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Live Captions (iPhone): What It Does and What You Need

Checked November 10, 2026. Next full check February 2027.

Email to a family member

Captions audio on your iPhone and talk around you.

At a glance

MakerApple
GroupLive captions
Works oniPhone, iPad. Built into the phone.
CostBuilt in. Built into supported iPhones. No separate app to buy.
Good foriPhone users who want captions with nothing to install.

What it does

  • Captions audio from apps, such as podcasts and video.
  • Captions in-person talk with the microphone.
  • Lets you pause, clear the text, move the window or go full screen.
  • Lets you change the size, color and style of the text.
  • Lets you copy the text into Notes or Messages.

What you need

  • An iPhone 11 or later.
  • A supported language and region. Apple says it is not available in all of them.

Good to know

  • Apple says accuracy may vary. Apple says not to rely on it in high-risk or emergency situations.
  • For calls, you choose to keep captions for 1 minute or 1 hour. With 1 hour, all call participants hear an announcement that the call is being transcribed.
  • To turn it on: Settings, then Accessibility, then Live Captions.

This guide is general information. It does not diagnose hearing loss and it does not replace a hearing evaluation. An app cannot tell you why you hear less. An audiologist can.

More in live captions

  • Google Live Transcribe

    Google LLC

    Turns speech around you into text on an Android phone.

    No costAndroid

  • Live Transcribe (Mighty Fine Apps)

    Mighty Fine Apps LLC

    An iPhone app that writes speech as text, with several caption modes.

    No cost to download, paid optionsiPhone, iPad

  • NALscribe

    National Acoustic Laboratories

    A live captioning app from a hearing research laboratory.

    No costiPhone, iPad

  • Ava

    Transcense, Inc.

    Captions group talk and shows who is speaking.

    No-cost tier and paid plansiPhone, iPad, Android

Where Live Captions (iPhone) fits

Compare Live Captions (iPhone) with another app

Read more on our site

Questions to bring to your visit

Write these on your phone or print this page. Bring them to your hearing evaluation.

  • Which captions can I read at a glance in a group?
  • Can my hearing aids stream sound while I read captions?
  • Which places near me have a loop system or Auracast?

Sources

We read these pages on November 10, 2026. Prices and phone requirements change, so check the listing before you install.

Need help with this app?

Using captions all day? Your hearing may need a closer look. Call 650-342-9449.

California Hearing Center has offices in San Mateo and San Carlos. One phone number reaches both: 650-342-9449.

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