Try Apple's built-in Translate first
Press and hold the text and see whether iPhone gives you a selection menu. If it does, select the text and tap Translate.
Apple supports this in apps such as Safari, Messages, Mail, and compatible third-party apps. This is the cleanest option when the app exposes the text normally.
Source: Apple, Translate text in apps on iPhone
If you cannot select the text, use a screenshot
A screenshot is a good built-in fallback for something you only need to translate once.
Take the screenshot, open the preview or the image in Photos, and use iPhone's text-recognition and translation tools on the captured text. This works well for a single post, menu, confirmation screen, or image.
The downside shows up when you need to translate several screens in a row. Repeating the screenshot workflow gets slow and breaks the context of the app you were using.
Source: Apple, Use Live Text with photos and video
For repeated screens, use a screen translator
Onscreen Translate is built for the case where the text is already on your screen and you do not want to copy or capture each piece manually.
Set up Double Tap, Triple Tap, or the Action Button once. When you reach text you cannot select, trigger Onscreen Translate and read the translated result in the screen's visual structure.
This is useful for:
- app buttons and menus
- text inside images
- shopping listings
- notifications
- profile screens
- static game menus and dialogue
- custom interfaces that do not offer text selection
See how Onscreen Translate works
Why some text cannot be selected
Not every app exposes every piece of text to iPhone's normal selection menu. Some text is part of an image. Some is rendered inside a custom interface. Some apps simply do not provide a copy action for the element you are looking at.
The result is the same from the user's point of view: you can read the text, but you cannot highlight it.
Which method should you use?
| What you are looking at | Best first option |
|---|---|
| Selectable text in an app | iPhone's built-in Translate command |
| A photo or one screenshot | Live Text and Apple's translation tools |
| Repeated screens with text you cannot select | A screen translator such as Onscreen Translate |
| Moving subtitles or continuous video | A continuous caption or live-translation tool |
Onscreen Translate works one screen at a time when you trigger it. It is not a continuous live overlay.
Can iPhone translate text I can't highlight?
Yes. A screenshot can make visible text available to iPhone's recognition tools, and a screen translator can make the process faster when you need to do it repeatedly.
Do I have to save screenshots to translate unselectable text?
No. A screenshot is one built-in method, but Onscreen Translate is designed to start the translation from the current screen through a trigger such as Back Tap or the Action Button.
Why can't I select text in some iPhone apps?
The text may be part of an image, rendered in a custom interface, or presented by an app that does not expose that element to the normal selection menu.