The Camera app of the iPhone is mainly used to take pictures, but the app can do more. Certainly from iOS 16, because then the Camera app is also there to translate texts in real time.
iOS 16: Translate in the Camera app
Do you see a text in a foreign language and do you want to know what it says? From iOS 16 you can translate it with your iPhone at lightning speed, and all you have to do is open the Camera app. iOS 16 is currently in beta, but is expected to be available to everyone around September.
Unfortunately, converting a text to the Netherlands is not immediately possible, because that language is not yet supported. You can, however, translate all kinds of foreign languages ​​into English – and most understand that language better than a language like Chinese, Portuguese or Russian.
Translate foreign language with Camera
As mentioned, iOS 16 is not yet available for everyone to install, that is possible from September. Apple has released a beta (test version), so we already know how the translation function works.
To use the function on a Dutch or Belgian iPhone, Livetext must be activated. This feature first appeared in iOS 15 and is still quite hidden. You activate Live Text via the Settings app, at ‘General>Language and region’.
Then do the following to translate texts with the Camera app:
- Open the Camera app and point the camera at a text you want to translate;
- An icon with a notepad will appear at the bottom right: tap it;
- A popup will appear. Tap the right arrow and select Translate.
The text is immediately translated. Use the ‘Change language’ option to indicate in which language you would like to read the text. The languages ​​that support Apple’s translation feature are:
- Arabic
- Chinese
- German
- English
- French
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Spanish
Or with Google Translate
Apple’s translation function is not revolutionary, because such a thing was already possible with the Google Translate app. This makes it possible to read a foreign language in Dutch in real time.
To translate a foreign text in real time, open Google’s Translate app. Next, tap the Camera icon and point the camera at a text you want to translate. This can be done in real time, and you can also take a picture of the translation.
An advantage of Apple’s translation feature is that you don’t need an external app for it. In addition, the translation works just that little bit faster. Are you curious about what other innovations Apple is introducing in iOS 16? Read the article Apple officially announces iOS 16: here you can read everything about the update.