How to Use Voice Dictation on the iPhone and iPad

This article explains how to enable and use voice dictation on iPhones and iPads. It includes a list of keywords for various punctuation options. These instructions apply to iPads and iPhones running iPadOS 15, iPadOS 14, iPadOS 13, or iOS 15 through iOS 9.

How to Use Voice Dictation on the iPhone and iPad

One of the most powerful features of iPadOS and iOS is also one that is easy to miss: voice dictation. Siri may get all the press for being a great personal assistant, but voice dictation may be at its best when it's taking notes, and it's available for both the iPhone and the iPad.

If using the on-screen keyboard of your iPad is inconvenient when typing more than a line or two, use voice dictation instead. Voice dictation makes the iPhone a viable alternative to a laptop for sending and replying to emails. However, older devices may require an internet connection to do the heavy lifting.

Follow these directions to get your iOS device listening to you.

1. Display the on-screen keyboard by tapping a field that accepts text (such as an email or note) and then tap the microphone.

2. The first time you tap the microphone, you may need to tap Enable Dictation. Do this at Settings > General > Keyboard. Turn on Enable DIctation.

3. 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.

4. Tap Done or the keyboard icon (depending on the iOS version) to stop dictating.

5. 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 need it. You can use it for text messages, email messages, or taking notes in your favorite app.

Voice Dictation Keywords

To get the most out of voice dictation, speak 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 mark
• Ellipsis: The "..." punctuation mark
• Quote 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.

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 ("¿").