---
title: Capacitor Text Interaction Plugin for iOS
description: Capacitor plugin to enable and disable text interaction — selection, magnifier, and callout menu — in the app's WebView. Supports iOS.
tags:
  - iOS
search:
  boost: 2
faq: true
status: new
github_repo: capawesome-team/capacitor-plugins
npm_package: "@capawesome/capacitor-text-interaction"
---

# Capacitor Text Interaction Plugin

Capacitor plugin to enable and disable text interaction (selection, magnifier, callout menu) in the app's WebView.

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## Features

- ✋ **Text interaction**: Enable and disable text interaction at runtime.
- 🔍 **State**: Read whether text interaction is currently enabled.
- 🧩 **Zero-config**: No changes to your native project required.
- 🤝 **Compatibility**: Works alongside the [Clipboard](https://capawesome.io/docs/sdks/capacitor/clipboard/), [Privacy Screen](https://capawesome.io/docs/sdks/capacitor/privacy-screen/) and [System WebView](https://capawesome.io/docs/sdks/capacitor/system-webview/) plugins.
- 📦 **CocoaPods & SPM**: Supports CocoaPods and Swift Package Manager for iOS.
- 🔁 **Up-to-date**: Always supports the latest Capacitor version.

Missing a feature? Just [open an issue](https://github.com/capawesome-team/capacitor-plugins/issues) and we'll take a look!

## Use Cases

The Text Interaction plugin is typically used to make web content feel like a native app, for example:

- **App-like UIs**: Disable text selection, the magnifier and the callout menu so buttons, menus and other controls don't trigger accidental text selection.
- **Kiosk apps**: Prevent users from selecting and copying content in apps running on public or shared devices.
- **Reading views**: Re-enable text interaction at runtime in views where users should be able to select and copy text.
- **Settings toggles**: Read the current state with `isEnabled()` to keep an in-app toggle in sync.

## Compatibility

| Plugin Version | Capacitor Version | Status         |
| -------------- | ----------------- | -------------- |
| 0.x.x          | >=8.x.x           | Active support |

## Installation

You can use our **AI-Assisted Setup** to install the plugin.
Add the [Capawesome Skills](https://github.com/capawesome-team/skills) to your AI tool using the following command:

```bash
npx skills add capawesome-team/skills --skill capacitor-plugins
```

Then use the following prompt:

```
 Use the `capacitor-plugins` skill from `capawesome-team/skills` to install the `@capawesome/capacitor-text-interaction` plugin in my project.
```

If you prefer **Manual Setup**, install the plugin by running the following commands and follow the platform-specific instructions below:

```bash
npm install @capawesome/capacitor-text-interaction
npx cap sync
```

This plugin is only available on **iOS**. On Android and Web, all methods reject as unimplemented. On Web, use the CSS `user-select` property to prevent text selection instead.

### iOS

No additional setup is required.

## Configuration

No configuration required for this plugin.

## Usage

The following examples show how to disable text interaction, enable it again, and check whether it is currently enabled.

### Disable text interaction

Turn off the system text-interaction gestures, that is text selection, the selection magnifier and the callout (copy/paste) menu. Only available on iOS:

```typescript
import { TextInteraction } from '@capawesome/capacitor-text-interaction';

const disable = async () => {
  await TextInteraction.disable();
};
```

### Enable text interaction

Re-enable text interaction after it has been disabled. Text interaction is enabled by default. Only available on iOS:

```typescript
import { TextInteraction } from '@capawesome/capacitor-text-interaction';

const enable = async () => {
  await TextInteraction.enable();
};
```

### Check whether text interaction is enabled

Read the current state, for example to keep a settings toggle in sync. Only available on iOS:

```typescript
import { TextInteraction } from '@capawesome/capacitor-text-interaction';

const isEnabled = async () => {
  const { enabled } = await TextInteraction.isEnabled();
  return enabled;
};
```

## API

<docgen-index>

* [`disable()`](#disable)
* [`enable()`](#enable)
* [`isEnabled()`](#isenabled)
* [Interfaces](#interfaces)

</docgen-index>

<docgen-api>
<!--Update the source file JSDoc comments and rerun docgen to update the docs below-->

### disable()

```typescript
disable() => Promise<void>
```

Disable text interaction in the app's WebView.

This turns off system text-interaction gestures such as text selection,
the selection magnifier and the callout (copy/paste) menu.

Only available on iOS.

**Since:** 0.1.0

--------------------


### enable()

```typescript
enable() => Promise<void>
```

Enable text interaction in the app's WebView.

Text interaction is enabled by default.

Only available on iOS.

**Since:** 0.1.0

--------------------


### isEnabled()

```typescript
isEnabled() => Promise<IsEnabledResult>
```

Check whether text interaction is currently enabled in the app's WebView.

Only available on iOS.

**Returns:** <code>Promise&lt;<a href="#isenabledresult">IsEnabledResult</a>&gt;</code>

**Since:** 0.1.0

--------------------


### Interfaces


#### IsEnabledResult

| Prop          | Type                 | Description                                    | Since |
| ------------- | -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ----- |
| **`enabled`** | <code>boolean</code> | Whether text interaction is currently enabled. | 0.1.0 |

</docgen-api>

## Text Interaction Behavior

Text interaction covers the system gestures that let a user work with text in the WebView: text selection, the selection magnifier and the callout (copy/paste) menu.

- **Beyond CSS**: The CSS `user-select: none` property prevents text selection for specific elements and covers most cases. This plugin disables the system text-interaction gestures as a whole, which is useful for app-like UIs where accidental text selection breaks the experience.
- **Default state**: Text interaction is enabled by default.
- **Runtime toggling**: Changes apply to the WebView's configuration. If a change does not take effect immediately on already-rendered content, reload the WebView content to apply it.

## FAQ

### How is this plugin different from other similar plugins?

It disables the system text-interaction gestures — text selection, the selection magnifier, and the callout (copy/paste) menu — as a whole at runtime, which is exactly what app-like UIs need when accidental selection breaks the experience. It requires no native setup, exposes a fully typed API with a state check so you can keep an in-app toggle in sync, and ships for both CocoaPods and Swift Package Manager. If the CSS `user-select: none` property on specific elements covers your case, that is perfectly fine; if you want to control the WebView's text gestures as a whole, this plugin is built for it.

### Why is this plugin only available on iOS?

The plugin controls the system text-interaction gestures of the iOS WebView. On Android and Web, all methods reject as unimplemented. On Web, you can use the CSS `user-select` property to prevent text selection instead.

### What is the difference between this plugin and the CSS `user-select` property?

The CSS `user-select: none` property prevents text selection for specific elements and covers most cases. This plugin disables the system text-interaction gestures as a whole, including text selection, the selection magnifier and the callout (copy/paste) menu, which is useful for app-like UIs where accidental text selection breaks the experience. See [Text Interaction Behavior](#text-interaction-behavior) for more details.

### Is text interaction enabled by default?

Yes, text interaction is enabled by default. Call `disable()` to turn it off and `enable()` to restore the default behavior. You can read the current state at any time with `isEnabled()`.

### Why does a change not take effect immediately?

Changes apply to the WebView's configuration. If a change does not take effect immediately on already-rendered content, reload the WebView content to apply it.

### Can I use this plugin with Ionic, React, Vue or Angular?

Yes, the plugin is framework-agnostic. It works in any Capacitor app regardless of the web framework, including Ionic with Angular, React, or Vue, as well as plain JavaScript projects.

## Related Plugins

- [Clipboard](https://capawesome.io/docs/sdks/capacitor/clipboard/): Read from and write to the system clipboard.
- [Privacy Screen](https://capawesome.io/docs/sdks/capacitor/privacy-screen/): Hide sensitive app content in the app switcher and block screenshots.
- [System WebView](https://capawesome.io/docs/sdks/capacitor/system-webview/): Detect an outdated Android System WebView and guide users to update it.
- [Text Zoom](https://capawesome.io/docs/sdks/capacitor/text-zoom/): Read and control the WebView text zoom.

## Newsletter

Stay up to date with the latest news and updates about the Capawesome, Capacitor, and Ionic ecosystem by subscribing to our [Capawesome Newsletter](https://cloud.capawesome.io/newsletter/).

## Changelog

See [CHANGELOG.md](https://github.com/capawesome-team/capacitor-plugins/blob/main/packages/text-interaction/CHANGELOG.md).

## License

See [LICENSE](https://github.com/capawesome-team/capacitor-plugins/blob/main/packages/text-interaction/LICENSE).