How to use Live Caption on Google Pixel phones

Closed captions are great; most video and content streaming apps already have them, but Google has a more enticing system-wide solution. The search giant introduced Live Caption at Google I/O 2019, a feature that can create captions of any speech coming out of your device. Today we’ll show you how to use Live Caption on Google Pixel phones.

We also have a list of other awesome Pixel-only features, just in case you are interested.

Editor’s note: Steps in this article were put together using a Google Pixel 7 running Android 13, unless otherwise specified. Some steps may differ depending on your device and software. 

What is Android Live Caption, and how does it work?

As the introduction mentions, Android’s Live Caption can recognize speech audio and transcribe it into text in real time. It works with videos, podcasts, phone calls, video calls, and audio messages. There’s more to it than that, though. This feature is special because it needs no data or Wi-Fi connection. It works entirely offline, data is never stored, and it doesn’t go anywhere outside your phone.

Which devices support Live Caption?

Keep in mind this is still mainly a Pixel feature, and it works on any Pixel 2 or newer Pixel phone. The feature is starting to reach other devices outside Google’s line-up, but it’s not a prevalent capability yet. Some newer Samsung and OnePlus devices are known to have it.

Some features are specific to newer devices. For starters, only the Pixel 6 series and newer devices, as well as other select Android phones, have support for English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. Other devices only support the English language. Additionally, only the Pixel 6 series and newer phones support responding through Live Caption using text. Pixel 6 and newer Google handsets also make it possible to type responses during calls.

How to turn Live Caption on or off

Are you ready to start enjoying Live Caption on Google Pixel phones? Here’s how.

Turn on Live Caption using the volume controls:

1. Press either the Volume Up or Volume Down hardware button.
2. Tap on the Live Caption icon below the volume slider. It looks like a text box.

Turn on Live Caption using the Settings app:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Sound & vibration.
3. Select Live Caption.
4. Toggle on Use Live Caption.

How to use Live Caption

You can now play any audio with speech, and your device will show a box with live captions. You can now tap and hold onto the caption box to drag it up and down the screen and place it in your preferred location. Dragging it all the way down will get rid of the box. You can also expand the box by double-tapping on it.

Managing Live Caption settings

There are some attractive Live Caption options you can mess around with to personalize your experience.

Access the Live Caption settings:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Sound & vibration.
3. Tap on Live Caption.

You’ll see a series of options here. You can Hide profanity, Show sound labels, and decide whether you want to see Live Caption in volume control or not. It’s also possible to go into Caption calls to choose when you wish Live Caption to activate during calls.

You can type responses by using Live Caption

Those with Pixel 6 or newer devices have a very neat Live Caption feature. You can actually type responses in during calls. The system will then read out your text responses to the person on the other side of the call. You must first turn on the feature.

Turn on Type responses during calls:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go into Sound & vibration.
3. Tap on Live Caption.
4. Toggle on Type responses during calls.

If this feature is turned on and you’re using Live Caption during a call, you’ll see a keyboard icon. Tap on it and type away. Liva Caption will read out what you typed.

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