Why is dictation greyed out on my iPhone?

Dictation on an iPhone is greyed out for one of three reasons: the Enable Dictation switch is off, your language is not covered where you are, or a Screen Time restriction blocks the feature. Start with the switch, because it is the cause you can check in under a minute. It sits under Settings, then General, then Keyboard.

Turn on Enable Dictation, then check your language

Apple's documentation does not name a greyed-out key. It documents the conditions that decide whether dictation can run, and you can test each one in order.

1. Open Settings, tap General, then tap Keyboard, and turn on Enable Dictation. If a prompt appears, confirm it ¹.
2. Check your language. Apple says that "Dictation may not be available in all languages or in all countries or regions, and features may vary" ². Your language also comes from the keyboard you have open, so an English keyboard gives English dictation. Apple says that "when you use a keyboard for another language, you can use Dictation in that language as well" ³.
3. Check the network. Apple says Dictation on iPhone "is processed on your iPhone in many languages, and no internet connection is required" ⁴. The phrase "many languages" is the important part. If your language is not processed on the phone, dictation needs a connection, so turn on Wi-Fi or cellular data and try again. Apple's list of languages changes by version, so check your exact language and region in Apple's current feature table before you conclude that it is unsupported.

A Screen Time restriction can grey out the feature

If the switch is on and the key still will not respond, check Screen Time. On an iPhone running an older version of iOS, Apple's path is Settings, then Screen Time, then Content & Privacy Restrictions, then Allowed Apps ⁵. Apple's iOS 27 page uses different words: approved and blocked apps "are organized into Allowed and Blocked lists within Apps & Websites" ⁶. Menu names change between versions, so look for the list that matches what your screen shows.

A third-party help article says that the Allowed Apps list includes a Siri & Dictation switch. I could not confirm that on Apple's pages, so do not rely on it as a documented fix. If you find a restriction, you need the Screen Time passcode to change it. If a parent, school or employer set it, that person controls the setting.

Check one app at a time to separate a settings problem from an app problem

A quick test tells you which kind of problem you have. Open Notes, start a new note, and tap the microphone key. If it works in Notes but not in one other app, the cause is that app's microphone access. Apple's instruction for that case is to go to Settings, tap Privacy & Security, tap Microphone, and make sure the app is enabled ⁷.

If the key fails everywhere, the cause is in the settings: the switch, the language, the network or Screen Time. Work through those before you reset anything.

What to do if the key is still greyed out

Restart the iPhone first. Apple's guidance for system problems says to restart the phone first and to reset all settings only if a restart does not help ⁸. Then go back through the switch, the language and Screen Time, in that order.

If it still does not work, contact Apple Support with your iOS version, your language, the app where the key is greyed out, and the steps you tried. For a missing key rather than a greyed one, read why the dictation button is missing from the iPhone keyboard. If dictation stopped after an update, read why dictation stopped working after an iPhone update.

The full set of checks is in our guide to iPhone dictation that is not working, and the overview of this subject is dictation and voice to text on iPhone and Android. If you want to know which keys to use once dictation is on, see the microphone key and the globe key.