Is dictation better in iOS 27?

For most iPhones and most languages, we found no evidence that dictation has changed in iOS 27. The exception is a new AI model that Apple says is more precise. It is available only in English, only on the newest iPhones, and in the first beta it was switched off. If you have an iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max or iPhone Air and you dictate in English, it is worth testing. Everyone else should expect the same ordinary dictation as before. The steps for turning dictation on and using it are in our guide to dictation on iPhone, which is part of dictation on phones and tablets.

Only English on iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air gets the advanced model

With Apple Intelligence in iOS 27, Dictation uses an on-device model to improve spelling, punctuation and capitalization. Apple lists it as available in English on iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air or later ¹. Apple's feature table lists the feature, called More advanced Dictation, for nine English language and regional variants ².

The model is narrower than Apple Intelligence itself. On iOS 27, Apple Intelligence is available on an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 16 model or later ³. But Apple's article names only the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air. The standard iPhone 17 is left out. MacRumors reported that it is excluded because it ships with 8GB of memory, below the 12GB the model needs ⁴.

Apple says the model is more precise, and we found no independent test yet

Apple's claim, as 9to5Mac reports it, is that the new dictation transcribes more precisely and handles capitalization and punctuation as you speak ⁵. That is a direction, not a measurement. The claim gives no error rate, and the report describes the first beta, so the public release may differ.

We searched for an independent, controlled comparison of iOS 27 dictation with iOS 26 on the same iPhone, and we found none. Until someone measures it, "better" means that Apple expects the new model to make fewer transcription mistakes, and the size of the gain is not yet known.

The advanced model is off by default in the beta and runs on the phone

When iOS 27 was in its first developer beta, MacRumors reported that the upgraded dictation was not turned on by default ⁶. Birchtree reports that in that beta, the switch is labeled Advanced Dictation Preview and is found by going to Settings, then General, then Keyboard, and scrolling to the bottom ⁷. Your screen may use different wording, so check the bottom of the Keyboard settings.

The model runs on the phone. 9to5Mac reports that it runs solely on the on-device model, so the transcription quality is the same whether or not the phone has a data connection ⁸. That is a useful privacy and reliability detail, but it does not show that the text is more accurate. Accuracy is the separate claim above.

We did not find a report that says whether the switch stays off in the public release. After you update, check the Keyboard settings rather than assuming either way.

It depends: the answer is no for many people

• Language. The advanced model is English only. If you dictate in another language, you have the ordinary dictation, and we found no report that iOS 27 changes it.
• Phone. The standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone 16 models are not on Apple's list, so do not expect the advanced model on them.
• Setting. In the beta, the model was off until you turned it on, so check the switch after you update.
• Use case. None of the iOS 27 reports we read tested long dictation, noisy rooms or the editing commands. Those cases are unmeasured, so the gain may be smaller there.

What to do

1. Check your phone and language against the table above. The advanced model is worth testing only if you have an iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max or iPhone Air and dictate in English.
2. Update to iOS 27, then look for the Advanced Dictation Preview switch at the bottom of Settings, General, Keyboard.
3. Test it on your own speech. Dictate the same passage of about 300 words twice, once with the switch on and once off, in the same room. Count the words you have to fix, and note the time each run takes. Use text you have written before, so you can check each result against the original.
4. Keep proofreading names, numbers and addresses, whichever setting you use. Speech input can leave errors, so a final read matters.
5. If the advanced model does not reach you, or you need another language, compare a dictation app before you decide. The best dictation apps for iPhone and Android guide lists the options.

Related questions

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