Many of us snap a whiteboard after a meeting, or keep business cards and notices as photos. But if you are still retyping that text by hand to move it into a document or a messenger, that is time you don't need to spend. Both iPhone and Galaxy have built-in features that let you select and copy text right from a photo. No extra app, no payment.
1. iPhone: touch and hold the text in Photos
On iPhone this feature is called Live Text. Here are the steps from Apple's support document.
- Open a photo in the Photos app. For a video, pause on a frame where the text is visible.
- Touch and hold a word you want to copy, then drag the grab points to adjust the selection.
- Tap Copy and you're done. To grab all the text in the photo at once, tap Select All.
You need iPhone XS, iPhone XR or later and iOS 15 or later. Text in videos requires iOS 16 or later. If it doesn't work, check that Live Text is turned on under Settings > General > Language & Region. According to Apple's feature availability page, Korean is among the languages Live Text supports. For a foreign-language sign in a photo, tap the Live Text button and choose Translate to see it translated right away.
2. Galaxy: the text scan icon in Gallery
On Galaxy, use the text scan icon that appears when you open a photo in the Gallery app. According to Samsung Electronics Service, tapping this icon highlights the text areas in the photo; then you can touch and hold to select text and use menus such as Copy and Share.
The official screenshots are based on the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Z Flip4, so the icon's look or position may differ slightly on your model. Look for the icon at the bottom of the photo or floating on top of it in Gallery.
3. Galaxy with One UI 7 or later: AI select, anywhere on screen
If you want to pull text from outside the Gallery — say, from a web page or a screenshot — use AI select. Here are the steps from Samsung's official support page.
- Open the image or web page with the text and launch AI select (from the Edge panel, the screenshot toolbar and so on).
- Select the paragraph or text you want. If there is text, it may be selected automatically.
- Tap the Text icon to extract it as editable text.
- Choose from Translate, Writing assist, Copy or Share.
This feature requires One UI 7.0 or later, and some models don't support it. Samsung notes that it needs an internet connection and that some AI features require signing in to a Samsung account. If the Text icon is greyed out, that screen is being treated as an image rather than text.
Want to check this against your own data?AI Readiness Assessment · we review your material and map candidates and orderContact usWhich one to use, by situation
| Situation | Recommended method | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Business card or notice shot on iPhone | Touch and hold in Photos | Translate foreign text too |
| Photo in Galaxy Gallery | Text scan icon | Touch and hold to copy or share |
| Web page or screenshot on Galaxy | AI select → Text | One UI 7.0+ · internet required |
- Double-check copied numbers and phone numbers against the original photo
- Check photos showing ID numbers, bank accounts or customer details before sharing them
- For whiteboard photos, paste the copied text into ChatGPT or Gemini and ask "turn this into a to-do list" to get it organized in one go
References
- Apple, Copy and translate text in photos on iPhone or iPad: https://support.apple.com/ko-kr/120004
- Apple, iOS feature availability (Live Text): https://www.apple.com/ios/feature-availability/
- Samsung Electronics Service, How to use Galaxy text extraction: https://www.samsungsvc.co.kr/solution/1073035
- Samsung, How to use AI select on your Galaxy phone and tablet: https://www.samsung.com/ca/support/mobile-devices/how-to-use-ai-select-on-your-galaxy-phone-and-tablet/
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