A phone call in a noisy kitchen. A grandchild’s video that mumbles half its words. A video call where the audio keeps cutting out. Live captions fix all three by putting the words on the screen as they are spoken.
This feature is built into both iPhone and Android, and it costs nothing to turn on. You do not need a special app, and you do not need to be an expert with your phone.
Below is exactly where to find it, how to turn it on, and who tends to get the most use out of it.
Both Apple and Google build this feature into the phone itself. That means no app to download, no account to set up, and nothing to buy. It is simply a setting that is turned off by default and waiting to be switched on.
How do I turn on live captions on my phone?
On iPhone, go to Settings, then Accessibility, then Live Captions, and switch it on. On Android, press the volume button and tap the Live Caption icon that appears. The steps are slightly different on each type of phone, so use the section below for your device.
Plain talk: captions
Captions are written text that show what is being said, timed to match the audio. You may already know them from TV shows with subtitles turned on.
Turn on Live Captions on iPhone
Apple’s version is called Live Captions. It needs an iPhone 11 or newer (or an iPad with an A12 Bionic chip or later), and right now it works in English for the US and Canada.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Scroll down and tap Live Captions.
- Tap the switch next to Live Captions to turn it on.
- Read the notice that appears and tap Turn On Live Captions.
Once it is on, a caption window appears near the bottom of the screen any time your iPhone hears speech, whether that is a phone call, a FaceTime call, a video in an app, or someone talking near your phone’s microphone.
You can also turn Live Captions on or off quickly during a FaceTime call by tapping the screen, tapping the caption icon, and turning it on from there.
Try this
Drag the caption box up or down the screen with one finger to move it out of the way of buttons you need to tap.
Apple labels this feature “beta,” which means it is still being improved. It works best in a fairly quiet room with one person speaking at a time.
What if I don’t see Live Captions in Settings?
If you tap Accessibility and do not see a Live Captions option at all, your iPhone or iPad is probably older than the models Apple supports. A quick way to check your model is to open Settings, tap General, then tap About, and look at the Model Name listed there. If your device is not an iPhone 11 or newer, Live Captions is not available, though most of the other accessibility settings on your phone still work fine on older models.
Turn on Live Caption on Android
Google’s version is called Live Caption, and it has been part of Android since Android 10. Most Android phones from the last several years support it, though the exact list of languages depends on your phone’s brand and model.
- Play any sound, or press the physical volume button on the side of your phone.
- When the volume control appears on screen, tap More (it may look like three dots).
- Tap Live Caption, then tap Done.
If that shortcut is not on your phone, turn it on through the settings menu instead:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Tap Live Caption.
- Tap the switch to turn it on.
After that, captions appear automatically over videos, podcasts, voice messages, and phone or video calls, with no extra taps needed. One advantage of Google’s version is that it works entirely on the phone itself, according to Google’s own accessibility support page, so it keeps working even without a data connection or Wi-Fi.
Google Live Caption first shipped on Pixel phones and has since spread to many other Android brands, including Samsung. If you have a Samsung phone, the steps above should still work, though the menu names can differ slightly. Our guide to Samsung Easy Mode is a good companion if the regular Settings menu feels cluttered.
At a glance: which phones support live captions
| Phone type | Minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| iPhone | iPhone 11 or newer, English (US or Canada) |
| iPad | A12 Bionic chip or newer |
| Android (Google) | Android 10 or newer, language varies by phone |
| Android (other brands) | Varies; check Settings, then Accessibility |
Say this
“Can you turn your volume up, or can we turn on captions so I can follow along?” is an easy, low-pressure way to ask a family member for help mid-call.
Who benefits most from live captions
Anyone can find live captions useful, but a few groups notice the biggest difference.
- People with some hearing loss. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), about 22 percent of adults ages 65 to 74 have disabling hearing loss, rising to about 55 percent of adults 75 and older. Captions can fill in words that get missed.
- People in noisy places. Restaurants, family gatherings and busy waiting rooms make it hard to catch every word, even with normal hearing. Captions give you a backup.
- People on a call with poor audio. A video call over a weak Wi-Fi or mobile signal can turn speech choppy. Reading along fills the gaps.
- People learning to lip-read or follow along visually. Seeing the words as they are spoken can help build confidence in conversation.
- Anyone watching a video without headphones. If you are in a waiting room or on public transport and do not want to disturb people nearby, captions let you follow a video with the sound turned all the way down.
Family members often find this setting for a parent before the parent finds it themselves. If you are visiting and notice your parent turning the television or phone volume up higher than feels comfortable, or asking people to repeat themselves often, that is usually a sign captions would help right away.
Safety tip
Do not read captions while driving or walking near traffic. Pull over, or stop and stand still, before looking down at the caption text on a call.
A few limitations to know about
Live captions are helpful, but they are not perfect, and it helps to know that going in.
| Situation | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Several people talking at once | Captions can mix up who said what |
| Background music or noise | Accuracy usually drops |
| Strong accents or fast speech | Some words may be captioned wrong |
| Languages other than English | iPhone support is limited; Android support varies by phone |
Neither company claims perfect accuracy, and Apple specifically notes that Live Captions should not be relied on in a high-stakes situation, such as a medical or legal call where every word matters. Treat captions as a helpful backup to your ears, not a full replacement for them.
If your parent or grandparent struggles to read the caption text itself because it is too small, our guide on making text bigger on iPhone covers other display settings worth changing at the same time.
Setting this up for a parent or grandparent
If you are turning this on for someone else’s phone, a few extra steps make it stick.
- Turn the feature on together, so they see exactly where it lives in Settings.
- Test it right away with a short phone call or a video, so they see captions appear before you leave.
- Write the two menu taps (Settings, then Accessibility) on a sticky note by their phone, in case the feature gets turned off by accident.
This is also a good moment to check a few other accessibility basics while you are already in the Settings app. Our guides on Assistive Access for a simpler iPhone screen and helping a parent with their iPhone remotely cover related settings worth reviewing on the same visit.
Live captions are also worth turning on before a video call with grandchildren, especially if the connection tends to be patchy. Our guide to video calling your grandkids walks through FaceTime, Zoom and WhatsApp video, all of which work well alongside captions.
Where to go from here
Live captions are a small setting with a real, everyday payoff: fewer missed words on calls, fewer “what did you say?” moments during a video, and an easier time following conversation in a noisy room.
If you want more step-by-step help getting an Android phone set up in a way that is easy to see, hear and use, our book Your Android Phone covers this setting and many others like it, one plain-English page at a time.
