Talk to Text is built into your iPhone and works in most apps where you type
Talk to Text (officially called Dictation) lets you speak instead of typing on your iPhone. A microphone button appears on your keyboard in Messages, Mail, Notes, Safari search bars, and most other apps. Tap it, speak your message, and your iPhone converts your words to text. The feature is already on your phone — you just need to know where to find the microphone button and how to use it.
The microphone button sits on your keyboard next to the space bar. If you don't see it, your keyboard settings may have hidden it, or you may need to enable Dictation in your phone's accessibility settings. Both fixes take less than a minute.
Key Takeaways
- The microphone button for Talk to Text appears on your keyboard next to the space bar in most typing apps.
- If the microphone button is missing, go to Settings > General > Keyboard and toggle on "Enable Dictation".
- Tap the microphone button, speak clearly, then tap it again or wait for a pause to finish your message.
- Talk to Text works offline on newer iPhones, but older models need an internet connection to use the feature.
Finding and tapping the microphone button
Open any app where you normally type — Messages, Mail, Notes, or a web search bar all work. Tap in the text field to bring up your keyboard. Look at the bottom row of your keyboard, to the right of the space bar. You should see a microphone icon. Tap it once.
Your iPhone will show a red microphone at the top of the screen and a waveform that moves as you speak. Speak naturally and clearly. You can pause between sentences, and your iPhone will keep listening. When you finish, tap the microphone button again, or simply wait a few seconds without speaking. Your iPhone will convert what you said into text and insert it where your cursor was.
If you make a mistake, you can edit the text the same way you would edit anything you typed — tap and drag to select words, then delete or retype them. There is no penalty for editing dictated text.
Turning on Dictation if the microphone button is missing
If you don't see a microphone button on your keyboard, Dictation may be turned off. Open Settings on your home screen. Tap General, then scroll down and tap Keyboard.
Look for the option that says "Enable Dictation" — it should have a toggle switch next to it. If the toggle is gray (off), tap it to turn it on. The toggle will turn green. Close Settings and go back to any app where you type. The microphone button should now appear on your keyboard next to the space bar.
If you still don't see the microphone button after enabling Dictation, restart your iPhone. Press and hold the power button until you see "Slide to Power Off", then slide to shut down. Wait a few seconds, then press and hold the power button again until you see the Apple logo. Once your phone restarts, try typing in an app again — the microphone button should appear.
What to do if Talk to Text isn't working
If the microphone button is there but nothing happens when you tap it, your iPhone may not have an internet connection. Older iPhone models (iPhone 6s and earlier) require a working Wi-Fi or cellular connection to use Dictation. Check that you are connected to Wi-Fi or have cellular service, then try again.
Newer iPhones (iPhone XS and later) can use Dictation offline, so if you have a newer model and no internet, the feature should still work. If it doesn't, try restarting the app you are using. Close it completely by swiping up from the bottom of the screen and dragging the app off the top, then open it again.
If Dictation still will not work after restarting the app, restart your iPhone using the power button method described above. This fixes most dictation problems that are not related to internet connection.
Using Talk to Text in different apps
Talk to Text works in any app that uses the standard iPhone keyboard. This includes Messages, Mail, Notes, Reminders, Calendar event descriptions, Safari search bars, and most third-party apps like Gmail, Slack, and Twitter. The microphone button appears the same way in all of them.
Some apps may have their own voice input button that looks different from the standard microphone. For example, WhatsApp has a separate voice message feature that records audio rather than converting speech to text. Make sure you are tapping the microphone button on the keyboard itself, not a voice message button elsewhere in the app.
If an app does not show the microphone button on its keyboard, that app may not support Dictation. You can still use the standard keyboard to type normally.
Tips for better dictation accuracy
Speak at a normal pace and volume, as if you were talking to someone across a table. Avoid whispering or shouting, both of which make it harder for your iPhone to understand you. Pause briefly between sentences so your iPhone knows where one sentence ends and another begins.
If you need punctuation, you can say the punctuation mark out loud. Say "period" or "full stop" at the end of a sentence, "comma" between clauses, or "question mark" when you need one. You can also say "new line" or "new paragraph" to break up your text. Your iPhone will insert the punctuation or line break where you said it.
Background noise makes dictation less accurate. If you are in a noisy place, move to a quieter spot if you can. If you are using an older iPhone that requires an internet connection, a weak connection will also make dictation slower and less accurate.
Turning off Talk to Text if you don't want it
If you want to hide the microphone button from your keyboard, go back to Settings > General > Keyboard and toggle off "Enable Dictation". The microphone button will disappear from all your keyboards. You can turn it back on the same way whenever you want to use it again.
Disabling Dictation does not affect anything else on your phone — you can still type normally, and all your other keyboard settings stay the same. This is useful if you share your iPhone with someone else and want to keep the keyboard simpler, or if you simply prefer not to see the microphone button.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my iPhone need to be connected to the internet to use Talk to Text?
It depends on your iPhone model. iPhone XS and newer can use Dictation offline. Older models (iPhone 6s and earlier) need a Wi-Fi or cellular connection. If you have an iPhone between 7 and XR, check your phone's model in Settings > General > About, then look up whether your specific model supports offline dictation.
Can I use Talk to Text in languages other than English?
Yes. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Dictation Languages and tap the plus sign to add another language. Your iPhone will then recognize speech in that language when you use Dictation. You can add as many languages as you want.
What if Talk to Text keeps getting my words wrong?
Speak more slowly and clearly, and move to a quieter location if possible. If you are using an older iPhone that requires internet, a slow connection can cause accuracy problems — try switching to a different Wi-Fi network or moving closer to your router. You can also edit the text after it appears, just like you would fix a typo.
Can I use Talk to Text while wearing AirPods or headphones?
Yes. Dictation uses your iPhone's microphone, not the microphone on your headphones or AirPods. You can wear them while dictating, and your iPhone will still hear you through its built-in microphone.
Is my voice data saved or sent to Apple?
On newer iPhones, Dictation processes your speech on your device itself, so your words are not sent anywhere. On older models that require an internet connection, your speech is sent to Apple's servers to be converted to text, then deleted. Apple does not store your dictation data or use it to train other systems.