How to turn on Live Captions on an iPhone

In short

Open Settings, tap Accessibility, then Live Captions under Hearing, and switch on Live Captions. After that, the iPhone turns spoken audio into text in any app, for example FaceTime or Podcasts, and for conversations going on around you.

5 of 5 steps show a real screenshot from our iPhone 17e.

Steps

1. 1

   Open Accessibility

   Open Settings and tap Accessibility. On our iPhone 17e with iOS 27, it is right below General.

   Done
   
2. 2

   Tap Live Captions

   Scroll down to the Hearing group. On our iPhone 17e with iOS 27, Live Captions is the second-last row of Hearing, below Subtitles & Captioning and above Music Haptics.

   Done
   
3. 3

   Switch on Live Captions

   Tap the switch at the top. On our iPhone 17e with iOS 27 it was off in our picture, with Appearance below it. Apple says the iPhone then writes out spoken audio from apps, or from people talking near you, in a Live Captions window.

   Done
   
4. 4

   Learn the gestures

   The note on the page explains them: swipe the panel left or right to hide it, double-tap it to switch between full screen and the small panel. Apple warns that the accuracy can vary. Apple adds that you can drag the window to move it, and tap Live Captions to choose Microphone for a conversation in the room or iPhone Audio for sound from the phone.

   Done
   
5. 5

   Check the language

   Current Language shows what it listens for: English (United Kingdom) on our phone. Keep Call Captions sets how long call captions are kept. Apple says 1 Hour lets you copy or screenshot call captions and plays a short announcement to everyone on the call, while 1 Minute clears them when the call ends. On our iPhone 17e with iOS 27, it was set to 1 Minute.

   Done
   

If you do not see this option

• No Live Captions row Apple says Live Captions needs an iPhone 11 or newer and isn't offered in every language, country or region. On our iPhone 17e with iOS 27 it is under Accessibility, Hearing. Source: Get live captions of spoken audio on iPhone
• Your language is not offered Current Language shows the language it listens for. On our iPhone 17e with iOS 27 it read English (United Kingdom), under Supported Languages. Apple says Live Captions is not available in all languages. Source: Get live captions of spoken audio on iPhone

If this does not work

• The captions are wrong Apple says Live Captions won't always be accurate, so don't depend on it when the stakes are high or in an emergency.
• You cannot copy or screenshot call captions Apple says this works only with Keep Call Captions set to 1 Hour. On our iPhone 17e with iOS 27 it was set to 1 Minute.
• The caption window has gone Apple says the window hides by itself when no audio is detected, and a swipe left or right on it hides it too. Apple says you tap a button to restore it.

Good to know

Do not rely on Live Captions in emergencies or high-risk situations, as the page itself says.

Watch these steps

Watch on YouTubeThe same steps, recorded on our iPhone 17e · opens YouTube

About this guide

Device

iPhone

Shown on

iOS 27.0.1 (iPhone 17e)

App

Settings

Path

Settings › Accessibility › Live Captions

Real screenshots

5 of 5 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

1 official, linked below

What changed: the screenshots are now our own iPhone 17e on iOS 27.0.1, dark mode, and the wording is checked against those screens and Apple's iOS 27 guide.

Sources

• Apple Support: Get live captions of spoken audio on iPhone

Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.

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