Dictation Problem

Hi Stu930,

We appreciate you reaching out to us.

We’d like to gather additional details that may help us be in a better position to assist you.

1. Have you had the chance to restart your device? Restart your iPhone - Apple Support
2. Have you had the chance to make sure that Dictation is enabled?

To turn on Dictation, please follow the steps below.

1. "Go to Settings  > General > Keyboard.
2. Turn on Enable Dictation."

To use Dictation, please follow the steps below.

1. "Tap to place the insertion point where you want to insert text.
2. Tap  on the onscreen keyboard or in any text field where it appears (as in Messages, for example). Then speak.
3. If you don’t see , make sure Dictation is turned on. Go to Settings  > General > Keyboard, then turn on Enable Dictation.
4. As you speak to insert text, iPhone automatically inserts punctuation for you.
5. Note: You can turn off automatic punctuation by going to Settings  > General > Keyboard, then turning off Auto-Punctuation.
6. As you dictate text, you can insert emoji by saying their names (for example, “mind blown emoji” or “happy emoji”).
7. When you finish, tap ."

You can use the article below as a reference.

Dictate text on iPhone - Apple Support

If you continue to experience the issue, please check for a software update and make sure that you are running the latest version of iOS.

While it isn't inherently assured that an update will resolve the issue, updating to the latest software version for your device can help isolate potential software issues. 

Kindly secure a backup and update.

1. How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
2. Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

Take care!