Daily TipsiPhone

How to translate text in apps by using the iPhone camera

You can translate text in apps such as Photos, Safari, Messages, Mail, supported third-party apps, and more. You can also use the iPhone camera to translate text around you.

You can select any text to translate in apps such as Safari, Messages, Mail, supported third-party apps, and more. When you enter text on your iPhone, you can even replace what you wrote with a translation.

  1. Select the text you want to translate, then tap Translate. (If you don’t see it, tap the right-pointing triangle to see more options.)
  2. Below the text translation, you can tap any of the following:
    • Replace with Translation: Replace your original text with the translation (available only when entering text).
    • Copy Translation: You can paste the translation somewhere else, such as a different app.
    • Change Language: Choose any of the supported languages for the original text and the translation.
    • Add to Favorites: See the list of your favorite translations in the Translate app.
    • Open in Translate: Do more with the translation in the Translate app.

(This how-to is based on my experiences and info on Apple’s support pages — where the images sometimes come from.)

Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.