How do you dictate notes on iPhone?

To dictate a note on iPhone, turn on Dictation once, open a note, and tap the microphone key on the keyboard. Then speak. The words go into the note at the insertion point. Apple says that with Dictation on iPhone you can dictate text anywhere you can type it, and the Notes app is a place where you type ¹. The steps below use the menu names from Apple's guide for iOS 27.

Turn on Enable Dictation before you open a note

If the microphone key is missing, Dictation is not switched on. Open Settings, tap General, tap Keyboard, and turn on Enable Dictation. If a prompt appears, tap Enable Dictation ².

Dictate into a note in four steps

1. Open the Notes app, then open an existing note or create a new one.
2. Tap in the note where the text should start, so the cursor is in the right place.
3. Tap the keyboard. When the microphone key appears near the insertion point, tap it. Apple says you tap the onscreen keyboard, or any text field where the key appears, and then begin to dictate ³.
4. Speak in normal sentences. When you finish, tap the key again, or stop speaking and let Dictation end after 30 seconds without speech ⁴.

The keyboard stays open during Dictation, so you can switch between speech and touch in the same note ⁵. A practical pattern for notes is to speak a few sentences, tap to fix a word, and then speak on. The step-by-step guide to iPhone dictation covers the same steps in more detail for other apps.

Say the layout you want, such as new lines and paragraphs

You can shape a note by voice. Apple says that saying "new line" or "new paragraph" adds a line break during Dictation ⁶. Punctuation works the same way. In supported languages the phone adds commas, periods and question marks on its own ⁷, and you can say a mark's name when you want a different one ⁸. The full list is in iPhone dictation commands, and the dictation punctuation guide covers punctuation in more detail.

Long notes need extra care because Dictation stops on its own

Dictation runs until you stop it, or until it ends by itself. It ends after 30 seconds without speech ⁴. That is useful when you want the session to end, but it can cut off a long note when you pause to think. If that happens, tap the key again and carry on from where you stopped.

Voice editing has a narrower limit. Apple says the commands that edit text, such as select, delete and undo, are available in U.S. English ⁹. If you write notes in another language, dictate the text, then make your corrections by touch.

Your notes and dictated audio may reach Apple, depending on your settings

Apple says that dictation sent to its servers is not stored unless you opt in to Improve Siri and Dictation ¹⁰. That line covers dictation that goes to Apple's servers, not every dictation session. If your notes are private, read the entry on Improve Siri and Dictation and our guide to Apple dictation privacy before you decide what to keep on.

Notes can also record audio, which is a different feature

The Notes app can record audio as well. That is not the same thing as dictating into a note. Recording captures sound to play back later, while dictation turns your speech into text as you speak. We did not confirm the steps for Notes' recording and transcription against an Apple page for this answer, so this guide does not give them. Use dictation when you want text straight away, and check Apple's own Notes help for recording.

When built-in dictation is not enough for long notes

Built-in dictation stops after 30 seconds without speech, so a long session may suit a dedicated app better. If you need longer sessions or a different workflow, our comparison of the best dictation apps for iPhone and Android lists the options and the trade-offs, and the offline voice typing guide for phones explains what works without a connection.

Related answers

• What is dictation on iPhone?
• How do you turn off dictation on iPhone?
• How do you remove the dictation button on iPhone?
• Does Apple dictation work offline?

For the rest of the subject, the overview of dictation on phones and tablets links every guide in order.