Caption apps for deaf and hard of hearing people

Google describes it as working "using just your Android phone". A search of Apple's US App Store finds no Live Transcribe app from Google.

Sources: Google Play listing, Use Live Transcribe (Google), App Store search (Apple)

The Play listing says over 80 languages and dialects (the 2019 launch post said over 70). You can set a primary and a secondary language. Google does not publish the full list on these pages.

Sources: Google Play listing, Real-time Continuous Transcription with Live Transcribe (… (Google Research), Use Live Transcribe (Google)

On Pixel and select phones with Android 12 or later you can download several languages (e.g. English, French) for offline use; on Android 8 to 11, English only. Offline transcription turns on automatically. Google does not list which languages can be downloaded.

Source: Use Live Transcribe (Google)

Neither Google's help page nor the Play listing describes showing who is talking. Google's 2019 launch post listed speaker separation as possible future work.

Sources: Use Live Transcribe (Google), Google Play listing, Real-time Continuous Transcription with Live Transcribe (… (Google Research)

Google's help page describes no translation between spoken languages. The only translation is sign-to-text (ASL into English text, see signLanguage).

Source: Use Live Transcribe (Google)

Google Play lists the app at a price of 0 USD with no in-app purchases; Google launched it as a free Android service.

Sources: Google Play listing, Real-time Continuous Transcription with Live Transcribe (… (Google Research)

Built into iOS, iPadOS and macOS, and it works on Apple Vision Pro. During Live Listen, the iPhone's captions can also be read on a paired Apple Watch.

Sources: Get live captions of spoken audio on iPhone (iPhone User… (Apple), Get live captions of spoken audio on iPad (iPad User Guide) (Apple), Get captions of spoken and computer audio on Mac (Mac Use… (Apple), Accessibility: Hearing (Apple), Control Live Listen on iPhone from Apple Watch (Apple)

Cantonese, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish, in 18 language and region variants. It launched in 2022 as a beta in US and Canadian English only.

Sources: iOS and iPadOS Feature Availability: Accessibility: Live… (Apple), macOS Feature Availability: Accessibility: Live Captions (Apple), Apple previews innovative accessibility features (May 17,… (Apple Newsroom), Get live captions in real time on iPhone (iPhone User Gui… (Apple), Get live captions of spoken audio on iPhone (iPhone User… (Apple)

Apple says audio is processed on the device. A Mac downloads language data the first time, which needs internet; Apple's iPhone guide doesn't mention internet at all.

Sources: Get captions of spoken and computer audio on Mac (Mac Use… (Apple), Accessibility: Hearing (Apple), Apple previews innovative accessibility features (May 17,… (Apple Newsroom)

In FaceTime calls the captions show who's speaking. Apple describes no speaker labels for in-person or other-app captions.

Sources: Use Live Captions and Live Translation in FaceTime on iPhone (Apple), Apple previews innovative accessibility features (May 17,… (Apple Newsroom)

Live Captions only transcribes. Apple's separate Live Translation (Apple Intelligence, iPhone 15 Pro or later) translates Phone and FaceTime calls, and with supported AirPods translates in-person speech into your ears.

Sources: Use Live Captions and Live Translation in FaceTime on iPhone (Apple), Use Live Translation on iPhone (Apple), iOS and iPadOS Feature Availability: Accessibility: Live… (Apple), Use Live Translation with your AirPods (Apple)

A built-in accessibility feature of iPhone, iPad and Mac; there is nothing to buy or download from the App Store.

Sources: Accessibility features for hearing on iPhone (Apple), Get live captions of spoken audio on iPhone (iPhone User… (Apple)

Mobile apps for iOS and Android, a web app and a desktop app for Windows and Mac.

Sources: Professional & AI-Based Captions for Deaf & HoH (Ava (Transcense, Inc.)), What system requirements does Ava have? (Ava Help Center), Apple App Store listing

Ava's help centre (June 2026) lists 23 languages, with 19 more on some devices. Its website says 20+ in one place and 50+ in another, and the App Store says 16. Captioning in a language other than your phone's language needs a paid plan.

Sources: What Languages and Countries Are Supported by Ava? (Ava Help Center), Professional & AI-Based Captions for Deaf & HoH (Ava (Transcense, Inc.)), Ava (Transcense, Inc.) pricing page, Apple App Store listing

The mobile apps have an offline mode with somewhat lower accuracy. It works only one to one (solo mode), only in your default language, and not on web or desktop.

Sources: Does Ava work with little or no internet connection? (Ava Help Center), Ava (Transcense, Inc.) pricing page, Google Play listing

In a group conversation each person who joins from their own phone appears in their own colour with their name. SpeakerID on a single phone (up to 5 speakers) is a Premium-only beta you must be given access to.

Sources: Captioning Group Conversations on Ava (Ava Help Center), Using Ava for Casual Conversations (in-person) (Ava Help Center), SpeakerID for Live Captioning on Mobile [Beta] (Ava Help Center), Ava (Transcense, Inc.) pricing page

You pick a spoken language and a language to translate into during a conversation; it needs Premium captions, which come with paid plans. Ava's translation article lists 23 languages, but its languages article lists only a few pairs, such as English with French or Spanish.

Sources: How to translate a conversation with Ava (Ava Help Center), What Languages and Countries Are Supported by Ava? (Ava Help Center), How to change the settings in a conversation (Ava Help Center), Ava (Transcense, Inc.) pricing page

The pricing page and App Store describe free basic captions in sessions of up to 40 minutes that you can restart. An older answer on the pricing page still mentions 5 free hours a month. It is not an ADA-compliant plan.

Sources: Ava (Transcense, Inc.) pricing page, Apple App Store listing

iOS and Android apps, a web app at otter.ai, desktop apps for Mac and Windows, and a Chrome extension for Google Meet and Zoom.

Sources: Otter.ai pricing page, Otter Chrome extension (Otter Help Center), Apple App Store listing

Otter's help centre and pricing page list English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese (German and Chinese in beta); French can be mixed with English. The App Store says four languages and Google Play three. Menus stay in English.

Sources: Supported languages (Otter Help Center), Transcribe conversations in English, Spanish, French, Ger… (Otter Help Center), Otter.ai pricing page, Apple App Store listing, Google Play listing

Without internet the live transcript pauses but the audio keeps recording; the transcript is made once a connection is back.

Sources: Record with Otter offline or without an internet connection (Otter Help Center), Record a conversation (Otter Help Center)

For in-person recordings and imports, speakers are identified only after the recording stops (Speaker 1, or a name once you tag them, which teaches Otter their voice). In Zoom meetings, Notetaker tags speakers live from participant names.

Sources: Speaker Identification Overview (Otter Help Center), Google Play listing, Otter.ai pricing page

Otter does not translate while you talk. Its help centre says you can ask Otter Chat to translate a conversation into other languages.

Sources: Supported languages (Otter Help Center), Transcribe conversations in English, Spanish, French, Ger… (Otter Help Center)

Basic is free: 300 transcription minutes a month, up to 30 minutes per conversation, 3 file imports in total, the 25 most recent conversations, 5 vocabulary terms and TXT export.

Sources: Conversation, import, and app limits on the Basic free plan (Otter Help Center), Otter.ai pricing page, Export conversations (Otter Help Center)

The Speaksee app runs on iOS and Android and connects to the kit. Others can follow a session on a phone, tablet or computer through a shared link or QR code.

Sources: On which devices can I view the transcriptions? (Speaksee), Apple App Store (seller: SpeakSee B.V.) listing, Google Play (developer: Speaksee B.V.) listing

Speaksee's help centre lists 11 languages tested by native speakers (such as Dutch, English, French, German and Spanish) and 44 more not yet tested, many of them regional variants.

Source: In which languages can I use the Microphone Kit? (Speaksee)

The manual lists an internet connection as a requirement (Wi-Fi, or the phone's connection over Bluetooth), because audio goes to the Speaksee cloud. The kit uses about 40 MB of data an hour.

Sources: User Manual Microphone Kit, version 2026 (Speaksee B.V.), How much data does the Speaksee Microphone Kit use? (Speaksee)

Each microphone's speech shows in its own colour, and each microphone can be given a name and a language in the app.

Sources: Speaksee Microphone Kit, User Manual Microphone Kit, version 2026 (Speaksee B.V.), How can I adjust legibility in the Speaksee app? (Speaksee)

You can set the spoken and shown language for the whole session or for each microphone, and people following by QR code can read in their own language. The August 2026 manual says 80+ languages; the product page says more than 40.

Sources: Speaksee Microphone Kit, User Manual Microphone Kit, version 2026 (Speaksee B.V.)

The app is free to download but works only with the Speaksee Microphone Kit, which comes with a paid software subscription. Speaksee says a trial is possible in some cases.

Sources: Apple App Store (seller: SpeakSee B.V.) listing, What is the difference between Speaksee AutoCaption and t… (Speaksee), Can I try the Microphone Kit? (Speaksee)