How to use the new Live Captions in iOS 16 (2024)

How to use the new Live Captions in iOS 16 (1)

New Live Captions offer users of all kinds more accessible audio experiences.Credit: Apple

Apple is launching a new suite of accessibility features in the recently unveiled iOS 16, and (finally) adding a Live Captions feature for all audio content across devices.

The new option lets users easily turn on automatic captioning in their Settings menu, which will apply to any audio played within the device, from phone calls, to FaceTime sessions, to videos. The captions appear at the top of the screen while audio is playing in real time, and users can also customize the captions' font size to better accommodate their needs.

It's a great addition to the multitude of accessibility features on Apple devices, which include customizable adjustments across vision(opens in a new tab), mobility(opens in a new tab), and even cognitive(opens in a new tab) needs. But the company trails behind other brands and devices who already offer accessible captioning directly in-device, including the caption and real-time text-to-speech capabilities of Google Pixel phones announced earlier this year.

In its iOS 16 accessibility preview(opens in a new tab), Apple described the new Live Captions hearing(opens in a new tab) feature as atool for the deaf and hard of hearing community to better navigate their devices, calls, video conferencing and social media apps with device-only, live generation of text designed to protect the privacy and safety of the speakers' conversations.

The best part — for both deaf users and active iPhone users trying to stay connected to a multitude of social connections — is that the captions account for multiple speakers and sounds. Devices will automatically detect and attribute different speech to each person on the call, using your friends' already-saved contact information.

The Live Captions aren't just restricted to iPhone users either, but can be turned on in the Settings menus of iPad and Mac devices. For Mac users, the update also includes a live text-to-speech feature for calls, similar to the Google Pixel update, where users can type a response and have it spoken aloud to others on the call.

How Live Captions work

While in an audio or video call, or watching a video on your device, Live Captions will automatically appear at the top of your screen in a separate pop up window, similar to a push notification. For calls, Facetime sessions, or conference meetings, speakers' names are determined by the contact information you have saved already, including contact images and first names.

For videos, Live Captions don't include the same audio descriptions as general closed captioning, only transcribing live speaker voices rather than all sounds playing on screen.

If you're an iPhone user interested in the new Live Captions, here's how to make sure the feature is turned on and customized to your liking:

Go to "Settings" and select the "Accessibility" menu

How to use the new Live Captions in iOS 16 (3)

Go to your phone settings first, then select "accessibility" one-third of the way down the menu options.Credit: Apple / Mashable

Find all Apple Accessibility settings in your iPhone's Settings menu.

Scroll to the section labeled "Hearing" and select "Live Captions"

How to use the new Live Captions in iOS 16 (4)

Once in your accessibility settings, scroll about halfway down to find the Live Captions option.Credit: Apple / Mashable

You'll probably also see a selection for Closed Captioning settings (different from Live Captions) which control how already-generated captioning services appear on your devices.

Turn on captions system-wide or in-app

How to use the new Live Captions in iOS 16 (5)

The current Live Captions Beta shows options to turn on captions for your entire device or for calling apps specifically.Credit: Apple / Mashable

To turn on Live Captions across your entire device, toggle the top button to the "On" position. For calling apps, such as FaceTime, you can manually select which app allows Live Captions. Note that turning these on will alert the people you are speaking with that their audio is being transcribed to text.

Adjust to your liking using "Appearance"

How to use the new Live Captions in iOS 16 (6)

You can adjust the font size and the color of both the Live Caption text and pop-up window.Credit: Apple / Mashable

You can also adjust the way Live Captions appear on your device by using the Appearance settings. In this menu, you'll find customization tools for font size, font color, and the background color of caption text windows.

How to use the new Live Captions in iOS 16 (7)

Adjust the captions to your desired font size.Credit: Apple / Mashable

How to use the new Live Captions in iOS 16 (8)

Credit: Apple / Mashable

The new feature is only available in English, for now, and is accessible on iPhone 11 models and up, iPad with A12 Bionic and later, and Mac with Apple Silicon.

How to use the new Live Captions in iOS 16 (9)

Chase DiBenedetto

Social Good Reporter

Chase joined Mashable's Social Good team in 2020, covering online stories about digital activism, climate justice, accessibility, and media representation. Her work also touches on how these conversations manifest in politics, popular culture, and fandom. Sometimes she's very funny.

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How to use the new Live Captions in iOS 16 (2024)

FAQs

How to use live captions to get subtitles for absolutely anything in iOS 16? ›

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Live Captions (Beta). Turn on Live Captions, then tap Appearance to customize the text, size, and color of the captions. By default, Live Captions are shown across all apps. To get live captions only for certain apps such as FaceTime or RTT, turn them on below In-App Live Captions.

How do I get my live caption to work? ›

On your phone, open Settings . Tap Accessibility. Live Caption. Turn on Type responses during calls.

How do I copy text from a live caption? ›

Click and drag to highlight all the text (it will scroll automatically) and press Ctrl + C to copy it.

How do you add quotes to iOS 16 Lock Screen widget? ›

To add the widgets, you just press and hold on your Lock Screen after updating to iOS 16 then tap the “Customize” button. From this edit mode, you can then tap the row where you want to add or swap out widgets. This will pull up a window that lists the available widgets you can add.

What are the caption features on iOS 16? ›

Live Captions, as the name suggests, is a feature that creates Captions from any audio in real-time. For example, when enabled, it can automatically detect the audio from the device and start transcribing it. It can transcribe an audio call, FaceTime call, audio from a video and so on.

Which apps support live captions? ›

Apps for both Android and Apple iOS
  • InnoCaption. Android, 4.2 stars. iOS, 4.6 stars. ...
  • Ava. iOS, 4.4 stars. Android, 3.4 stars. ...
  • CaptionMate. iOS, 4.6 stars. Android, 3.8 stars. ...
  • Rogervoice. iOS, 4.7 stars. ...
  • Olelo Captioned Calls. Android, 4.6 stars. ...
  • Hearing Helper - Live Captions. iOS, 4.5 stars, $2.99. ...
  • Hamilton CapTel, iOS, 3.7 stars.
Jun 21, 2023

How do I make text black on iOS 16? ›

Swipe up, then tap Text Background. Swipe left or right to see colors (tap Preset or Color to change the options), then tap one.

How to make iOS 16 lock screen like iOS 15? ›

Press and hold on the lock screen, tap the Customize button that appears at the bottom. Tap on the time and pick the second option in if you want to change it back to what it was in iOS 15, or experiment with the other font and color options.

How do I get live captions? ›

Live Caption is only available in English.
  1. On your computer, open Chrome .
  2. At the top right, click More. Settings.
  3. At the bottom of the Settings page, click Accessibility.
  4. Turn on Live Caption.

Why doesn't my Iphone have live captions? ›

It's pretty simple. Once you're actively on an audio or video call, watching a video with audio, or prepping to listen to something (or someone), go to Settings, Accessibility. Scroll down to Live Captions (Beta). Move the slider to the right to turn Live Captions on.

What is the shortcut for live caption? ›

Press Windows logo key + Ctrl + L.

How do you copy and paste captions? ›

Drag your finger over the text to select it and tap Copy text in the lower half of your screen to copy it to your clipboard. Once the text is copied, it'll be in your clipboard to paste anywhere you want to paste it. You can also use other image-to-text converters like Google Keep or Adobe.

Can you save text from live transcribe? ›

You can't export transcriptions from Live Transcribe. However, you can copy and paste text.

How do you use live activities on iOS 16? ›

Enable Live Activities
  1. Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode and enter your passcode.
  2. Scroll down and make sure Live Activities is toggled on.
Apr 21, 2023

Can I customize Lock Screen on iOS 16? ›

Apple completely overhauled the Lock Screen in iOS 16, introducing all kinds of customization options that let you make your Lock Screen unique. You can choose widgets, customize the colors, and use emojis, photos, or built-in wallpapers for a one-of-a-kind look.

What is the new cool thing on iOS 16? ›

A new iOS 16 feature allows you to take a screenshot, copy it to your clipboard, delete it from your phone and paste it where you see fit. After you take a screenshot, tap the screenshot preview that appears, hit Done on the top-right and then tap Copy and Delete to copy the screenshot to your clipboard.

What are cool things from the iOS 16 update? ›

Lock Screen. Personalize your Lock Screen with your favorite photos, add filters and widgets, and even change the font of the date and time. Widgets and Live Activities make it easy to stay up to date on information from your favorite apps and receive updates in real time.

Does Apple have live captions? ›

This is a useful feature for anyone, and for the hearing loss community, it's an accessibility feature that will make it easier to watch videos on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. A similar feature is already available on Google Pixel phones and select Android phones.

How do I change caption settings? ›

Change caption settings
  1. Select (Start) > Settings > Accessibility > Captions.
  2. In Caption style, expand the menu, select one of the predefined options, and see how it appears in the preview.
  3. To customize the selected predefined option, select Edit and then modify the option details to your liking.

How do I change caption formatting? ›

Format captions

To change the formatting of your captions throughout your document simply right-click that style on the gallery and choose Modify. Here you can set font size, color, type and other options that will apply to your captions.

What are clever captions? ›

Instagram caption quotes
  • “All you need is love. ...
  • “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – ...
  • “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.” – ...
  • “I can accept failure. ...
  • “If you don't like something, change it. ...
  • “If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” –

Can you change iPhone text color? ›

Highlight the text you want to change the color of and tap the format button (Aa) from the options bar. When the Format options appear, tap the color palette icon. Choose the color you want to use from the palette, and the highlighted text will change.

Can you change text color on iPhone iOS 16? ›

With iOS 16, users can customise the appearance of the Lock Screen by changing the default font and colours, creating a more personal experience unlike anything seen on the iPhone's Lock Screen before, offering users almost full control of the appearance of the Lock Screen with some handy, easy to use personalisation ...

Can you change message color on iPhone? ›

Through Super Messaging, you can change the text bubble color on your iPhone with various shades and tones. You can even customize the font style and color of your text! The minor downside to using the free version is that all your iMessages will be sent with the Super Messaging app logo next to the text bubble.

How do I customize my iPhone screen? ›

Touch and hold the Lock Screen until the Customize button appears at the bottom of the screen, then tap Customize. Tap the box below the time to add widgets to your Lock Screen. Tap or drag the widgets you want to add. to remove a widget and make room for a new one.

Does live captions turn on for everyone? ›

You can turn captions on to view subtitles as everyone speaks during a meeting. The captions will only be enabled for you.

How do I use live captions on ios16? ›

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Live Captions (Beta). Turn on Live Captions, then tap Appearance to customize the text, size, and color of the captions. By default, Live Captions are shown across all apps.

Is Live Caption the same as closed caption? ›

Live captions are for content happening in real-time, and closed captions are for pre-recorded content. It's important to note that live captions are typically “closed,” meaning the viewer can turn the captions on or off.

What is live captions vs auto captions? ›

Auto vs.

Live auto captions are generated by automatic speech recognition technology, and they can sometimes be enhanced through machine-learning algorithms. Auto captions are sometimes referred to as machine captions. Live professional captions are created in various ways, but they always involve a human captioner.

What is caption mode? ›

Closed captions and subtitles show the dialogue and/or audio portion of a program as text on your TV, computer, or phone screen. They're an important usability aid whether a viewer is hearing, hard-of-hearing, or Deaf.

How do I permanently add subtitles to a movie on my Iphone? ›

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles & Captioning. If you prefer closed captioning or subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing when available, turn on Closed Captions + SDH. Tap Style, then choose an existing caption style or create a new style based on the following: Font, size, and color.

How can I add subtitles to a video on my iphone for free? ›

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles & Captioning. If you prefer closed captioning or subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing when available, turn on Closed Captions + SDH. Tap Style, then choose an existing caption style or create a new style based on the following: Font, size, and color.

How do I use Live Captions on iOS 16? ›

Go to Settings > Accessibility > Live Captions (Beta). Turn on Live Captions, then tap Appearance to customize the text, size, and color of the captions. By default, Live Captions are shown across all apps.

What app adds subtitles automatically? ›

1. Voicella. The Voicella app is a simple option for Android users if you don't want to pay an ongoing subscription fee. You can pay for more video time if you typically film longer videos that need to be captioned, or you can watch in-app ads for free credits.

What app automatically adds subtitles to video? ›

Kaptioned makes it easy to auto detect, transcribe and add subtitles to your videos. 85% of videos are watched on mute, adding subtitles increases your videos engagement, shares, comments and likes.

What is the best app to add subtitles to iPhone videos? ›

Table of Contents:
  • MixCaptions: Add Text, Subtitles to Videos.
  • Kaptioned: Video Subtitles and Captions for Social Media.
  • Autocap: Automatic Video Captions.
  • Veed: Add Subtitles to Videos with Ease.
  • Happy Scribe- Audio Transcription & Video Subtitles.
  • Rev: Transcribe Speech to Text.
  • To Sum Up.
Mar 20, 2023

How can I add subtitles to a video automatically for free? ›

Add Subtitles to Video
  1. Upload your Video file. Select the Video which you want to burn your subtitle file.
  2. Upload the Subtitles file. Or click on "autogenerate subtitles" with Happy Scribe.
  3. Customization. Customize your captions, change the color, font, and position of your subtitles.
  4. Download the Video.

What free video editor can I add captions to? ›

  1. Movavi.
  2. Filmage Editor.
  3. BeeCut.
  4. iMovie.
  5. Filmora.
  6. Clideo.
  7. Subtitle Edit online BETA.
  8. Subtitle Workshop.
Dec 15, 2021

How can I add subtitles to a video permanently for free? ›

How to add subtitles to a video
  1. Upload a recording or movie. Add a video to the subtitler: from your computer, a camera roll on your smartphone, or from a cloud. ...
  2. Add and edit subtitles. Choose a suitable for you option to add captions: manually or with a subtitle file. ...
  3. Download the subtitled video. Everything is ready now!

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