Speech to Text on iPhone: How to Turn On and Use Dictation
To use speech to text on iPhone, go to Settings > General > Keyboard and turn on Enable Dictation, then tap the microphone key on the keyboard in any app and start talking. The rest of this guide covers what you can say once it's listening, the limits buried in Apple's small print, and the other built-in tools for when you want a transcript of a recording instead.
Everything below is checked against Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 27, the current version as of October 2026. The menu paths and commands are identical on iOS 26; only the section on what's new in iOS 27 won't apply if you haven't updated.
How to turn on speech to text on iPhone
Apple calls the feature Dictation. Turning it on is three taps:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General, then tap Keyboard.
- Turn on Enable Dictation. If a prompt appears, tap Enable Dictation again to confirm.
Just below that switch is About Dictation & Privacy, Apple's own explanation of what gets processed where.
If you type on an iPhone with a Magic Keyboard attached, the same Keyboard screen lets you choose a dictation shortcut. Press that key twice to start dictating, and twice again to go back to typing (Apple).
How to dictate on iPhone
Once Enable Dictation is on, iPhone dictation works anywhere you can type: Messages, Mail, Notes, WhatsApp, a search box, the address bar.
- Tap in a text field to put the cursor where you want the words to go.
- Tap the microphone key on the onscreen keyboard. In some text fields the microphone also appears inside the field itself.
- When the microphone icon shows up next to the cursor, start talking.
There are three ways to stop: tap the microphone again, say "Stop dictation", or go quiet for 30 seconds, at which point it stops by itself (Apple).
That 30-second cut-off catches people out. If you pause to think mid-email, you come back to a keyboard that has stopped listening. Tap the mic again and carry on from where the cursor is.
The keyboard stays open the whole time you're dictating. You can tap to fix a word, type a name, then keep talking, without stopping and restarting. It's the most useful design decision in the whole feature, and it's easy to miss.
Punctuation, emoji and formatting
In supported languages, iPhone puts in commas, full stops and question marks for you as you speak. If you'd rather say every comma yourself (some people find the automatic version too eager), turn it off at Settings > General > Keyboard > Auto-Punctuation.
For everything else, say the name of the thing. Apple's list of dictation commands covers these:
| Say | You get |
|---|---|
| "period" | . |
| "comma" | , |
| "question mark" / "exclamation point" | ? / ! |
| "colon" / "semicolon" | : / ; |
| "quote" ... "end quote" | " ... " |
| "open parenthesis" ... "close parenthesis" | ( ... ) |
| "dollar sign" / "hashtag" | $ / # |
| "new line" / "new paragraph" | A line break or a new paragraph |
Note the American words. Apple's command is "period", so that's what to say, even if you'd call it a full stop.
There are formatting commands too, and they're more useful than they look:
- "cap" capitalises the next word. "caps on" ... "caps off" capitalises the first letter of every word in between, which is handy for titles and names.
- "all caps" makes the next word uppercase. "all caps on" ... "all caps off" does it for a run of words.
- "no caps on" ... "no caps off" forces lowercase.
- "no space" joins two words, and "no space on" ... "no space off" runs a whole series together (neither works in every language).
Emoji work by name. Say "heart emoji", "car emoji", "fingers crossed emoji" or "purple heart emoji" and you get the emoji itself. Emoji by voice only works in certain languages, which Apple lists on its feature availability page.
Editing while you dictate
You can fix mistakes by voice without touching the screen:
- "Change tea to T-E-E" swaps a word for a spelled-out version.
- "Select" or "delete" followed by a phrase selects or removes it. "Delete all" clears the lot.
- "Insert ... before ..." and "insert ... after ..." add words in a specific place.
- "Undo" and "redo" do what you'd expect.
To spell something out from the start, say it the way Apple's example does: "Let's invite Steven S-T-E-P-H-E-N."
Here's the small print. Apple says the change, insert and delete commands are available in U.S. English on iPhone 12 and later, except iPhone SE. If you're dictating in UK English, or on an older phone or an SE, and "change X to Y" doesn't do what you asked, that's the likely reason. Nothing is broken; the feature isn't there for your setup. Tap the word and fix it with your thumb instead, which the open keyboard makes painless.
Dictating in another language
Dictation follows your keyboard. If you have a keyboard for another language, you can dictate in that language too.
To add one, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard and pick the language. Then, while typing, touch and hold the globe or emoji key and choose that keyboard before you tap the microphone (Apple).
Features vary by language and country, and Apple keeps the current list on its feature availability page. If something works in English but not in your other language, check there before assuming it's a fault.
Does iPhone dictation work offline?
Yes, in many languages. Apple says dictation is processed on your iPhone and no internet connection is required (Apple). In practice that means you can dictate a note on a plane or in a tunnel.
Two caveats from the same page:
- Search boxes are different. When you dictate into a search field, the words may be sent to the search engine to run the search. That's the search doing its job, but it's worth knowing.
- Apple still warns about data. The guide says cellular data charges may apply when using Dictation.
If privacy matters for what you're dictating (client details, health information, anything you wouldn't put in an email to a stranger), read the About Dictation & Privacy link under the Enable Dictation switch. It's Apple's own wording and more reliable than any summary.
What's new in iOS 27
The big change this year: with Apple Intelligence, iOS 27 dictation uses an on-device model to improve spelling, punctuation and capitalisation. Apple lists it as available in English on iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air or later (Apple).
So if you've got an iPhone 15 Pro or 16, which run other Apple Intelligence features, you still get the standard dictation model here. And if you dictate in a language other than English, you won't see this upgrade yet. Everything else in this guide (commands, editing, offline use) works the same either way.
When the microphone is missing or dictation keeps stopping
If the microphone key isn't on your keyboard, check Settings > General > Keyboard first: Apple's own fix for a missing mic is to turn on Enable Dictation. And if dictation keeps cutting out, remember it stops after 30 seconds of silence by design.
Past that, the causes get more varied: microphone permissions, a muffled mic, an update that changed something. We've written a separate guide to speech to text not working that goes through the fixes in order. If you suspect the microphone itself, our free mic test will tell you in a few seconds whether it's picking you up at all.
Other ways to turn speech into text on iPhone
Dictation is for typing with your voice. iPhone has several other speech-to-text tools for different jobs, and they get muddled together a lot:
| You want to... | Use | Where | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type with your voice in any app | Dictation | Settings > General > Keyboard | A supported language and region |
| Control the whole phone by voice, and dictate | Voice Control | Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control | One-time download over Wi-Fi |
| Get a transcript of a recording | Voice Memos | Voice Memos app | iPhone 12 or later |
| Record and transcribe inside a note | Notes | Notes app, Record Audio | iPhone 12 or later |
| See captions for audio or people nearby | Live Captions | Settings > Accessibility > Live Captions | iPhone 11 or later |
Voice Control
Voice Control is the accessibility feature for running your iPhone hands-free: "Open Control Center", "Go home", "Tap" followed by a button name. It also dictates, with three modes: Dictation mode (the default, word by word), Spelling mode (character by character, useful for web addresses), and Command mode (listens for commands only, so nothing gets typed by accident).
Set it up at Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control > Set Up Voice Control. You need Wi-Fi the first time for a one-time download; after that it works offline. It also has a Vocabulary setting where you can teach it how you pronounce names and jargon (not every Voice Control language supports it).
One catch: when Voice Control is on, standard Dictation isn't available (Apple). Say "Stop listening" to pause it and "Start listening" to bring it back.
Transcribe a voice memo or a Notes recording
If you'd rather talk first and get text later, Voice Memos will transcribe a recording on iPhone 12 or later. While recording, swipe up from the top of the waveform and tap the transcript button to watch the words appear. Afterwards, tap the recording, tap the More button, and choose View Transcript or Copy Transcript (Apple). Transcripts are searchable from the Voice Memos search bar, which is quietly brilliant for finding the one memo where you said the thing.
Notes does the same inside a note: tap the attachment button, choose Record Audio, and you get a live transcript. When you're done you can choose Add Transcript to Note or Copy Transcript (Apple).
Both support English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean and Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Live Captions
Live Captions puts a running transcript on screen for any audio the phone plays, or for a conversation in the room. Turn it on at Settings > Accessibility > Live Captions. Then tap the Live Captions window on screen and choose Microphone or iPhone Audio. You can copy the captions and paste them into Notes. It needs an iPhone 11 or later, and Apple is clear that accuracy varies and you shouldn't rely on it in emergencies (Apple).
Tips for better results
Speak in whole sentences. Auto-punctuation decides where commas and full stops go from the shape of what you say, and three words followed by a long pause gives it very little shape to work with.
Talk at a normal pace. You don't need to slow down or over-enunciate. If you're curious how fast you actually talk, our speaking speed test will give you a words-per-minute figure.
Hold the phone closer, or use wired or Bluetooth earphones with a mic, in noisy places. Background noise is the usual reason a perfectly good sentence comes out as nonsense. There's more on what affects accuracy in our guide to speech to text accuracy.
On a Mac or PC?
Macs have Dictation built in too, and our Mac guide covers it. This next bit is ours, so weigh it accordingly: Blazing Transcribe does the same job on a Mac or a Windows PC. Hold a key, talk, let go, and the words appear wherever your cursor is, in any app.
FAQ
How do I turn on speech to text on my iPhone?
To turn on speech to text on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Keyboard and switch on Enable Dictation. Then tap the microphone key on the keyboard in any app and start speaking.
Why is there no microphone on my iPhone keyboard?
There's usually no microphone on your iPhone keyboard because Enable Dictation is switched off in Settings > General > Keyboard. Turn it on and the key appears. If it's on and still missing, work through our speech to text not working guide.
Why does iPhone dictation keep stopping?
iPhone dictation stops by itself after 30 seconds of silence, so it keeps stopping whenever you pause to think. Tap the microphone again to carry on.
How do I turn off speech to text on iPhone?
To turn off speech to text on iPhone, go to Settings > General > Keyboard and switch off Enable Dictation. The microphone key disappears from the keyboard until you turn it back on.
Does iPhone dictation cost anything?
No, iPhone dictation doesn't cost anything: it's built into iOS, with nothing to buy or subscribe to. Apple does note that cellular data charges may apply when you use it.