iPhone dictation not working: how to turn it on and fix it

Turn dictation on

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Keyboard.
4. Turn on Enable Dictation. If a prompt appears, tap Enable Dictation again.

Dictate

1. Tap where you want to type, for example the message box in WhatsApp.
2. Tap the microphone on the keyboard.
3. Talk. The text appears where your cursor is.
4. To stop, tap the microphone again or say "Stop dictation". Dictation also stops after 30 seconds of silence.

The keyboard stays open while you dictate, so you can type and talk in the same message.

Punctuation

In supported languages, including English, iPhone adds commas, periods and question marks as you speak. You can turn this off in Settings, General, Keyboard, Auto-Punctuation. You can also say the marks: "comma", "period", "question mark", "exclamation point", "new line", "new paragraph".

Apple says that with Apple Intelligence on iOS 27, dictation uses an on-device model to improve spelling, punctuation and capitals in English on iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air and later.

Turn dictation off

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General, then Keyboard.
3. Turn off Enable Dictation.

The microphone disappears from the keyboard. You can turn it back on any time.

Dictation is on but not working

Go through these in order.

1. No microphone on the keyboard? Check Enable Dictation first. If it's already on, see the Screen Time check below.
2. Typing in the wrong language? iPhone dictates in the language of the keyboard that's open. Touch and hold the globe key and choose the keyboard you want. To add a language: Settings, General, Keyboard, Keyboards, Add New Keyboard.
3. Is something else using the microphone? A call, a recording or a voice note in progress can block it. Finish it and try again.
4. Turn dictation off and on. Turn off Enable Dictation, wait a few seconds, turn it on again.
5. Restart your iPhone.
6. Update iOS: Settings, General, Software Update.
7. Was the phone set up by someone else? Screen Time restrictions can limit Siri and dictation. Check Screen Time settings with whoever set the passcode.

If dictation works in one app but not in another, the problem is probably that app.

Dictation gets words wrong

• Hold the phone a little closer and speak at a normal pace.
• Tap a wrong word and fix it with the keyboard.
• Spell a word out loud, for example "Let's invite Steven S-T-E-P-H-E-N".
• To dictate in another language, switch to that language's keyboard. If you mix two languages, check the result before sending. More: two languages in one sentence.

Does dictation need the internet?

Apple says dictation is processed on your iPhone in many languages, with no internet connection needed. If you dictate in a search box, your words may be sent to the search engine to run the search.