Many a time, we come across a situation where extracting text from an image becomes the need of the hour. Whether it’s a quick online search, sharing certain information, or digitizing things like phone numbers and emails, we have to rely on OCR apps such as Google Lens to get the job done. While it’s okay to use a third-party OCR app to do the needful, it’s always better to have a native alternative. And exactly that’s what has made Live Text a fan favorite in iOS 15. Should you wish to go hands-on with this new feature, read on to learn what is Live Text and how to use it in iOS 15 on iPhone and iPad.

Here, we not only explain how the Live Text features works in iOS 15 but also teach you how to use the feature via multiple methods, including the camera app, Photos app, and more. So, let’s get down to it!

  • What is Live Text in iOS 15 and How It Works?
  • Live Text Supported iPhones and iPads
  • Live Text Supported Languages
  • How to Use Live Text in iOS 15
  • Use Live Text in Camera App on iPhone and iPad
  • Use Live Text in Photos App on iPhone and iPad
  • Use Live Text to Recognize Handwriting in iOS 15
  • Use Live Text Inside Apps Like Apple Messages and WhatsApp in iOS 15
  • Use Live Text in Spotlight Search on iOS 15
  • Use Live Text to Search in Safari on iOS 15
  • Check File Size of the Selected Live Text Before Sharing
  • Translate Selected Text Offline Using Live Text in iOS 15
  • Apple Live Text vs Google Lens: Which is Better?

What is Live Text in iOS 15 and How It Works?

Live Text is a classic example of how smartly Apple takes inspiration from third-party offerings and comes up with something more efficient and deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem. If Night Mode on iPhone 11 series seemed fascinating despite coming late to the party, AirPods didn’t take much time to bring about a resolution in the true wireless earphones segment. The Cupertino giant’s repertoire of coming from behind and adding a more compelling alternative to an existing app or feature is well-known. And Live Text inherits all the characteristics that Apple is known for.

You can use Live Text in the native Photos and Camera apps as well as inside other apps like Safari, Messages, WhatsApp, and more. Plus, you can also bring it up from Spotlight to quickly look for anything that catches your eyes. To be more precise, you can trigger Live Text from any text input field on your iPhone and iPad. Thus, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Live Text in iOs 15 is one of the best OCR (Optical Character Recognition) powered features out there.

Unfortunately, not all iOS 15 compatible iPhones and iPads support Live Text. So make sure you have a compatible iOS device to use this feature.

Here is the List of Live Text Supported iPad Models:

Note: Live Text also supports MacBook Air with M1, MacBook Pro with M1, Mac Mini with M1, and the new 24-inch iMac 2021.

Live Text Supported Languages

Currently, Live Text in iOS 15 recognizes seven languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, Italian, and Chinese. Apple is expected to add support for more languages in the coming months.

Method 1: Use Live Text in Camera App on iPhone and iPad

Live Text is neatly integrated into the stock camera app on iOS 15. So, whenever you come across something you want to look up, copy, share or translate, you can do so with utmost ease.

  • Copy: Tap it to copy the selected text.
  • Select All: Tap it to select all the extracted text.
  • Look Up: Tap it to find out the meaning of the selected word or search on the web.
  • Translate: Tap it to translate the selected text.
  • Share: Tap it to share the extracted text via email, iMessage, or any other app. You can also save the text in the Files app.

Live Text works in the Photos app just as seamlessly. So, if you ever come across any image (including screenshots) and wish to extract text from it, you can get it done with ease. Just follow the steps below:

  1. Now, tap the tiny Live Text icon (looks like a square viewfinder with three lines) at the bottom right corner of the screen. Live Text will instantly recognize all the available text in the image.

Live text is equally efficient in terms of extracting text from a handwritten note. If you wish to digitize your notes to keep them secure and accessible across devices, Live Text OCR can come in super handy.

Imagine you are in the midst of a conversation with your colleague or friend. Suddenly, you need to extract text from an image and share it. Wouldn’t you want to get everything done without having to leave the conversation thread? Yes, you would. That’s the flexibility iOS 15 offers by letting you invoke Live Text from inside a messaging app.

Use Live Text in Spotlight Search on iOS 15

Spotlight has got many interesting hacks up its sleeve, including the ability to let you use Live Text in iOS 15. To use the feature, swipe down from the middle of the home screen to bring up Spotlight Search. After that, touch the text input field and select the “Text from Camera” option. Now, go ahead and do the needful as explained in the steps above.

Having a smart OCR tool accessible within a browser at all times means you can use it to recognize text and get started with the search without wasting any time. So, the next time you come across something that makes you curious, do not forget to bring up the Live Text OCR feature in Safari on iOS 15.

Check File Size of the Selected Live Text Before Sharing

Interestingly, iOS 15 also lets you check the file size of the selected text before sharing. It could come in handy when you want the file size of the selected text to be minimal for smooth sharing.

  1. Now, choose the “Show File Size” option from the iOS 15 Share sheet. Voila! It will instantly show the file size of the selected text at the top of the screen.

Notably, you can also translate selected text offline. Save it for times when your iOS 15 device is not connected to the Internet, but you want Live Text to continue to work well, and without any hiccups. Bear in mind that offline translations may not be as accurate as online translations.

  • Open the Settings app on your iOS 15 device. After that, scroll down and move to “Translate“.
  1. That’s it! From now onwards, you will be able to translate languages even when your iPhone or iPad is not connected to the Internet.

While Google Lens has been around for several years, Apple’s Live Text feature has just hit the ground. So, in terms of experience, Google’s offering takes the cake. Not only that, Google Lens also has an upper hand when it comes to universal compatibility.

But what tilts the tide in favor of Live Text is the unmatched system-wide integration into the Apple ecosystem. And that is likely to get even better with time. That leaves us to the final frontier: Efficiency. To ward off the temptation of a surefire conclusion, I would direct you to Akshay’s in-depth comparison between Apple Live Text and Google Lens.

That’s all about Live Text in iOS 15! Even though iOS 15 is still a work in progress, Live Text works quite reliably. And by the time Apple eventually rolls out the latest iteration of iOS this fall, it should become even better. Google Lens may have years of expertise under its belt, but Apple’s Live Text seems to have a clear edge in ease of use and intuitiveness – at least for now. By the way, what’s your take on Live Text in iOS 15? Share your thoughts on the coolest iOS 15 features, including Focus mode, ability to drag and drop files across apps in iOS 15, FaceTime calls to Android, Apple Digital Legacy, and more.