Live Text
Live Text lets you interact with text directly from comic pages using Apple’s VisionKit framework. Select dialogue, copy text, translate to your language, or scan QR codes - all without leaving the reader.
What You Can Do
Section titled “What You Can Do”Copy Text: Select any text on a page and copy it to your clipboard
Translate: Select text and instantly translate it using iOS’s built-in translator
Dictionary Lookup: Long-press words to see definitions and Wikipedia entries
Scan QR Codes: Automatically detect and open QR codes embedded in pages
Create Stickers: Extract subjects from images (iOS 17+)
Works Offline: All processing happens on your device - no internet required
How to Use Live Text
Section titled “How to Use Live Text”Selecting Text
Section titled “Selecting Text”- Open a comic with text (speech bubbles, captions, sound effects)
- Tap and hold on text until it’s highlighted
- Drag the selection handles to adjust what’s selected
- Tap Copy to copy the text
The iOS text selection menu appears with options like Copy, Translate, and Look Up.
Translating Text
Section titled “Translating Text”Perfect for reading manga in Japanese or comics in other languages:
- Select the text you want to translate
- Tap Translate in the popup menu
- iOS shows the translation in your preferred language
- You can also copy the translation
Tip: For manga, select entire speech bubbles to get better context and more accurate translations.
Scanning QR Codes
Section titled “Scanning QR Codes”Some comics include QR codes for bonus content:
- When Live Text detects a QR code, you’ll see a yellow indicator
- Tap the indicator
- iOS opens the URL or shows the data
No need to leave the app or use a separate QR scanner.
Settings
Section titled “Settings”Settings → Reader → Live Text
Enable Live Text: Turn text recognition on or off
Hide Live Text Button: Removes the button indicator for a cleaner reading interface (Komic+)
Language Support
Section titled “Language Support”Live Text supports many languages including:
- English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese
- Chinese (Simplified and Traditional)
- Japanese, Korean
- Russian, Ukrainian
- Thai, Vietnamese
- And many more
Language support depends on your iOS version and installed keyboards.
Use Cases
Section titled “Use Cases”Reading Manga in Japanese
Section titled “Reading Manga in Japanese”- Select Japanese text in speech bubbles
- Translate to see what characters are saying
- Look up kanji you don’t recognize
- Learn new vocabulary while reading
Copying Reference Material
Section titled “Copying Reference Material”Extract character names, move titles, or dialogue for notes or discussions without typing everything manually.
Accessibility
Section titled “Accessibility”Screen readers can read selected text aloud, making comics more accessible to users with visual impairments.
Research and Analysis
Section titled “Research and Analysis”Copy quotes, dialogue, or text for essays, reviews, or analysis without transcribing manually.
Limitations
Section titled “Limitations”Stylized Fonts: Heavily artistic or hand-drawn text may not be recognized
Sound Effects: Artistic sound effects in manga often aren’t detected as text
Complex Backgrounds: Text on busy backgrounds might be harder to select
Overlapping Text: Speech bubbles that overlap images may have partial recognition
For difficult text, try zooming in first - higher resolution can improve recognition accuracy.
Tips for Best Results
Section titled “Tips for Best Results”Zoom In: Larger text is recognized more accurately
Clean Scans: High-quality page scans work better than compressed or low-resolution images
Avoid Rotated Text: Vertical or diagonal text may be harder to select
Select Full Bubbles: For translations, selecting entire speech bubbles gives better context
Downloaded Content: Works just as well with offline downloaded books
Privacy & Security
Section titled “Privacy & Security”All Live Text processing happens on your device:
- No text is sent to external servers
- Works completely offline
- Your reading content stays private
- No network connection required
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”Text not detected:
- Verify Live Text is enabled in Settings
- Check that you have Komic+ active
- Try zooming in on the text
- Some artistic fonts inherently can’t be recognized
Poor translation quality:
- Select more context (full speech bubbles vs. single words)
- Ensure the source language is correctly detected
- Download language packs in iOS Settings if needed
Button always visible:
- Enable “Hide Live Text Button” in Settings (Komic+)
- Button only appears on pages with detected text