Simple iPhone trick that allows you to quickly copy text from books, signs, etc.

One of my favorite iPhone tricks, and I always use, is called Live Text. Apple introduced this feature in iOS 15 and it is available on older iPhones like the iPhone XR/XS series.

The name suffices to suggest the functionality of this feature; it turns any text into text that you can interact with. Just point the camera at it and you’ll be able to copy text and paste it into other apps. Or make a call and compose an email, depending on the type of text your phone is pointing at.

In addition to letting you copy text from anywhere around you, Live Text also lets you copy text from photos and videos you may have saved in your Photos app. Let’s say you see a piece of text but don’t have time to process it on your iPhone when you discover it. All you have to do is take a photo and come back later.

In the next section, I’ll show you how easy it is to use this feature on your iPhone. By the way, Live Text also works on iPad and Mac.

Enable live text on iPhone

The Live Text feature should be enabled by default on your iPhone, but you should check to see if it’s actually enabled if it’s not possible. As a reminder, you’ll need an iPhone 2018 or later to use Live Text.

go Setting application, tap overviewsearch Language & Regionand turn on Direct Text.

You can use Text directly in the Camera and Photos apps if the toggle is green.

How to copy text directly from the Camera app

Open Camera app and point to the text you need to copy or interact with. It could be a book, a restaurant menu, a traffic sign or a poster. Whatever it is, just make sure the text is in focus and you’ll see a button that looks like a square containing the text appear in the bottom right corner of the screen.

Click that button and you will have the ability to perform various tasks as follows:

Copy text: Copy text to paste into another app like Notes or Messages.

Select All: Select all text in the frame.

Lookup: Shows personalized web recommendations.

Translate: Translate text.

Search the web: Look up selected text on the web.

Share: Share text using AirDrop, Messages, Mail, or other available options.

As Apple notes in the support document, you can touch and hold text to get the specific parts you need.

However, this is also the reason why I don’t like using Live Text this way. Not only do I have to hold the device still and point to the text I need, but I also have to touch the screen and select the parts I want to copy.

That’s why I often take photos of text that I want the iPhone’s Live Text feature to scan.

How to use Live Text in the Photos app

Point the camera at the text you need, whether it’s a book or a flyer, make sure the text is in focus, and take a photo. You can get a few of them to make sure the text is readable. Only then will Live Text work.

Go Image app, select the photo you just took and tap the same square icon as before. It will highlight all the text in the image. Only touch and hold about the part you want to copy. If it is a phone number, it will allow you to call that number. Scan email addresses and you’ll be able to start sending emails.

If you copy text, you can paste it anywhere, whether it’s in the Notes app on your iPhone, another app, or another Apple product where you’re signed in with the same ID Apple.

Live text also works in videos saved in the Photos app. Just pause them to start text recognition. You can also get text from images you find online using Live Text. Just take a screenshot to get started.

Furthermore, the Photos app displays quick shortcuts at the bottom of the screen, depending on the photo’s content. That’s another reason to use Live Text with the Photos app instead of the Camera app.

Don’t forget iPads and Macs

The same Live Text photos are available on iPad and Mac, as long as you have newer hardware running the latest versions of iPadOS and macOS. Additionally, Live Text only works with supported languages.