Have you ever taken a picture of a random billboard and wanted to call the number listed on it? In the past, you would switch back and forth between the dialer app and the picture a couple of times to enter the contact number. But now, the process is much simpler on iPhone as well as Android smartphones. Today, we bring you the top 5 ways to copy or extract text from images on Android and iPhone.
Read Also: How to Fix Bluetooth Audio Delay on Android? Top 8 Ways
In This Article
What if your Android phone doesn’t allow you to copy text?
Not all Android phones are alike. Depending on the manufacturer, your smartphone’s native gallery app may or may not allow you to extract text from pictures. If you own a Samsung smartphone with the updated One UI OS, you will be able to copy text from any image in just a few taps. This text can be pasted into any text field using the clipboard.
But what happens if your phone’s native gallery app does not have this feature? There’s no need to fret. The Google Photos app, which comes pre-installed in every Android smartphone, has this feature baked into it. Google Photos makes use of Google Lens to scan the text in the image and lets you copy it to the clipboard. Read along to learn the step-by-step process.
Copy text from images on Android (Google Photos)
Step 1: Open the image in the Google Photos app.
Step 2: The Copy text from image option should pop up at the bottom of the screen. Tap on it.
Step 3: Highlight the text you wish to copy from the image.
Step 4: Select Copy from the popup menu.
Alternatively, you can hit the Lens icon at the bottom of the screen and tap on ‘Select Text’ to carry out the same task.
Copy text from images on a Samsung phone
Step 1: Open the image in the native Samsung gallery app.
Step 2: Hit the T icon at the bottom right corner of the screen.
Step 3: Highlight the text you want to copy.
Step 4: Select Copy from the popup menu.
The text will be copied to the clipboard.
Use AI Select (Samsung)
Samsung’s One UI 7 OS allows you to extract text from any image on your device. Here’s how you can use it.
Step 1: Go to the page with the image.
Step 2: Swipe left on the edge panel and select AI Select.
Step 3: AI Select will scan the current screen for content.
Step 4: Hit the Text icon.
Step 5: The text from the image will be selected. Hit the Copy icon.
Copy text from images on an iPhone
Turn on Live Text
Step 1: Go to Settings and select General.
Step 2: Tap on Language and Region.
Step 3: Turn on the toggle switch for Live Text.
Use Live Text in the native Photos app
Step 1: Open an image in the Photos app.
Step 2: Hit the scanner icon at the bottom right corner of the screen.
Step 3: Tap and hold the text you want to select.
Step 4: Select Copy from the popup menu.
The text will be copied to the clipboard.
Use a third-party app (Text Scanner – Image to Text)
Step 1: Download and install the Text Scanner – Image to Text app on your phone.
Step 2: Launch the app and hit the photos icon in the top right corner of the screen.
Step 3: Select the image from your phone’s gallery.
Step 4: Hit Scan.
Step 5: Highlight the text and hit Copy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I extract text from pictures on my Android phone?
Open the image in the Google Photos app, hit the Lens option at the bottom, and select the text in the picture. Hit ‘Copy’ in the popup menu.
How do I extract an object from an image on Samsung?
Press and hold the object to separate it from the background and copy it to the clipboard.
How do I turn on Live Text on an iPhone?
Go to Settings>General>Language and Region and turn on the toggle switch for ‘Live Text’.
Which are the best apps to extract text from images?
Text Scanner, Adobe Scan, Text Fairy, and Microsoft Lens are some of the best apps to extract text from images.
Can Google copy text from an image?
Google Photos and Google Lens apps can extract text from any image in your phone’s gallery. Hit the Lens icon below an image to copy the text.
Read Also: How to Fix Bluetooth Audio Delay on Android? Top 8 Ways
Conclusion
This is how you can copy or extract text from images on Android and iPhone. The copied text can be accessed on any text field using the clipboard. Simply long-press any text field and select ‘Paste’ from the popup menu. If you know of any other way to go about this task, let us know in the comments!
