Is there a shortcut to start dictation on iPhone?

On iPhone, you start dictation with two taps: tap the text field, then tap the microphone key on the keyboard. Apple says you place the insertion point in a text field, tap the keyboard or the field where the dictation key appears, and then speak ¹. We did not find an Apple page that documents a keyboard shortcut or a hardware button for starting dictation on iPhone.

The microphone key is the built-in way to start dictation

The microphone key appears on the keyboard when Dictation is turned on ². Apple's iPhone article describes tapping that key to start speech ¹. If the key is missing, the setting that shows it is covered in how to turn on dictation on iPhone.

Dictation also ends on its own. Apple's article puts the limit at 30 seconds without speech ³, after which the session ends.

iPad and Mac do document a shortcut, which may be the source of the confusion

Apple gives a keyboard shortcut for dictation on the iPad. It says you can quickly switch to dictation with a shortcut on the Magic Keyboard for iPad or the Smart Keyboard ⁴. With an external keyboard, Apple's steps say to tap the Dictation button in the Shortcuts bar at the bottom of the screen, then speak ⁵.

On a Mac, the shortcut is a setting. If you choose Press Fn Key Twice as the Dictation shortcut, the matching Keyboard settings option changes to Start Dictation (Press Fn Twice) ⁶. These are the steps for those devices, and they do not apply to the iPhone keyboard.

Workarounds we could not confirm

Several guides online describe starting a shortcut from the Action button or by tapping the back of the iPhone, then dictating inside it. We did not confirm from Apple that a shortcut can start dictation. Treat any such setup as untested until you try it on your own phone.

Spoken editing commands are not a shortcut either. They are part of dictation itself, and Apple says the commands to edit text are available in U.S. English ⁷. If you dictate in another language, plan to make edits by touch.

What to do now

1. Tap the text field where the text should go.
2. Tap the microphone key on the keyboard, and speak.
3. Tap the microphone key again to stop when you finish.
4. If dictation stops during a long pause, tap the key again to start. Dictation stops after 30 seconds without speech ³.

Dictation may not be available in every language or region, and Apple says features may vary ⁸. Check the language you need before you rely on it.

For the rest of the topic, see our guide to dictation on iPhone and dictation and voice to text on phones and tablets. The related question on turning dictation off and on dictating notes cover the other common tasks.