While iOS 16.1 Available, iOS 16 As a whole it comes packed with a variety of new features including live activitiesand iCloud Shared Photo Library and new collaboration tools.
It’s not just about new features, as it also brings a huge update to the excellent iOS 15 operating system LiveText The feature that arrived last year.
The smart feature has become incredibly useful since its inception, allowing users to get phone numbers, addresses, and more photos. The good news is that now it’s even better — so with that in mind, here’s what’s new in Live Text, along with how to use it for Iphone in iOS 16.
What is Live Text and what’s new in iOS 16?
Live Text, in its simplest form, allows you to manipulate text within an image. For example, whether you’ve taken a photo of a restaurant menu or taken a photo of a business card so you don’t forget it, Live Text will allow you to copy the text and use it to send a message, compose a note, use an email address, or place a call.
This is done using on-device intelligence, but that means you’ll need an iPhone XS, XR, or later.
Will also work on iPadOS 16.1which was released in October 2022, so you can use the feature across your devices when needed.
However, if you have an iPhone capable of running iOS 16, the main new feature for Live Text this year is the addition of dragging text from video content.
The idea is that if you’ve paused, say, an educational video, and need to pull some data to add to your notes, you can do so by pausing the video and highlighting the text.
Another big new feature is the inclusion of Quick Actions for live text. This allows you to take a picture of text in another language, for example, and have it translated instantly.
Other quick actions available include starting an email when an email address is found, calling phone numbers, converting currency and much more.
How to use Live Text in the Camera app
In the Camera app for iOS 16, hold your device so that text is clearly visible on your screen and tap the icon that looks like a barcode scanner in the corner of the camera lens.
Doing so brings up the live text overlay, and allows you to highlight portions of the displayed text. You can also click the buttonCopy allA quick action in the corner, which will copy all the text to your clipboard so you can paste it into an app right away.
In the example above, you can see that the live text gets a bit confused thinking the image is upside down, but copying the text will naturally put it back in the right orientation.
How to use live text in the Photos app
The same process applies to photos and videos in the Photos app. Simply click on the Bar Code button mentioned above and you will get the option to Copy All or highlight individual pieces of text.
This can be especially useful if you don’t have time to move and copy some information – simply take a photo or video, and refer to it on your own time.
How to use live text in translation app
One of the big additions in iOS 16 is the ability to access Live Text through the awesome Translate app. If you haven’t used the app before, you’ll find it in your App Library, or via Spotlight search.
Once you’re in, there’s a new option at the bottom of the screen to open the camera. It won’t translate in real time as often as you’ll need to take a picture, but the app works surprisingly quickly.
You can choose the language after the fact as well, which means if you need to translate a phrase into multiple languages, you can do so easily.