DB Labs
What Is Live Text on iPhone?
Live Text is an iOS 15+ feature that uses on-device optical character recognition (OCR) to detect and interact with text in photos and the camera viewfinder. You can select and copy text from any photo in your library, translate it into another language, tap phone numbers to call, tap addresses to open in Maps, and tap URLs to open in Safari. It works with printed text, handwriting, and most fonts in 12+ languages. No internet connection is required — all OCR processing is done on your device.
How to Use Live Text in Photos
Live Text activates automatically when iOS detects text in a photo. Here is how to use it:
- Open any photo in the Photos app that contains text.
- Look for the Live Text icon (three horizontal lines with a cursor) in the bottom right corner of the photo. Its presence confirms Live Text detected text.
- Tap the Live Text icon to enter text selection mode. The text in the photo becomes selectable, just like text on a webpage.
- Tap and drag to select specific words or phrases. Double-tap a word to select it. Tap and hold to get a cursor, then drag the selection handles.
- Use the pop-up menu to Copy, Look Up, Translate, Share, or trigger smart actions.
Smart Actions: More Than Just Copying
Live Text goes beyond simple text copying. When iOS recognizes specific types of text, it automatically offers smart actions:
- Phone numbers: A "Call" or "FaceTime" button appears — tap to call the number directly.
- Email addresses: An "Email" button appears to open a compose window with the address pre-filled.
- Websites (URLs): An "Open in Safari" button appears to load the page instantly.
- Physical addresses: A "Get Directions" button appears to open the address in Apple Maps.
- Dates and events: A "Create Event" button appears to add the event directly to Calendar.
- Flight numbers: A "Track Flight" button appears to open the flight in Maps.
Live Text in the Camera Viewfinder
You do not need to take a photo first. In iOS 15+, Live Text works in real time through the camera viewfinder:
- Open the Camera app and point it at any text.
- The Live Text icon appears in the bottom right of the viewfinder when text is detected.
- Tap the icon to freeze the viewfinder and enter text selection mode.
- Select and interact with the text — copy it, translate it, or trigger smart actions.
- When done, tap the X to dismiss and return to the camera view.
Translating Text in Photos
Live Text's translation feature is particularly useful for travelers. To translate text in a photo:
- Open the photo and tap the Live Text icon.
- Select the text you want to translate (or select all).
- Tap Translate in the pop-up menu.
- iOS displays the translation inline and allows you to copy the translated text.
The translation is powered by Apple's on-device translation models (the same ones used in the Translate app). No internet is required for languages that have been downloaded to your device. Go to Settings → Translate → Downloaded Languages to pre-download languages for offline use.
Supported Languages
As of iOS 18, Live Text supports: English, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Ukrainian, and Thai. Apple adds more languages with each major iOS update. The feature also handles mixed-language text in the same image.
Related Features: Visual Lookup and Photo Search
Live Text and Visual Lookup are companion features — both activate from the photo info panel. Live Text reads text in the image; Visual Lookup identifies the subject of the image. For searching your library using the text that appears in photos (such as finding all photos that contain the word "receipt"), see our guide on iPhone photo search tips which covers iOS 18's text-based photo search.