How to use the live text function on your iPhone: full guide and tricks

How to use the live text function on your iPhone? Text recognition technology in images has exponentially progressed in recent yearsAnd Apple was not left behind. With the arrival of iOS 15, iPhone users met a revolutionary function: Live text. This tool has changed the way it interacts with texts in the physical environment, allowing to extract, use and share information immediately, simply pointing with the camera of the device. It is a real rescuer for daily professionals, and even for distraught students.

If you have already seen yourself in the situation of having to copy a postal address, a telephone number or a recipe directly from a poster or a printed documentYou have probably felt the frustration of not being able to do it quickly. With live text, it is one thing in the past. In this article, you will learn How to get the most out of this functionalityAll your requirements and tricks, and you will discover creative ideas to get the most out of your daily life.

What is the text live and what is it for?

Live text, also known as Live textThis is a characteristic that Apple implemented on its iOS 15 devices. It automatically allows you to recognize any text that appears in the viewer of iPhone cameras or which is present in a photograph or a video recorded on the device. This function uses OCR (optical character recognition) technologyEven more advanced than usual, because it recognizes not only the text, but also makes it possible to carry out actions directly from the detected text.

For example, if you point with the camera to a phone number printed on a poster, You can call it instantly without having to mark it manually. If in a recipe, you see a web page or an email address, you can open it or write an email with a single button. Live text also deals with different languages ​​and formats, which provides a Huge agility in daily tasks.

What can we do with live text?

The possibilities offered by this function go beyond the simple copy of text. With live text, you can:

• Select and copy Any part of the text displayed on the screen to paste it wherever you want, either in notes, messages or any compatible application.
• Share information Via Airdrop, Email, messaging or social networks with the same ease.
• Consult the definitions o Information related to a specific word without abandoning the application.
• Translate the text In real time, ideal when you travel or face texts in another language.
• Internet directly from a selected text fragment.
• Interact with the detected dataLike phones, emails or links, to start calls, letters or open websites effortlessly.
• Create contacts Automatically from business cards photographed.

Requirements to use live text

This function is not available on any iPhone. It's essential. In practical terms, we are talking about models from the iPhone XR, the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max (launched from 2018). If your iPhone is previous, unfortunately, you will not be able to use a live text.

In addition, the linguistic support must be taken into account. For the moment, the live text recognizes German, Chinese, Spanish, French, English, Italian and PortugueseSo if you need to deal with texts in another language, it probably doesn't work properly. However, while Apple continues to develop function, languages ​​and capacities will be extended.

How to activate and configure live text on your iPhone

To make sure that the live text is activated on your device, follow these steps:

• Open the application Parameters On your iPhone.
• Slide Camera And access its configuration.
• Look for the section Detected text o Live text And activate the function if not.

You can also manage authorized languages ​​and personalize other aspects of the general system adjustments.

Using live text directly from the camera

One of the main live text attractions is its native integration with the camera. You don't need to install an additional applicationsimply:

1. Open it Room application.
2. Concentrate the text you want to capture inside the camera.
3. As soon as the iPhone detects the text, you will see a Yellow box around the text. Next to it is a specific icon (it looks like a leaf with lines or similar).
4. Touch this Yellow icon To activate the precise detection of the text. Thus, the text becomes selectable.
5. Now you can Keep pressing the text to select exactly the part that interests you. Use the blue dots to adjust the selection.
6. Once selected, several options will appear: Copy, select everything, consult, translate, search on the Internet, share… simply choose the action you need.

When you finish, he returns to the camera as usual, without complications.

Live text with existing photos or videos

What if the text you want to capture is in an image or video already recorded on your coil? You can also take advantage of the live text in this case. The steps to follow are just as simple:

• Open it Photo application And search for the image (or the video frame) which contains the text.
• In the lower corner (normally right), you will see the same thing Text icon detected When there is recognizable text.
• Touch this icon and continue to select the text fragment that interests you.
• As before, then choose the desired action: copy, share, consult, translate…

Quick actions from photos and videos

One of the most powerful live text features is its ability to offer Quick contextual actions. Depending on the content of the recognized text, the interface may show you suggestions such as:

• Call in the event of a phone number.
• Get indications if there is a physical address.
• Access the web pages detecting URLs in the text.
• Send emails if there is an email address.
• Translate complete sentences or concrete words with a single touch.
• Convert currencies or units if the text contains digital quantities.

Just touch the fast action icon which appears at the bottom of the photo screen or videos, and the action will be carried out instantly.

Ingenious and practical use cases for live text

The live text function is so versatile that the users themselves have found creative means to take advantage of them:

• Translation of menus and posters abroad. If you travel to another country and meet a menu in an unknown language, point the camera and instantly translates what interests you.
• Visiting card data capture. You no longer need to type the data from the new contacts: a quick photo and you can add a number or an email directly to your program.
• Save the relevant information on documents. Ideal if you have to save an extract from a paper document for a job, a budget or any management.
• Students using live text to take notes. There are those who take advantage of it to photograph slates or colleagues notes and easily copy the content to their notes. A way of being practical in class.
• Find information on the Internet from printed texts. For example, if you see an interesting appointment in a book, you can search for more information about this on the web simply by selecting it.

How to deactivate the text live if you don't need it

If you prefer not to use this function, deactivate, it's just as easy:

• Go to Parameters On your iPhone.
• Enter the section Camera.
• Look for the option Show the detected text and deduce it.

In this way, the recognition of real-time text will stop working until you activate it again.

Tips and tips for making the most live text

Some details and recommendations can improve your experience with this tool:

• Lightning: Make sure that the text is well lit so that the camera can recognize it properly.
• Corner: Try to place the text as right as possible with regard to the camera to facilitate recognition.
• Format: Live text recognizes clear and clean fonts much better than manuscript or very decorated.
• Confidentiality: Remember that the processing occurs directly on the device, so your data is protected.
• Compatibility: If the text icon does not appear in a photo, try to increase the sharpness or better concentrate the image.

What problems can arise with live text?

Although the function is robust, you can find certain limits:

• Incorrect recognition: In documents with very old fonts or curved texts, it can cost you correctly to interpret.
• Languation of languages: As we have already mentioned, not all languages ​​are taken care of.
• Errors when copying data such as numbers or special charactersEspecially if there are stains or distortions in the image.

Despite these details, the function continues to improve with each iOS update, so many of these problems can disappear as progress in updates.

The live text is, without a doubt, a function designed to save time, avoid errors when copying information and, above all, for Make your daily life easier and more efficient. Whether for work, studies or simply to make life easier, its native integration into the iPhone allows you to forget third part applications and make the most of the camera and photos of the device. For more additional information, we leave you a link to the Apple assistance page.