Live Text in iOS 15/iPadOS 15 lets your iPhone or iPad nearly instantly turns text on objects viewed through the Camera app into something you can copy and paste. Apple also offers other kinds of content identifiers, one of the most useful being a phone number.
With an iPhone XS/XR model or later or a recent-enough iPad (see list), follow these steps:
- In the Camera app, point at any text on a printed object or display that contains a phone number.
- When rounded yellow-orange corners surround the text in question, tap the Live Text button, which looks like text inside rounded corners.
- A phone number will have a gray underline beneath it. Tap it.
- From the menu that appears, tap Call [phone number] if the number is correct.
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Author: Glenn Fleishman, Senior Contributor
Glenn Fleishman’s most recent books include Take Control of iOS and iPadOS Privacy and Security, Take Control of Calendar and Reminders, and Take Control of Securing Your Mac. In his spare time, he writes about printing and type history. He’s a senior contributor to Macworld, where he writes Mac 911.