A Guide to iPad Dictation: Voice Typing Made Easy
About This QuickTip
In this video, I demonstrate how to enable and use the built-in dictation feature on the iPad, highlighting its ability to transcribe spoken words into text accurately and efficiently. By following the step-by-step instructions, you'll learn how to activate dictation in the settings and use it across various apps, enhancing your productivity and ease of use. This feature is particularly valuable for those who prefer speaking over typing, offering a convenient way to input text quickly. Whether you're drafting a document, composing an iMessage, or browsing the web, dictation can simplify your workflow and improve your iPad experience.
Step by Step
Turn on dictation in Settings
Jump into Settings and then, under General, select the Keyboard option. Scroll right down to the bottom, and in the little section for dictation, make sure the toggles are turned on. It really is as simple as that.
Press the dictate button and talk
Jump into any app that uses the keyboard, like a document in Pages. When you start typing, press the dictate button next to the space bar and talk to your iPad. Whenever you speak words out loud, the iPad will transcribe them onto the page for you.
Go back and make any changes
It's pretty accurate, but it's not 100% yet, so you can go back and make changes should you wish to.
Good to know
- This works in any document, not just a Pages document. You could be reading a website in Safari or writing an iMessage. Just about anywhere you can type using the keyboard, dictation will be an option for you.
Questions This Answers
How do I turn on dictation on my iPad?
Jump into Settings and then, under General, select the Keyboard option. Scroll right down to the bottom and make sure the toggles in the dictation section are turned on.
Where is the dictation button on the iPad keyboard?
The dictate button is next to the space bar. Press it and talk to your iPad, and it will transcribe what you're saying.
Does iPad dictation add punctuation?
Yes, it gets better and better year on year, and it can now do auto-punctuation as well as edit what you type.
Transcript
The iPad has had a built-in dictation button on the keyboard for quite a few years now, but year on year, it gets better and better. Now, it can do auto-punctuation as well as edit what you type. To make sure you've got it enabled, jump into Settings and then, under General, select the Keyboard option. Scroll right down to the bottom; from here, there's a little section for dictation, and you can make sure these toggles are turned on at this point. It really is as simple as that.
You can now jump into any app that uses the keyboard. I'll go for this document in Pages, and then when you start typing, simply press the dictate button next to the space bar and talk to your iPad just like this. Now, whenever I speak words out loud, the iPad will transcribe them onto my page for me. This works in any document, not just a Pages document. You could be reading a website in Safari or writing an iMessage. Just about anywhere you can type using the keyboard, dictation will be an option for you.
You can see it's pretty accurate. It's not 100% yet, but of course, you can then go back and make changes should you wish to. And that's dictation on the iPad: one tap and you can just talk away, and it will transcribe what you're saying.
Technical details: This QuickTip was recorded on an 11″ iPad Pro (2nd Generation) running iPadOS 17.5 in May 2024.
Disclaimer and trademarks
The content used in this video is intended for educational and informational purposes only. All rights to the images, music, clips, and other media used belong to their respective owners. I do not claim ownership over any third-party content used. This video has not been authorised, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Apple Inc. iMessage. iPad, iPadOS , Pages, and Safari are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. Whilst I have done my best to list all applicable trademarks for this video, in the (hopefully unlikely) event that I have missed any you can find a full list of trademarks registered to Apple Inc. on their website. Finally, please note that whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information contained within this video was correct at time of publication, please be aware that as future updates and software changes occur some or all elements of this video may become outdated. I will endeavour to remove videos which are completely obsolete so as not to cause confusion!