FAQ | What the Heck Is ‘Live Text’ on iPhone? How Do I Turn It On or Off?

One of the newer features Apple added to almost all Apple devices is Live Text – and this feature came to change taking notes and pictures as we know it. 

What’s really cool about Live Text is that it lets you copy and share text from photos. That means you can literally copy any text that appears in a photo and paste it somewhere else as if you’re copying from an email! But there’s more to it than that.

You can also use Live Text to instantly translate languages, make phone calls, and even find out more information about any picture with the help of a separate feature called Visual Look Up.

What’s more, you can use Live Text in the Photos app, Safari, or the Camera app, so you won’t have any problems copying text from anywhere. 

Currently, you can use Live Text on basically every Apple device, including iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers, so you can make the most out of this feature no matter what device you use. Learn more about Live Text here.

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With that said, it can get a bit annoying to accidentally select text when you just want to look at a picture. Fortunately, you can disable Live Text with a few taps.

How to Disable Live Text on iPhone or iPad

By default, Live Text will be enabled once you update your iPhone or iPad to at least iOS 15, but you can turn it off in a flash. All you need to do is follow these steps: 

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap on General.
3. Scroll down again and select Language & Region.
4. Go to the bottom and toggle Live Text off. 

And that’s it! You’ve completely disabled Live Text from your iPhone or iPad. 

How to Stop Using Live Text in the Camera App on iPhone and iPad

If you still want to use Live Text in the Photos app and Safari, there’s a way for you only disable this feature when using the camera app. All you need to do is follow these steps: 

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Scroll down and select Camera.
3. Toggle Show Detected Text off. 

This will easily remove Live Text from the Camera app. Keep in mind that if you’ve already disabled Live Text from the General settings, you’re not going to have the Show Detected Text option available in the Camera settings. You’ll need to turn Live Text on again and repeat the steps above.

How to Disable Live Text on Mac

Live Text is also available in macOS Monterey, and it’ll be turned on by default. Just like iPhone or iPad, you can use this feature in Safari, Preview, and the Photos app, but you can disable it completely by going to your Mac’s settings like this: 

1. Click on the Apple menu in the top left corner of your screen.
2. Click on System Preferences.
3. Select Language & Region.
4. Make sure you’re in the General tab at the top of the window.
5. Click on Select Text in Images to uncheck Live Text.

And that’s it! You won’t be able to select text from images on your Mac anymore. Keep in mind that you can always turn this feature back on when you need it on both your iPhone and iPad or in your Mac.