How to activate voice to text on iphone

To enable voice-to-text on your iPhone X, simply head to the settings menu, select General > Keyboards and turn on the Dictation switch. However, if the feature is not working as intended, read further and learn how to fix this issue.

Fix or Enable Voice-to-text for iPhone X

How to turn on Voice-to-Text on iPhone X. Voice-to-text not working on iPhone X. Speech to text on iPhone X. Can’t tap on mic to use speech to text iPhone X.

Solution

Voice-to-text on iPhone lets you tap on the “mic” icon while messaging to dictate what you wish to write instead of typing it down. This feature is useful for situations where you need your hands free and still want to send that reply on time! Here’s how you can activate your Voice-to-text feature on iPhone X, or clear any issues that might be causing it to stop working.

If you simply wish to enable the voice-to-text feature on your iPhone X, you can skip this part. If you’re having issues using the Voice-to-text function on your iPhone X, here’s what you can do:

  • Go to Settings > General > Siri and turn Siri OFF.
  • Perform a Soft Reset of your iPhone X by performing the following:
    • Press and release the Volume Up button, then press and release the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
      How to activate voice to text on iphone
      How to activate voice to text on iphone
    • Once you see the Apple logo let go of all buttons and your iPhone will restart.
  • Once your iPhone is back on, go back into Settings > General > Siri and turn it back ON.

If you simply wish to learn how to activate voice-to-text on the iPhone X, or performed the steps above (for users that have issues), continue with the following:

  • Go to Settings > General > Restrictions and make sure Siri is ON.
  • Go to Settings > General > Keyboards > Enable Dictation and make sure it’s ON.
  • Test your Voice-to-text feature as it should be working now.
  • If issue persists go to Settings > General> Software Updates and make sure your iPhone is running the latest iOS version.

I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix or enable the Voice-to-text feature on your iPhone X device. We would appreciate it if you help us spread the word so please share this post if you found it helpful.

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Apple’s Dictation tool is quite efficient when it comes to converting your voice into text and can be used across any app or screen you’re on your iPhone. With iOS 16, you can now use dictation as well as the on-screen keyboard when sending messages, taking notes, or searching for something inside apps. Additionally, dictation on iOS 16 is also enabled with automatic punctuation, meaning your iPhone will add a period or question mark while detecting your speech. 

If you recently updated your iPhone to iOS 16 but you’ve been facing issues using Dictation, the following post should help you solve them so you can continue using your voice to enter text across apps. 

Related: iOS 16 edit messages not working? How to fix

Contents show

  • Fix #1: Ensure Dictation is enabled on your iPhone
  • Fix #2: Make sure you’re using Voice-to-Text the right way
  • Fix #3: Reboot your iPhone
  • Fix #4: Switch to another dictation language
  • Fix #5: Disable Siri & Dictation restriction under Screen Time
  • Fix #6: Check if Voice-to-Text works when Low Power mode is disabled
  • Fix #7: Update to latest iOS version
  • Fix #8: Check if your iPhone’s mic is damaged
  • Fix #9: Reset your iPhone’s settings
  • Fix #10: Try Voice-to-Text on Gboard and alternative apps

Fix #1: Ensure Dictation is enabled on your iPhone

Voice-to-Text will only work on your iPhone if you have dictation enabled on iOS. If not, you won’t be able to use your voice to enter text on any app on your iPhone. To enable dictation on your iPhone, open the Settings app, go to General > Keyboard and turn on the Enable Dictation toggle.

You can check if Voice-to-Text now works on your iPhone. 

Related: iPhone 14 Pro getting hot? 13 ways to fix

Fix #2: Make sure you’re using Voice-to-Text the right way

If dictation is enabled on your device but you still aren’t able to enter text on an app, then it’s likely that you’re using it wrong. Before you go ahead and try to fix any issue, make sure you’re using Voice-to-Text the right way. To use this feature, open an app or a screen and tap on a text field where you wish to enter text. 

When the native keyboard pops up, tap on the microphone icon at the bottom right corner. 

This should turn on Dictation mode on your iPhone and during this period, the microphone icon will be highlighted inside a darker circle at the bottom right corner.

When this mode is enabled, you can now enter text using your voice and your iPhone will automatically add the detected text into the text field along with the appropriate punctuations. Voice-to-Text should work flawlessly if your voice is audible to your iPhone’s microphone. If dictation isn’t able to capture every word you’re uttering, try speaking louder towards the microphone. You can also use Voice-to-Text to insert emojis in a message by simply saying “crying emoji” or “mind-blown emoji”. 

When you’re done entering your desired text, you can disable dictation by tapping on the highlighted microphone icon at the bottom right corner.

You can also tap on the microphone icon marked with an “x” that may appear somewhere within the text box you were typing in. 

Fix #3: Reboot your iPhone

Voice-to-Text isn’t a new feature on iOS 16 but there’s still a chance that the tool may misbehave on a device for any number of reasons. If you were able to use dictation before and the feature has only started causing problems lately, then you can try rebooting your device to help fix it. You can restart your iPhone by following these instructions:

  • On iPhones with Face ID (iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, and 14 series): Press and hold the Side button and either of the Volume buttons until you see the Power-off slider screen. When the slider appears, drag it to the right to turn off your iPhone. After your iPhone is completely shut down, wait for 30 seconds and then press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo shows.
  • On iPhones with Touch ID (iPhone SE 2nd/3rd gen and iPhone 8): Press and hold the Side button until you see the Power-off slider screen. When the slider appears, drag it to the right to turn off your iPhone. After your iPhone is completely shut down, wait for 30 seconds and then press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo shows.

After a successful restart, you can now check if Voice-to-Text works as shown in fix #2. 

Related: iOS 16: Add widgets to the Lock Screen in 2022

Fix #4: Switch to another dictation language 

If the primary language you use for dictation is English, then there’s a chance that your iPhone isn’t able to detect your version of the language. Many users have reported that they managed to make Voice-to-Text work on their iPhones when they switched from English (US) to English (UK) or English (Canada). If you’re currently using English (US) or another version of the language, you can change it to another version by opening the Settings app and going to General > Keyboard > Add New Keyboard.

In the list that appears, select a language you may be confirmable with. If your primary language is English, you can try switching to English (UK), English (Canada), or one from your own region. 

Once selected, go back to the Keyboards screen (Settings > General > Keyboard) and select Dictation Languages.

Here, make sure the newly added language is selected so that your voice is detected by your iPhone. If not, tap on the unselected language from this list and make sure it’s marked with a tick mark.

You can also use this fix to add a language other than English to use with Voice-to-Text. 

Related: How to Add a Custom Widget to Lock Screen on iOS 16

Fix #5: Disable Siri & Dictation restriction under Screen Time

Screen Time on iOS lets you see how much time you spent on your iPhone and the apps installed on it. Besides that, this tool can also be used to limit your phone usage and restrict some apps from running on your device, so that you use your phone less. If Dictation is enabled inside your keyboard settings but you’re unable to see the microphone icon when you access the iOS keyboard, iOS’ Voice-to-Text tool may have been disabled as part of Screen Time’s restrictions. 

To make Voice-to-Text work, open the Settings app and go to Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed Apps. On the Allowed Apps screen, check if the Siri & Dictation toggle is disabled. If yes, turn on the Siri & Dictation toggle to re-enable Voice-to-Text on your iPhone. 

Fix #6: Check if Voice-to-Text works when Low Power mode is disabled

Low Power Mode on iOS temporarily disables certain functions of apps and processes on your iPhone. If you often use Low Power Mode on iOS, Voice-to-Text may sometimes not work. You can check if you’re able to use Voice-to-Text by tapping the microphone after you have disabled Low Power Mode on your phone. To disable Low Power Mode, go to Settings > Battery and turn off the Low Power Mode toggle. 

If you have added this tile to your Control Center, you can swipe down from the top right corner and tap on the Low Power Mode tile from the Control Center to disable it. 

Once this is disabled, you can now try using the Dictation tool to enter a text using your voice. 

Fix #7: Update to latest iOS version

If you only started experiencing issues with Voice-to-Text, then the issue may have something to do with a recent iOS update. This seems to be a widespread issue since many users have complained that Dictation stopped working on their devices as soon as they updated to iOS 16. With the extent of the users affected, another update may be on the horizon and that should make Voice-to-Text work again on your device. 

To update your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Software Update and check for new updates. If an update is available, tap on Download and Install to update your iPhone to the latest version.

Fix #8: Check if your iPhone’s mic is damaged

Just like Siri, the Voice-to-Text tool relies on your iPhone’s microphone to detect your speech. If you’re unable to use dictation to enter text on your device, you should check if the built-in microphone is working. You can check by making calls and confirming whether the other person can hear your voice. You can also open the Voice Memos app and start a recording to check if the app can detect your voice and whether or not it’s audible when you play it. 

If everything is working well, then the inability to use Voice-to-Text isn’t because of any hardware issue but it could be your iPhone’s software that isn’t able to use dictation. If that’s the case, then you can proceed to the next step. 

In case, your phone isn’t able to detect your voice during a call or voice recording, the microphone is certainly the one causing the issue which means you will need to take your iPhone to Apple Service to get it fixed. 

Fix #9: Reset your iPhone’s settings

If none of the above solutions worked in your favor and you only want to use Apple’s native Voice-to-Text tool, then resetting your phone’s settings is the only way to go. While doing this won’t delete pictures and files from your device storage, you may need to set up some of your default settings on your iPhone again to use it in your preferred way. To reset all iOS settings, open the Settings app and go to Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings. 

When you do that, you’ll be asked to enter your device passcode. iOS will then reset your iPhone to its default settings and restart your device. Once your device reboots, enable Dictation and check if Voice-to-Text is now working. 

Fix #10: Try Voice-to-Text on Gboard and alternative apps

iOS’ Voice-to-Text functionality is pretty nifty and convenient to use but if that isn’t working for you, you can try using other third-party iOS keyboards like Gboard and SwiftKey. Both these apps come with their standalone Voice-to-Text tools to detect your voice and convert it into text no matter which app you have open on your screen. 

If you want to use Voice-to-Text to specifically transcribe your speech for creating lengthier content, you can use any of these apps that provide the functionality – Evernote, Just Press Record, Scribe, and Dictation – Speech to Text. 

Why can't I use my voice to text on my iPhone?

Make sure dictation is turned on Go to Settings > General > Keyboard. Turn on Enable Dictation.

How do I activate voice to text?

Talk to write.
On your Android phone or tablet, install Gboard..
Open any app that you can type with, like Gmail or Keep..
Tap an area where you can enter text..
At the top of your keyboard, touch and hold Microphone ..
When you see "Speak now," say what you want written..

Why isn't my voice to text working?

Check the following in your system settings: Look under 'Language & Input'. In some cases it might be under Gboard. Find "Google Voice Typing", make sure it's enabled.