How to Type With Your Voice on an iPhone (Dictation)

ByTom Becker

Typing on a small screen can be slow and tiring, especially if your fingers are stiff or the keys feel tiny. Your iPhone can type for you. You speak, and your words appear as text. This feature is called Dictation. It works in Messages, Mail, Notes and most places you can type.

These steps follow Apple’s iPhone User Guide for iOS 27, checked in October 2026. On an older version, screens may look a little different, but the idea is the same.

Step 1: Turn On Dictation

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap General, then tap Keyboard.
  3. Turn on Enable Dictation. If a message appears, tap Enable Dictation again.

You only need to do this once.

Step 2: Speak Your Message

  1. Open an app where you type, such as Messages or Notes.
  2. Tap in the text box so the keyboard appears.
  3. Tap the microphone icon on the keyboard. If you do not see it, go back to Step 1.
  4. When the microphone appears near your cursor, start talking at a normal pace.
  5. To stop, tap the microphone again. You can also say “Stop dictation.” If you stay quiet for 30 seconds, it stops by itself.

The keyboard stays open while you dictate, so you can speak a few words and then fix a letter by touch.

Punctuation and New Lines

In many languages, your iPhone adds commas, periods and question marks on its own. To turn that off, go to Settings, General, Keyboard, and switch off Auto-Punctuation. You can also say the mark you want, such as “exclamation point.” Here are some helpful commands from Apple:

  • “Period,” “comma,” “question mark”: adds that mark
  • “Open parenthesis” and “close parenthesis”: adds ( and )
  • “Quote” and “end quote”: adds opening and closing quotation marks
  • “New line”: starts a new line
  • “New paragraph”: starts a new paragraph
  • “Cap”: capitalizes the next word

Fixing Mistakes by Voice

Apple says editing commands work in U.S. English on iPhone 12 and later (except iPhone SE). Try these:

  • “Select” followed by a phrase highlights it
  • “Delete” followed by a phrase removes it
  • “Change tea to T-E-E” fixes a spelling, when you spell the new word out
  • “Undo” and “redo” reverse or repeat the last command

You can also say the spelling of a name, such as “Steven S-T-E-P-H-E-N,” to get it right.

Tips for Better Results

  • Speak clearly and a little slower than usual, in a quiet room.
  • Hold the phone about as far away as you would for a phone call.
  • Read the text before you send it. Dictation can mishear words.
  • Apple notes that cellular data charges may apply when you use Dictation. In many languages it works on the phone without an internet connection.
  • When you dictate into a search box, your words may be sent to the search engine to run the search.

A Safety Note

Dictation speaks your words out loud. Avoid saying passwords, Social Security numbers or bank details where others can hear you. For passwords, typing or using a password manager is safer.

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Sources

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