How to Use Voice Typing on iPhone and Android

Typing on a small phone screen can be frustrating, especially if the keys feel cramped or your fingers are not cooperating. Voice typing — also called dictation or speech-to-text — lets you speak your words out loud and watch your phone turn them into text automatically.

This feature works in almost any place you would normally type: text messages, emails, notes, search bars, and more. Both iPhone and Android phones come with voice typing built in. So there is nothing to download or pay for.

Voice typing has improved enormously over the past few years. Modern phones are quite good at understanding natural speech, including different accents and regional pronunciations. You do not need to speak in a stiff, robotic voice. Talk at your normal pace and the phone will keep up.

There are a few things that help voice typing work better: - Speak clearly and at a natural pace — no need to shout - Hold the phone about six to twelve inches from your face, or use it flat on a table while you look at it - Minimize background noise when possible — stepping away from a loud television helps - You can say punctuation out loud: say "period," "comma," "question mark," or "new paragraph" and the phone will insert those for you

Voice typing is also a great tool for longer messages. Instead of hunting and pecking at the keyboard for several minutes, you can speak a whole paragraph in seconds.

If the phone misunderstands a word, do not worry. You can tap on the incorrect word after you finish speaking and correct it, or delete and re-dictate that part. Most of the time, the phone gets it right, and a quick review before you send is all you need.

This guide covers how to activate voice typing on both iPhone and Android. The steps are slightly different depending on which phone you have, so find your phone type below and follow along.