Which iPhones Support Video Live Text in iOS 16?

Apple expanded its optical character recognition capabilities in iOS 16 by introducing Live Text for video, allowing users to pause any video frame to copy, translate, or look up text. However, because this feature relies on advanced on-device machine learning, it is not available on every device capable of running iOS 16. This article outlines the specific hardware requirements, provides the complete list of compatible iPhone models, and explains why older devices are excluded.

Hardware Requirement: The A12 Bionic Chip

To use Live Text in video, your iPhone must be powered by an Apple A12 Bionic chip or later. The feature uses Apple's Neural Engine to scan, recognize, and parse text in real-time within video frames.

While iOS 16 officially supports devices as old as the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, those models are powered by the older A11 Bionic chip and do not support Live Text in either photos or videos.

Supported iPhone Models

The following iPhone models running iOS 16 (or later) fully support Live Text in video:

  • iPhone 14 Series: iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max
  • iPhone 13 Series: iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max
  • iPhone 12 Series: iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max
  • iPhone 11 Series: iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max
  • iPhone X Series: iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR
  • iPhone SE Series: iPhone SE (2nd generation, 2020) and iPhone SE (3rd generation, 2022)

Incompatible Devices Running iOS 16

The following models can run iOS 16, but cannot use the video Live Text feature:

  • iPhone 8
  • iPhone 8 Plus
  • iPhone X

How to Use Live Text in Video

On any supported model, using the feature requires no extra setup:

  1. Open a video in the Photos app, Safari, QuickTime, or any supported third-party app.
  2. Pause the video on the frame containing the text you want to interact with.
  3. Tap the Live Text icon (a small document frame with lines of text) in the bottom-right corner of the player, or simply press and hold directly on the text on screen.
  4. Select the highlighted text to copy, translate, share, look up definitions, or interact with data like phone numbers and web links.