How to Enable Live Captions on an Android device

Enabling Live Captions helps in more ways than you can imagine. For instance, if you rely on earphones to hear audio or video content just to catch the wording, you don’t have to do that anymore.

Or perhaps you need a real-time transcript of your voice recording without using the internet. Live Captions can handle that too.

While this feature is a great way to improve accessibility, it is only available on Android 11 or higher. Also, to call your attention, it doesn’t work for song lyrics.

However, if you need other audio activities like podcasts, voice recordings, and calls to be captioned, you might as well try it out and see how it works for you.

So, if you’re eager to try this feature, here’s a detailed step-by-step guide to walk you through the process.

Steps to Enable Live Captions on an Android device

There are two ways you can access Live Captions on your Android device. The first method involves using the volume button.

Using the Volume Button

Step 1. Press your Android’s volume button to access the volume bar.

Step 2. On the volume bar, tap the "More" icon (three dots). This will present you with additional options.

Step 3. Tap the "Live Caption" (crossed text icon). Once you tap to uncross it, Live Captions will be activated.

Alternatively, you can access the Live Caption feature through your phone settings.

Step 1. Locate and tap on "Settings".

Step 2. Scroll down to "Accessibility" and tap on it.

Step 3. Select "Hearing enhancement" then click the Live Caption option or scroll down to "Caption"(This step might vary depending on your Android device)

Step 4. In the Live Caption page, toggle on "Live Caption".

How to Confirm Live Captions is Working

If you want to be sure it’s working after enabling it, play a YouTube video, a voice recording, or any supported media. Immediately, you should see the caption box displaying real-time captions.

How to Disable Live Captions

If you want to disable Live Captions, drag the caption box down the screen to remove it. That’s it—it’s now disabled.

Conclusion

Now that you know about the Live Caption feature and how to access it, you might come across situations where it proves useful. However, it’s important to note that this feature isn’t perfect—you may notice misspellings in noisy environments or slight delays in transcription. Additionally, it doesn’t support song lyrics, so don’t expect it to work while streaming music.

That said, for podcasts, voice recordings, and calls, it can be a helpful tool, especially when you need captions on the go. Give it a try and see if it fits into your daily routine!

Image credit: David Adubiina/Techloy.com