# Live Captions Missing on iPhone? Check the Model and Audio Source > Fix missing iPhone Live Captions by checking the model, language, audio source and a hidden window, and know when you need translation instead. - URL: https://freelivecaption.com/en/posts/apple-live-captions-iphone-fix - Published: 2026-10-01 - Updated: 2026-10-01 - Author: Vocena team (https://freelivecaption.com/en/about) - Topic: Hearing access (https://freelivecaption.com/en/topics/accessibility) ## Summary - Live Captions needs iPhone 11 or later, and it's available only in some languages, countries and regions. - If the setting is there but no words appear, check whether you picked Microphone or iPhone Audio. - Then check whether listening is paused or the caption window has hidden itself. --- We make Vocena. The steps below come from Apple's iPhone User Guide and its iOS 27 feature-availability page, read on October 1, 2026. We didn't try them on an iPhone for this article. ## No Live Captions setting at all Open Settings → Accessibility → Live Captions. If the switch isn't there, check whether Apple lists your iPhone model and spoken language as supported. Apple's [Live Captions guide for iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/get-live-captions-of-spoken-audio-iphe0990f7bb/ios) lists iPhone 11 or later, and says the feature isn't available in all languages, countries or regions. On those phones, use the subtitles that come with the video or a transcript the podcast publisher provides. Another caption app has its own device requirements, so read those before you buy. That iPhone 11 requirement is for Live Captions alone. Live Translation and Apple Intelligence have their own requirements, so check the feature you actually want. For languages, check the Accessibility: Live Captions row on Apple's [iOS 27 feature availability page](https://www.apple.com/ios/feature-availability/), not the lists for Siri, Dictation or the Translate app. On October 1, 2026, that row listed: | Language | Listed variants | | --- | --- | | Cantonese | China mainland; Hong Kong | | English | Australia; Canada; India; Singapore; United Kingdom; United States | | French | Canada; France | | German | Germany | | Japanese | Japanese | | Korean | Korean | | Mandarin Chinese | China mainland; Taiwan | | Spanish | Mexico; Spain; United States | The page covers iOS 27. If an older tutorial shows different menus, compare its iOS version with yours. ## The window is on but no words appear Check which source Live Captions is listening to. Apple's [Live Captions guide for iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/get-live-captions-of-spoken-audio-iphe0990f7bb/ios) lists two: Microphone for people talking near the phone, and iPhone Audio for sound playing in apps on the phone. Test nearby speech with Microphone first, then a short recording with iPhone Audio. Start with the microphone: 1. Turn on Live Captions in Settings → Accessibility → Live Captions. 2. Tap Live Captions, then tap Microphone. 3. If listening is paused, turn it back on from the same menu. 4. Say a normal sentence in a listed language, close to the phone, and check whether new text appears. If nothing appears, move somewhere quieter and try again. If there's still no text, note the result and go on to the iPhone Audio test. Then test audio from an app: 1. Play a short recording with clear speech in the app you want to caption. 2. Tap Live Captions, then tap iPhone Audio. 3. Watch for new text while the recording plays. If the microphone works and iPhone Audio doesn't, try the same recording in another app, if you have a copy you're allowed to play. If captions appear in one app but not another, note both app names and keep the recording and audio output the same when you compare again. Captions that appear only because the microphone hears the phone's own speaker don't count as iPhone Audio working. If you switch to headphones, test again, and note it as a separate change. Don't erase your iPhone, reset all settings or change your Apple Account region to try to bring Live Captions back. If these tests don't help, contact Apple Accessibility Support, as described in the last section. ## The window keeps disappearing Apple's [guide to using Live Captions](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/get-live-captions-of-spoken-audio-iphe0990f7bb/ios) says the window hides by itself when no audio is detected. You can also swipe it left or right to hide it, and tap the collapsed Live Captions button to bring it back. Start some speech before you decide the feature has switched itself off. You can drag the window, make it full screen, and change the text size and color under Appearance in the Live Captions settings. If the words are too small or low-contrast to read, fix that there. ## The words are wrong Once text appears, check the spoken language against Apple's list, and try a clear recording with one person speaking. For a recording in two languages, test a passage in one listed language first, then the mixed part on its own. Apple's [Live Captions guide for iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/get-live-captions-of-spoken-audio-iphe0990f7bb/ios) says their accuracy may vary and that they shouldn't be relied on in high-risk or emergency situations. For anything important, ask the speaker to confirm it. ## Subtitles in the video player In supported apps, the Subtitles menu in a video player lists the subtitles and captions available for that video. You turn them on in the player and style them under Settings → Accessibility → Subtitles & Captioning. Apple's page on [subtitles and captions on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/display-subtitles-and-captions-iph3e2e23d1/ios) also describes generated subtitles on iOS 27, which need an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or an iPhone 16 model or later, and work in English (U.S. and Canada) in supported apps. ## Copying and keeping captions To copy what Live Captions wrote, Apple's [Live Captions guide](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/get-live-captions-of-spoken-audio-iphe0990f7bb/ios) says to tap the More Options button in the window, then Copy Captions, and paste it into another app such as Notes or Messages. Phone calls have their own setting, Keep Call Captions: - 1 Minute keeps captions for up to one minute during the call and clears them when it ends. You can't copy, screenshot or screen-record the call transcription. - 1 Hour keeps captions for up to one hour after the call ends and lets you copy, screenshot and screen-record them. Everyone on the call hears an announcement at the start that the call is being transcribed. If you pause Live Captions or switch to 1 Minute during the call, they hear that it's no longer being transcribed. Tell the other people on the call what you plan to keep before you save their words. Check a quote against the recording if you have one. ## If you need translation Live Captions writes down speech in the language it's spoken in. For translated Apple conversations, [Apple's iOS 27 feature availability page](https://www.apple.com/ios/feature-availability/) gives different language lists for Messages, Phone and FaceTime, and AirPods. Our guide to [iPhone Live Translation languages](/en/posts/iphone-live-translation-languages) goes through each one. ## Vocena Vocena runs on iPhone and iPad (iOS or iPadOS 26 or later) and Mac (macOS 15.5 or later). It shows continuous captions, can put a translation under each line, and saves each session so you can read it again. Live captions are free, with no time limit and no sign-in. Translation is paid. To caption audio from other apps on an iPhone, you need a physical iPhone running iOS 27. A microphone session working doesn't prove that capture works on your phone, so try a short clip you're allowed to use first. ![Vocena iPhone conversation illustration with microphone labels, Japanese lines, English translations, and a suggested-reply card]() Interface preview (demo data) The picture uses demo data and shows the microphone source. Live captions mark each line as microphone or system audio; they don't name individual speakers. The suggested reply comes from an AI button that runs only when you press it. With the one-time purchase, AI uses Apple Intelligence on the device, so the device has to support it; cloud AI comes with the subscription. ## When nothing works Write down the iPhone model, iOS version, the spoken language, the app, the source you picked, and whether the window was missing, empty or showing wrong words. Keep the microphone result and the iPhone Audio result separate. Apple's [Accessibility Support page](https://support.apple.com/accessibility) lists ways to contact Apple about accessibility features by phone, chat, in person or online, including SignTime, which connects you to a sign language interpreter. ## Sources and checks - [Get live captions of spoken audio on iPhone]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Apple iOS 27 feature availability: captions and translation]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Display subtitles and captions on iPhone]() — Checked 2026-10-01 - [Apple Accessibility Support]() — Checked 2026-10-01 ### Device testing We have not tested these steps on a device. This guide is based on official documentation and Vocena's product information.