight Search. But instead of more traditional search, they’ll have access to a wider world of knowledge, only one button away. Once launched, ChatGPT appears as a chat interface overlaid on top of the screen.

OpenAI’s launch of the macOS app was a bit overshadowed at the time of the original announcement, as it arrived alongside GPT-4o , its flagship generative AI model that promises more advanced intelligence, including the ability to handle not only text and speech but also video. (Its multimodal capabilities and ability to understand media give the AI model its name; the “o” stands for “omni.”)

ChatGPT’s desktop app was announced in the same press release , as a new app for both free and paid users. The company noted at the time that it could be called up with the simple keyboard shortcut and users could also take and discuss screenshots directly in the app. Users can upload files and other photos via the macOS app, too, as well as speak to ChatGPT from their desktop and search through their past conversations.

The app had been slowly rolling out to Mac users, starting with Plus subscribers, but today the company announced in a post on X that it’s now available to everyone.

This isn’t OpenAI’s only integration with Apple devices. At WWDC, the companies announced a more expansive deal that will also see Apple customers gaining access to ChatGPT from their iPhones and iPads, including through Siri and within other areas that could be aided by AI, like Writing Tools. These integrations are also powered by GPT-4o and will roll out to Apple customers later this year with the launch of Apple’s newest operating systems.

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iPhone User Guide

• iPhone models compatible with iOS 17
• R ' class='toc-item' data-ss-analytics-link-url='https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iphone-xr-iph017302841/17.0/ios/17.0' data-ajax-endpoint='https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iphone-xr-iph017302841/17.0/ios/17.0' data-ss-analytics-event="acs.link_click" href='https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iphone-xr-iph017302841/17.0/ios/17.0' id='toc-item-IPH017302841' data-tocid='IPH017302841' > iPhone X R
• S ' class='toc-item' data-ss-analytics-link-url='https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iphone-xs-iphc00446242/17.0/ios/17.0' data-ajax-endpoint='https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iphone-xs-iphc00446242/17.0/ios/17.0' data-ss-analytics-event="acs.link_click" href='https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iphone-xs-iphc00446242/17.0/ios/17.0' id='toc-item-IPHC00446242' data-tocid='IPHC00446242' > iPhone X S
• S Max' class='toc-item' data-ss-analytics-link-url='https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iphone-xs-max-iphcd2066870/17.0/ios/17.0' data-ajax-endpoint='https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iphone-xs-max-iphcd2066870/17.0/ios/17.0' data-ss-analytics-event="acs.link_click" href='https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/iphone-xs-max-iphcd2066870/17.0/ios/17.0' id='toc-item-IPHCD2066870' data-tocid='IPHCD2066870' > iPhone X S Max
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (3rd generation)
• iPhone 14 Plus
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 15 Plus
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max
• 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
• Expert advice from Apple Support
• What’s new in iOS 17
• Turn on and set up iPhone
• Wake, unlock, and lock
• Set up cellular service
• Use Dual SIM
• Connect to the internet
• Sign in with Apple ID
• Subscribe to iCloud+
• Find settings
• Set up mail, contacts, and calendar accounts
• Learn the meaning of the status icons
• Charge the battery
• Charge with cleaner energy sources
• Show the battery percentage
• Check battery health and usage
• Use Low Power Mode
• Read and bookmark the user guide
• Learn basic gestures
• Learn gestures for iPhone models with Face ID
• Adjust the volume
• Silence iPhone
• Find your apps in App Library
• Switch between open apps
• Quit and reopen an app
• Multitask with Picture in Picture
• Access features from the Lock Screen
• Use the Dynamic Island
• Perform quick actions
• Search on iPhone
• Get information about your iPhone
• View or change cellular data settings
• Travel with iPhone
• Change sounds and vibrations
• Use the Action button on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max
• Create a custom Lock Screen
• Change the wallpaper
• Adjust the screen brightness and color balance
• Keep the iPhone display on longer
• Use StandBy
• Customize the text size and zoom setting
• Change the name of your iPhone
• Change the date and time
• Change the language and region
• Organize your apps in folders
• Add, edit, and remove widgets
• Move apps and widgets on the Home Screen
• Remove or delete apps
• Use and customize Control Center
• Change or lock the screen orientation
• View and respond to notifications
• Change notification settings
• Set up a Focus
• Allow or silence notifications for a Focus
• Turn a Focus on or off
• Stay focused while driving
• Customize sharing options
• Type with the onscreen keyboard
• Dictate text
• Select and edit text
• Use predictive text
• Use text replacements
• Add or change keyboards
• Add emoji and stickers
• Take a screenshot
• Take a screen recording
• Draw in documents
• Add text, shapes, signatures, and more
• Fill out forms and sign documents
• Use Live Text to interact with content in a photo or video
• Use Visual Look Up to identify objects in your photos and videos
• Lift a subject from the photo background
• Subscribe to Apple Arcade
• Play with friends in Game Center
• Connect a game controller
• Use App Clips
• Update apps
• View or cancel subscriptions
• Manage purchases, settings, and restrictions
• Install and manage fonts
• Buy books and audiobooks
• Annotate books
• Access books on other Apple devices
• Listen to audiobooks
• Set reading goals
• Organize books
• Create and edit events in Calendar
• Send invitations
• Reply to invitations
• Change how you view events
• Search for events
• Change calendar and event settings
• Schedule or display events in a different time zone
• Keep track of events
• Use multiple calendars
• Use the Holidays calendar
• Share iCloud calendars
• Camera basics
• Set up your shot
• Apply Photographic Styles
• Take Live Photos
• Take Burst mode shots
• Take a selfie
• Take panoramic photos
• Take macro photos and videos
• Take portraits
• Take Night mode photos
• Take Apple ProRAW photos
• Adjust the shutter volume
• Adjust HDR camera settings
• Record videos
• Record spatial videos for Apple Vision Pro
• Record ProRes videos
• Record videos in Cinematic mode
• Change video recording settings
• Save camera settings
• Customize the Main camera lens
• 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 stopwatch
• Use multiple timers
• Add and use contact information
• Edit contacts
• Add your contact info
• Use NameDrop on iPhone to share your contact info
• Use other contact accounts
• Use Contacts from the Phone app
• Merge or hide duplicate contacts
• Export contacts
• Get started with FaceTime
• Make FaceTime calls
• Receive FaceTime 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 in a FaceTime call
• Collaborate on a document in FaceTime
• Use video conferencing features
• Hand off a FaceTime call to another Apple device
• Change the FaceTime video settings
• Change the FaceTime audio settings
• Change your appearance
• Leave a call or switch to Messages
• Block unwanted callers
• Report a call as spam
• Connect external devices or servers
• Modify files, folders, and downloads
• Search for files and folders
• Organize files and folders
• Set up iCloud Drive
• Share files and folders in iCloud Drive
• Use an external storage device, a file server, or a cloud storage service
• Share your location
• Meet up with a friend
• Send your location via satellite
• Add or remove a friend
• Locate a friend
• Get notified when friends change their location
• Notify a friend when your location changes
• Turn off Find My
• Add your iPhone
• Add your iPhone Wallet with MagSafe
• Get notified if you leave a device behind
• Locate a device
• Mark a device as lost
• Erase a device
• Remove a device
• Add an AirTag
• Share an AirTag or other item in Find My on iPhone
• Add a third-party item
• Get notified if you leave an item behind
• Locate an item
• Mark an item as lost
• Remove an item
• Adjust map settings
• Get started with Fitness
• Track daily activity and change your move goal
• See your activity summary
• Sync a third-party workout app
• Change fitness notifications
• Share your activity
• Subscribe to Apple Fitness+
• Find Apple Fitness+ workouts and meditations
• Start an Apple Fitness+ workout or meditation
• Create a Custom Plan in Apple Fitness+
• Work out together using SharePlay
• Change what’s on the screen during an Apple Fitness+ workout or meditation
• Download an Apple Fitness+ workout or meditation
• Get started with Freeform
• Create a Freeform board
• Draw or handwrite
• Apply consistent styles
• Position items on a board
• Search Freeform boards
• Share and collaborate
• Delete and recover boards
• Get started with Health
• Fill out your Health Details
• Intro to Health data
• View your health data
• Share your health data
• View health data shared by others
• 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
• Log your state of mind
• Take a mental health assessment
• Set up a schedule for a Sleep Focus
• Turn off alarms and delete sleep schedules
• Add or change sleep schedules
• Turn Sleep Focus on or off
• Change your wind down period, sleep goal, and more
• View your sleep history
• Check your headphone levels
• Use audiogram data
• 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
• Use Grid Forecast to plan your energy usage
• Set up HomePod
• Control your home remotely
• Create and use scenes
• Use automations
• Set up security cameras
• Use Face Recognition
• Unlock your door with a home key
• Configure a router
• Invite others to control accessories
• Add more homes
• Get music, movies, and TV shows
• Get ringtones
• Manage purchases and settings
• Get started with Journal
• Write in your journal
• Review your past journal entries
• Change Journal settings
• Magnify nearby objects
• Change settings
• Detect people around you
• Detect doors around you
• Receive image descriptions of your surroundings
• Read aloud text and labels around you
• Set up shortcuts for Detection Mode
• Add and remove email accounts
• Set up a custom email domain
• Check your email
• Unsend email with Undo Send
• Reply to and forward emails
• Save an email draft
• Add email attachments
• Download email attachments
• Annotate email attachments
• Set email notifications
• Search for email
• Organize email in mailboxes
• Flag or block 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
• Get travel directions
• Select other route options
• Find stops along your route
• View a route overview or a list of turns
• Change settings for spoken directions
• Get driving directions
• Get directions to your parked car
• Set up electric vehicle routing
• Report traffic incidents
• Get cycling directions
• Get walking directions
• Get transit directions
• Delete recent directions
• Get traffic and weather info
• Estimate travel time and ETA
• Download offline maps
• Search for places
• Find nearby attractions, restaurants, and services
• Get information about places
• Mark places
• Share places
• Rate places
• Save favorite places
• Explore new places with Guides
• Organize places in My Guides
• Clear location history
• Look around places
• Take Flyover tours
• Find your Maps settings
• Measure dimensions
• View and save measurements
• Measure a person’s height
• Use the level
• Set up Messages
• About iMessage
• Send and reply to messages
• Unsend and edit messages
• Keep track of messages
• Forward and share messages
• Group conversations
• Watch, listen, or play together using SharePlay
• Collaborate on projects
• Use iMessage apps
• Take and edit photos or videos
• Share photos, links, and more
• Send stickers
• Request, send, and receive payments
• Send and receive audio messages
• Animate messages
• Send and save GIFs
• Turn read receipts on or off
• Change notifications
• Block, filter, and report messages
• Delete messages and attachments
• Recover deleted messages
• View albums, playlists, and more
• Show song credits and lyrics
• Queue up your music
• Listen to broadcast radio
• Subscribe to Apple Music
• Play music together in the car with iPhone
• Listen to lossless music
• Listen to Dolby Atmos music
• Apple Music Sing
• Find new music
• Add music and listen offline
• Get personalized recommendations
• Listen to radio
• Search for music
• Create playlists
• See what your friends are listening to
• Use Siri to play music
• 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
• Subscribe to Apple News+
• Browse and read Apple News+ stories and issues
• Use Offline Mode to read downloaded News content
• Manually download Apple News+ issues
• Listen to audio stories
• Solve puzzles in Apple News
• Solve crossword and crossword mini puzzles
• Solve Quartiles puzzles
• Search for news stories
• Save stories in News for later
• Subscribe to individual news channels
• Get started with Notes
• Add or remove accounts
• Create and format notes
• Draw or write
• Add photos, videos, and more
• Scan text and documents
• Work with PDFs
• Create Quick Notes
• Search notes
• Organize in folders
• Organize with tags
• Use Smart Folders
• Export or print notes
• Change Notes settings
• Make a call
• View and delete the call history
• Answer or decline incoming calls
• While on a call
• Have a conference or three-way call on iPhone
• Set up voicemail
• Check voicemail
• Change voicemail greeting and settings
• Select ringtones and vibrations
• Make calls using Wi-Fi
• Set up call forwarding
• Set up call waiting
• Block or avoid unwanted calls
• View photos and videos
• 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 portraits
• Use photo albums
• Edit, share, and organize albums
• Filter and sort photos and videos in albums
• Make stickers from your photos
• Duplicate and copy photos and videos
• Merge duplicate photos and videos
• Search for photos
• Identify people and pets
• Browse photos by location
• Share photos and videos
• Share long videos
• View photos and videos shared with you
• Watch memories
• Personalize your memories
• Manage memories and featured photos
• Use iCloud Photos
• Create shared albums
• Add and remove people in a shared album
• Add and delete photos and videos in a shared album
• Set up or join an iCloud Shared Photo Library
• Add content to an iCloud Shared Photo Library
• Use iCloud Shared Photo Library
• Import and export photos and videos
• Print photos
• Find podcasts
• Listen to podcasts
• Follow your favorite podcasts
• Use the Podcasts widget
• Organize your podcast library
• Download, save, or share podcasts
• Subscribe to podcasts
• Listen to subscriber-only content
• Change download settings
• Make a grocery list
• Add items to a list
• Edit and manage a list
• Search and organize lists
• Work with templates
• Use Smart Lists
• Print reminders
• Use the Reminders widget
• Change Reminders settings
• Browse the web
• Search for websites
• Customize your Safari settings
• Change the layout
• Use Safari profiles
• Open and close tabs
• Organize your tabs
• View your Safari tabs from another Apple device
• Share Tab Groups
• Use Siri to listen to a webpage
• 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 and cookies
• Browse the web privately
• Use passkeys in Safari
• Check stocks
• Manage multiple watchlists
• Read business news
• Add earnings reports to your calendar
• Use a Stocks widget
• Translate text, voice, and conversations
• Translate text in apps
• Translate with the camera view
• Subscribe to Apple TV+, MLS Season Pass, or an Apple TV channel
• Add your TV provider
• Get shows, movies, and more
• Watch sports
• Watch Major League Soccer with MLS Season Pass
• Control playback
• 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 and on the web
• Track your orders
• Use Apple Cash
• Use Apple Card
• Use Savings
• Pay for transit
• Access your home, hotel room, and vehicle
• Add identity cards
• Use COVID-19 vaccination cards
• Check your Apple Account balance
• Use Express Mode
• Organize your Wallet
• Remove cards or passes
• Check the weather
• Check the weather in other locations
• View weather maps
• Manage weather notifications
• Use Weather widgets
• Learn the weather icons
• 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
• Request Roadside Assistance via satellite
• Set up and view your Medical ID
• Use Check In
• 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
• Get started with Screen Time
• Protect your vision health with Screen Distance
• Set up Screen Time
• Set communication and safety limits and block inappropriate content
• Set up Screen Time for a family member
• 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
• Pair Magic Keyboard
• Enter characters with diacritical marks
• Switch between keyboards
• Use shortcuts
• Choose an alternative keyboard layout
• Change typing assistance options
• External storage devices
• Bluetooth accessories
• Share your internet connection
• Allow phone calls on your iPad and Mac
• Use iPhone as a webcam
• Hand off tasks between devices
• Cut, copy, and paste between iPhone and other devices
• Stream video or mirror the screen of your iPhone
• Start SharePlay instantly
• Use AirDrop to send items
• Connect iPhone and your computer with a cable
• Transfer files between devices
• Transfer files with email, messages, or AirDrop
• Transfer files or sync content with the Finder or iTunes
• Automatically keep files up to date with iCloud
• Intro to CarPlay
• Connect to CarPlay
• Use your vehicle’s built-in controls
• Get turn-by-turn directions
• Change the map view
• Make phone calls
• 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
• Turn on accessibility features for setup
• Change Siri accessibility settings
• Open features with Accessibility Shortcut
• Change color and brightness
• Make text easier to read
• Reduce onscreen motion
• Customize per-app visual settings
• Hear what’s on the screen or typed
• Hear audio descriptions
• Turn on and practice VoiceOver
• Change your VoiceOver settings
• Use VoiceOver gestures
• Operate iPhone when VoiceOver is on
• Control VoiceOver using the rotor
• Use the onscreen keyboard
• Write with your finger
• Keep the screen off
• Use VoiceOver with an Apple external keyboard
• Use a braille display
• Type braille on the screen
• Customize gestures and keyboard shortcuts
• Use VoiceOver with a pointer device
• Use VoiceOver for images and videos
• Use VoiceOver in apps
• Use AssistiveTouch
• Adjust how iPhone responds to your touch
• Use Reachability
• Auto-answer calls
• Turn off vibration
• Change Face ID and attention settings
• Use Voice Control
• Adjust the side or Home button
• Use Apple TV Remote buttons
• Adjust pointer settings
• Adjust keyboard settings
• Control iPhone with an external keyboard
• Adjust AirPods settings
• Turn on Apple Watch Mirroring
• Control a nearby Apple device
• Intro to Switch Control
• Set up and turn on Switch Control
• Select items, perform actions, and more
• Control several devices with one switch
• Use hearing devices
• Use Live Listen
• Use sound recognition
• Set up and use RTT and TTY
• Flash the indicator light for notifications
• Adjust audio settings
• Play background sounds
• Display subtitles and captions
• Show transcriptions for Intercom messages
• Get live captions of spoken audio
• Type to speak
• Record a Personal Voice
• Lock iPhone to one app with Guided Access
• Use built-in privacy and security protections
• Set a passcode
• Set up Face ID
• Set up Touch ID
• Control access to information on the Lock Screen
• Keep your Apple ID secure
• Use passkeys to sign in to apps and websites
• Sign in with Apple
• Share passwords
• Automatically fill in strong passwords
• Change weak or compromised passwords
• View your passwords and related information
• Share passkeys and passwords securely with AirDrop
• Make your passkeys and passwords available on all your devices
• Automatically fill in verification codes
• Automatically fill in SMS passcodes
• Sign in with fewer CAPTCHA challenges
• Use two-factor authentication
• Use security keys
• Manage information sharing with Safety Check
• Control app tracking permissions
• Control the location information you share
• Control access to information in apps
• Control how Apple delivers advertising to you
• Control access to hardware features
• Create and manage Hide My Email addresses
• Protect your web browsing with iCloud Private Relay
• Use a private network address
• Use Advanced Data Protection
• Use Lockdown Mode
• Use Stolen Device Protection
• Receive warnings about sensitive content
• Use Contact Key Verification
• Turn iPhone on or off
• Force restart iPhone
• Back up iPhone
• Reset iPhone settings
• 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

You can tailor your iPhone to your own interests and preferences. Personalize your Lock Screen, change the sounds and vibrations for calls and messages, keep features like the flashlight or calculator handy, adjust the text size, and more.

Keep your favorite features handy

Some iPhone features—like the flashlight, timer, or calculator—are just a swipe away in Control Center. To quickly open Control Center on an iPhone with Face ID, swipe down from the top-right edge; on an iPhone with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.

Personalize your Lock Screen

You can showcase a favorite photo, add filters, and widgets, and even change the font of the date and time.

Add widgets to your Home Screen

Widgets let you easily see the information that’s most important to you, like the current weather and upcoming calendar events. You can also complete tasks—for example, check off an item in your Reminders to-do list, or play a song in Music.

Customize your phone calls

Create your own unique call poster to personalize what people see when you call them. Choose your favorite photo or emoji, pair it with your preferred font, then add colors to make it pop. When you make a phone call, your call poster appears on the screen of the person you’re calling.

Choose sounds and vibrations

iPhone can play different sounds and vibrations for phone calls, text messages, calendar alerts, and other notifications.

Use built-in accessibility features

iPhone provides many accessibility features to support your vision, mobility, hearing, speech, and cognitive needs. Change text size, make it easier to use the touchscreen, control your iPhone with just your voice, and more.

Check privacy settings

Want to learn more?

Use and customize Control Center on iPhone

Create a custom iPhone Lock Screen

Add, edit, and remove widgets on iPhone

Change iPhone sounds and vibrations

Get started with accessibility features on iPhone

Use the built-in privacy and security protections of iPhone