Engadget explains how to use iPhone Live Text and how it differs from Visual Intelligence

To use Live Text on a compatible iPhone, such as the iPhone 18 Pro, Engadget says users should open the Camera app, position the desired text in the viewfinder and wait for a yellow frame to appear around the text. Once the frame appears, tap the small grid icon at the bottom-right, which shows three lines with four corners around them. A menu then offers options including Translate and Copy. Users can also drag the grab points to capture only a portion of the text, such as a website address, or select all.

After text is selected, the feature offers ways to work with it. A basic method is to copy and paste the contents as text into apps such as Messages, Notes, or Mail. Engadget notes that Share can send text faster than copy and paste or allow methods such as AirDrop. Users can also use Look Up to research a web address or other information, or Translate to convert text in another language. For some content, a quick action appears at the bottom of the screen for making a call, visiting a website, starting an email, converting currencies, and other common actions. Live Text can be turned off by going to Settings, then Camera, and turning off Show Detected Text.

Engadget says the feature is especially useful for travelers, but it has everyday applications. They include capturing information about an upcoming event from a flyer, sharing the contents of a written note with colleagues instead of taking a screenshot, looking up a website or sending an email without entering the address, contacting a phone number posted on a sign, and converting currencies.

Apple introduced Visual Intelligence with iOS 18.1 as part of Apple Intelligence in September 2024, according to Engadget. The article says Apple's approach works differently from Live Text and goes beyond text to analyze more. It requires an iPhone compatible with Apple Intelligence, including iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or newer models.

Visual Intelligence can be activated in several ways. Users must first make sure Siri is turned on in Settings, then Siri. They can long-press the Camera Control button if the device has one, customize the Action button to call up Visual Intelligence in Settings, then Action Button, then Visual Intelligence, or select Siri from the Camera app if Siri AI is enabled. It can also be accessed from the Lock Screen or Control Center if the icon is added there by pulling down from the top-right, pressing and holding any blank space to open the edit menu, selecting Add a Control, and choosing Visual Intelligence.

Once activated, users can hold the phone up to something such as a plant or a landmark. Engadget says they can then get more context from Siri, run a Google Image Search, or use ChatGPT to look up more information. Pointing the phone at a business sign can provide information such as hours of operation, menu, reviews, or a reservation window. Visual Intelligence also interacts with text like Live Text, allowing users to translate, read aloud, or summarize, as well as tap a phone number, email address, or website to open it in a relevant window. Live Text appears organically when the phone detects text in the Camera app's frame, while Visual Intelligence expands on that in a specific camera mode, Engadget says.