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For a new SwiftUI implementation, use Vision’s Swift RecognizeTextRequest: give it an image, await recognition, then present the returned text observations. Camera capture is optional. The request can also process existing image data and other supported image representations, so keep image acquisition separate from OCR.
Choose an image source and request
RecognizeTextRequest recognizes text in an image and returns recognized-text observations. Use the input type that fits your app: image data or a URL for an imported image, or a CGImage, CVPixelBuffer, CMSampleBuffer, or CIImage when the image is already available in memory or a capture pipeline. Apple documents these input forms in its RecognizeTextRequest API reference.
Camera capture is a way to obtain an image, not a requirement of text recognition. Apple’s Locating and displaying recognized text sample demonstrates a camera-photo workflow using AVFoundation: it requests camera authorization, captures a photo, and passes the photo data to Vision. For an app that already has an image, skip the camera layer and pass that image to the request.
Configure recognition for the app’s text
The request exposes settings that shape recognition behavior. Treat them as choices to validate with your own content rather than as guarantees of a particular accuracy or speed.
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- Recognition level: choose fast or accurate recognition to prioritize speed or accuracy. Apple’s sample uses the accurate path by default; the documentation does not give a general measured performance difference.
- Languages: specify an ordered list when the likely languages are known; the first language is prioritized. Automatic language detection is also available where supported. Check the request’s supported languages for the selected settings and OS environment rather than assuming every combination is supported.
- Language correction: enable or disable correction according to the kind of text and interaction your app expects. Compare the result on representative material.
- Custom words: supply domain-specific terms when appropriate, such as product names or specialist vocabulary.
- Minimum text height: set a minimum text-height fraction when small text should be excluded from recognition.
The current Swift request reference exposes supported-language queries and revision information. Older Vision examples may use VNRecognizeTextRequest; Apple documents that legacy API separately. Its language identifiers are ISO codes, and the order of the language array defines priority. For a new Swift implementation, follow the current RecognizeTextRequest API rather than mixing its types and configuration with legacy examples. See Apple’s VNRecognizeTextRequest and recognitionLanguages documentation for the older API details.
Run recognition asynchronously and manage its state
Apple’s sample awaits request.perform(on: imageData) and uses a Swift concurrency Task when the image or recognition settings change. A model can own both the request configuration and its latest observations:
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- TEAR THROUGH TOUGH ASSIGNMENTS — With its faster CPU and unified memory, the M5 chip delivers even more performance and fluidity across apps, making multitasking and creative workflows smooth and responsive. A powerful Neural Engine and next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators give you a powerful platform for AI.
- MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOUR TO-DO LIST — Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly — whether it’s for school or everyday life. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
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- A BRILLIANT 13.6-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Air supports 1 billion colors, making photos and videos pop with rich contrast and sharp detail, and text appears supercrisp. So everything — from class presentations to movies to games — looks truly stunning.
@Observable
final class OCRModel {
var observations: [RecognizedTextObservation] = []
var request = RecognizeTextRequest()
func recognize(imageData: Data) async throws {
observations = try await request.perform(on: imageData)
}
}This illustrates the sample’s asynchronous pattern; it is not a complete production error-handling implementation. Confirm compiler and deployment-target compatibility against the SDK selected for your project. When replacing an image, clear or mark old observations as stale before beginning recognition, so the interface does not present results from the previous image as current. Catch failures at the call site and show a useful error or retry state instead of leaving the view without feedback. Vision does not require a particular SwiftUI state-management architecture.
Display recognized text and, if useful, its location
Each observation contains recognized text and location information. Present the selected text candidate in a SwiftUI Text view; provide an empty state for images where no text is recognized. Apple’s sample also enables text selection, which can be useful when users need to copy recognized content.
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- MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOUR TO-DO LIST — Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly — whether it’s for school or everyday life. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Air delivers incredible battery life with amazing performance, so you can power through a full day of classes without worrying about plugging in.
- A BRILLIANT 13.6-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Air supports 1 billion colors, making photos and videos pop with rich contrast and sharp detail, and text appears supercrisp. So everything — from class presentations to movies to games — looks truly stunning.
If users need to see where a result came from, draw an overlay using each observation’s normalized bounding box. Convert that normalized rectangle into the displayed image’s coordinate space before positioning SwiftUI shapes. The transform must account for the image’s orientation, crop, and display sizing; otherwise boxes can drift away from the text. Apple’s sample is a useful reference for translating geometry with an upper-left origin.
Validate with representative images
Test the language and text types your app handles, including the smallest text that matters and the image quality and capture conditions users are likely to encounter. Try both recognition levels and relevant language-correction settings on the devices and OS versions your app supports. Apple’s cited API and sample documentation provide configuration options and implementation guidance, but no named OCR accuracy or latency benchmark and no general accuracy guarantee. Measure performance and recognition quality on representative inputs before making claims about your app.
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- TEAR THROUGH TOUGH ASSIGNMENTS — With its faster CPU and unified memory, the M5 chip delivers even more performance and fluidity across apps, making multitasking and creative workflows smooth and responsive. A powerful Neural Engine and next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators give you a powerful platform for AI.
- MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOUR TO-DO LIST — Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly — whether it’s for school or everyday life. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Air delivers incredible battery life with amazing performance, so you can power through a full day of classes without worrying about plugging in.
- A BRILLIANT 13.6-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Air supports 1 billion colors, making photos and videos pop with rich contrast and sharp detail, and text appears supercrisp. So everything — from class presentations to movies to games — looks truly stunning.
What Apple’s sample requires
The sample page specifies Xcode 16 or later and an iPhone running iOS 18 or later. Those are requirements for reproducing that camera-based sample, not prerequisites for every Vision OCR project. Its camera setup checks authorization and reports setup failure if configuration does not succeed; when recognition settings change, it performs recognition again.
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Best Value
- BUILT FOR COLLEGE. AND BEYOND — MacBook Air with the M5 chip packs blazing speed and powerful AI capabilities into an incredibly portable design. And with up to 18 hours of battery life,* this thin and light powerhouse is ready to take on almost any major, just about anywhere.
- TEAR THROUGH TOUGH ASSIGNMENTS — With its faster CPU and unified memory, the M5 chip delivers even more performance and fluidity across apps, making multitasking and creative workflows smooth and responsive. A powerful Neural Engine and next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators give you a powerful platform for AI.
- MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOUR TO-DO LIST — Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly — whether it’s for school or everyday life. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Air delivers incredible battery life with amazing performance, so you can power through a full day of classes without worrying about plugging in.
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