Computers, Laptops & Tablets Apple 810 810 people found this article helpful How to Use Voice Dictation on the iPhone and iPad Talk to your iPhone or iPad instead of using the on-screen keyboard by Daniel Nations Writer Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, The Spruce, and other publications. our editorial process Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Daniel Nations Updated on February 16, 2020 Tweet Share Email Apple iPad Macs If you find that the on-screen keyboard is a bit unruly when typing more than a line or two, use voice dictation instead of buying a wireless keyboard for the iPad. Voice dictation also makes the iPhone a viable alternative to a laptop when you write your emails. Even if you need multiple paragraphs and punctuation, voice dictation can handle it. However, older devices may require an internet connection to do the heavy lifting. These instructions apply to the iPad Pro and later, and the iPhone 6S and later. How to Use Voice Dictation on the iPhone and iPad One of the most powerful features of iOS is also one that is easy to miss: voice dictation. Siri may get all the press for being a great personal assistant, but it may be at its best when it's taking notes. Voice dictation is available for both the iPhone and the iPad. Follow these directions to get your iOS device listening to you. Display the on-screen keyboard, then tap the microphone. Lifewire Start talking. The device listens to your voice and turns it into text as you talk. Use keywords to insert punctuation or paragraph breaks as needed. Lifewire Tap Done to stop dictating. Lifewire Make adjustments to the text as necessary with the keyboard. Voice dictation is available any time the on-screen keyboard is available, which means no hunting around for it when you really need it. You can use it for text messages, email messages, or taking notes in your favorite app. The Voice Memo app, available for the iPhone but not the iPad, makes for quick audio notes. Voice Dictation Keywords To get the most out of voice dictation, use these keywords to add punctuation or line breaks: Period: The "." is the standard way to end a sentence.Question Mark: The "?" punctuation mark.New Paragraph: Starts a new paragraph. End the previous sentence before beginning the new paragraph.Exclamation Point: The "!" punctuation mark.Comma: The "," punctuation mark.Colon: The ":" punctuation mark.Semi-Colon: The ";" punctuation markEllipsis: The "..." punctuation markQuote and Unquote: Puts quotation marks around words or phrases.Slash: The "/" symbol.Asterisk: The "*" symbol.Ampersand: The "&" symbol, which means "and."At Sign: The "@" symbol found in email addresses. Voice dictation automatically adds spaces after punctuation that needs it, for example, periods, commas, and closing quotation marks. Other punctuation marks are also available, so if you need one of the rarer ones, say it. For example, say, "upside-down question mark" to produce an upside-down question mark ("¿"). Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit