One of the latest features to come to Apple mobile devices is Live Text. It allows you to copy the text within the photos more easily, translate the language, make a call, etc.
The tool, available in iOS 15 on the iPhone and iPadOS 15 on the iPad, also includes a feature called Visual Look Up. This tool makes it easy to identify objects found within photos. Next, we explain both functions and how they work.
What is Live Text on the iPhone?
Live Text (Live Text) is an amazing new tool with several new features inside. It acts as an optical character recognition feature built into the iPhone and allows you to scan and copy the text of your photos. You can then use the text or numbers you copy to make calls, send emails, translate text, and much more.
Live Text works with existing images in the Photos or Safari applications and in the Camera application in real time. To get started, just tap the indicator icon.
How to enable Live Text
You do not need to enable or disable Live Text. However, you do have to activate it to use it with different languages.
To activate Live Text on your iPhone:
- Tap the app Settings from your iPhone.
- Please select general.
- Please select Language and Region.
- Activate the slider for Live Text.
Using Live Text on iPhone
The Live Text tool has several useful functions that you can use. Among them, the ability to copy text, make calls, send emails, search online or in a local dictionary, etc.
To start using Live Text, follow these steps.
How to copy text within an image
You can use the Live Text tool to copy the text you find in an image into the Safari or Photos app. You can then use the text elsewhere.
To copy text within an image using Live Text:
- Select the image.
- Press the indicator icon.
- With your finger, press and hold the word or number visible in the image.
- Move the selector to cover the entire word or number. Alternatively, press Select all.
- Press Copy to copy it to the clipboard.
How to make a call or send an email
When you see a phone number or an email address in a photo or image, you can tap on them to make a call or send a message, respectively.
To make a call or send an email using Live Text:
- Choose the image in the Online Photos app that contains the text.
- Click on the indicator icon.
- Press the phone number wave Email address.
- For phone calls, press Call; for email, choose Send Message. Depending on the link, you may also see the text for Make a FaceTime call or Add to contacts.
How to translate a text with Live Text
With the Live Text translation tool, you can translate text from photos and other images and translate it into multiple languages. Among them are European languages such as French and Italian, as well as other global languages such as Chinese.
To translate a text with Live Text:
- Choose the image in the Online Photos app that contains the text.
- Click on the indicator icon.
- Hold down the word and move the grip points as necessary to adjust your selection.
- Please select Translate.
- Press Continue, if necessary, and choose the language to translate the text. Or select Change language.
Note: You may need to download the language (s) you want to translate first. Follow the additional instructions on the screen to do so.
How to look in a dictionary or on the Internet
You can also use Live Text to find more information on a topic. If your image contains text on a topic, you can use it to do an online search. If it is a single word, the iPhone will refer to the local dictionary.
To search online using Live Text:
- Open the Photos app and select the image that contains the text you want to search online.
- In the app, press the indicator icon.
- Select the word or number in your image, using the grip points at both ends to fully select it.
- Press option Look for to look it up online.
If you have selected a word with Find, a dictionary will appear. If not, you will see a list of suggested websites and other resources for the topic.
How to use Visual Look Up with Live Text
Finally, you can get more information about the elements of a photo with the tool Visual search engine. These can include landmarks, plants, pets, or other objects in your photo.
To use the Live Text visual search feature:
- Open your Photo in the Photos app.
- Press the button Visual search engine.
- Select the icon that appears inside or below the photo. Examples of icons are paws for pets and animals and a leaf icon for plants and flowers.
If there is no button Visual search engine, there are no identifiable objects in the photo or image.
Using Live Text on other platforms
You can use Live Text on iPhone and iPad devices, but the feature is also available on Mac with Monterey and later.
With Live Text, you can enter characters in a photo or image to cut and paste or to make a phone call. You can also use a built-in translation tool and get more information about a place, building, or other object. With Visual Look Up, you can learn more about animals, places, and much more. Both tools are valuable add-ons for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Apple has brought a lot to the table in 2021 with iOS 15, and there are a ton of new hidden iOS 15 features you can try. If you are concerned about being tracked online, you may want to learn how to stop ad tracking on your iPhone.
