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Picture this: you take a photo of a restaurant menu while traveling abroad, or someone sends you a screenshot packed with contact details. Instead of typing everything out manually, your iPhone instantly recognizes the text and lets you copy or translate it in seconds. That’s the magic of Live Text for Copying and Translating — a feature that makes your photos and videos smarter than ever.
With Live Text for Copying and Translating, you can grab phone numbers, addresses, or even entire paragraphs directly from your camera roll or the web. Whether you’re studying, traveling, or just staying organized, Live Text for Copying and Translating turns everyday images into interactive, time-saving tools.
What Is Live Text for Copying and Translating?
Live Text is an Apple intelligence feature that recognizes and reads text in photos, screenshots, and even videos. It’s like Optical Character Recognition (OCR) but smarter, integrated system-wide, and ready to help you copy, share, translate, or even act on recognized text — all without leaving your photo.
Step 1: Enable Live Text on Your iPhone
Before you can wield this magic, make sure Live Text is switched on:
- Open Settings.
- Go to General → Language & Region.
- Toggle Live Text to green (on).
Note: Live Text requires iOS 15 or later and works on iPhone XS, XR, and newer models.
Step 2: Copy Text from Photos or Videos
Got a photo or paused video with text? Here’s how to turn that image text into editable text:
- Open the Photos app and select an image containing text or pause a video on a frame with text.
- Tap the Live Text icon that appears in the bottom right (looks like three horizontal lines inside a frame).
- Your photo’s text will be highlighted. Touch and hold on any word to select it.
- Drag the grab points to adjust selection, then tap Copy to copy text to your clipboard. Paste it anywhere you like — messages, notes, emails — no retyping!
Step 3: Translate Text from Images
Traveling or scrolling photos in another language? Live Text to the rescue:
- Select the text in your photo as above.
- Tap the Translate option from the contextual menu.
- Choose your target language, and voila — your iPhone will show you a neat translation.
It’s handy for menus, signs, instructions, and even handwritten notes in supported languages.
Step 4: Quick Actions from Recognized Text
Live Text isn’t just for copying and translating; it also detects phone numbers, dates, addresses, and websites. This means:
- Tap a phone number to call or add to contacts.
- Tap an address to open it in Maps.
- Tap a URL to open the site in Safari.
- Tap a date to create calendar events.
It’s like your phone is reading your mind — or at the very least, your photos.
Bonus Tips & Tricks
- Use Live Text directly in Camera: Point your camera at text and see it highlighted on screen before you even snap a photo. Perfect for quick copy or translation on the fly.
- Use with Safari: If you see images with text on web pages, tap and hold the text to highlight and interact.
- Supports multiple languages: English, Chinese, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and more!
Conclusion
With Live Text for Copying and Translating, your photos and videos become more than just visuals — they turn into tools that actually work for you. Whether you’re grabbing a phone number from a business card, translating a menu on your travels, or pulling notes from handwritten pages, it makes everyday tasks effortless.
Once you try Live Text for Copying and Translating, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it. So go ahead — enable Live Text for Copying and Translating and make your device as smart and intuitive as you are.