How to fix iPhone dictation that's not working

If your iPhone® dictation feature—also known as speech to text—isn't working well, it can really disrupt your day-to-day communication. At Asurion, we help millions of people troubleshoot, fix, and maximize their tech. From how to stop annoying spam text messages to how to deep clean your phone, we keep the devices you rely on most working all day, every day. Here are our tips for fixing voice dictation issues on your iPhone.

Make sure dictation is turned on

Check your keyboard settings to make sure dictation is enabled.

1. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard.
2. Turn on Enable Dictation.

Check your microphone

Your voice-to-text may not be working due to an issue with your microphone. To check it, open the Voice Memos app on your phone and record a brief message. Then play it back so you can hear if your voice was picked up in the recording. If you don't hear yourself, your device may be damaged and in need of microphone may be damaged and in need of.

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Refresh your Siri settings

If your microphone is working and you have a stable internet connection, refreshing your Siri® settings could help.

1. Go to Settings > Siri & Search.
2. Turn off Press Side Button for Siri or Allow Siri When Locked as well as Listen for “Hey Siri.”
3. Turn them back on.
4. Open your Messages app> select a text thread> tap the microphone icon and try using dictation.

Update your iOS

If it's been a while since you've updated your iOS® software, there may be important updates to your microphone or dictation settings that need to be downloaded for them to work properly.

To make sure your device has the latest iOS version, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

If there is an available update, tap Download and Install. Once downloaded, restart your phone and check if your dictation works.

Perform a factory reset

If a software update doesn't resolve your issue, you may need to do a full factory reset. This will return your phone to its original settings and delete your photos, music, apps, and more, so be sure to back up your device first. Check out our guide to how to perform a factory reset for simple instructions.