Live captions for any app on your iPhone. Watch videos, join calls, or browse social media - CaptionNow floats real-time captions over everything you do.
A real-time speech-to-text tool built around two things: accuracy and low latency.
The developer is hard of hearing, and couldn't find a single app that handled Hong Kong Cantonese properly — the code-switching between Chinese and English, the technical terminology — while staying accurate and returning results instantly. So this one got built. Every decision in it comes from what actually holds up in daily use, not from a feature checklist.
Features
Live transcript — Text appears as you speak. No waiting for the sentence to finish.
Captions for audio playing on your phone — Not just the microphone. Video calls, videos, and podcasts get transcribed too, which most comparable tools can't do.
Floating captions — Picture-in-Picture keeps captions on screen while you use other apps.
You pick the language; it doesn't guess — Mandarin (Taiwan / Mainland), Hong Kong Cantonese including Chinese-English code-switching, and English (US / UK / India / Hong Kong). Once you choose, it stays there — no drifting between languages mid-sentence.
Offline recognition — Download a language pack on iOS 26 or later and it works without a network connection.
Built for long reading sessions — No decorative clutter. Comfortable to watch through an entire lecture.
Who it's for
Deaf and hard-of-hearing users — Everyday communication support. See what's being said.
Students — Live lecture notes, without losing the thread while you try to keep up.
Professionals — Meeting minutes and interview transcripts, handled as they happen.
Specifications
This is transcription, not translation. What goes in is what comes out — with one exception: spoken Cantonese is transcribed into standard written Chinese, with English terms kept inline as spoken.
Online mode uses a cloud recognition engine. Offline mode requires iOS 26 or later.
Real examples of recognition errors are welcome — they're the most effective way to improve accuracy right now.
Terms of Use (EULA): https://garnet-marimba-2dd.notion.site/Terms-of-Service-2d2f598ba98e80e5b065d198d8acf404?source=copy_link
Privacy Policy: https://garnet-marimba-2dd.notion.site/Privacy-Policy-2d2f598ba98e80af99bae73136d3a3b9?source=copy_link
Ratings & Reviews
This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
Fixed:
a downloaded Cantonese model could disappear from the language list after you left and reopened the app.
content updated:
The Apple model now recommends iPhone 15 Pro or newer.
Clearer credit rules: Plus credits (180 a month) do not roll over, top-up credits do not expire, and recording uses Plus credits first.
Version 1.8.2
The developer, Junyi HE, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Contact Info
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Purchases
Identifiers
Usage Data
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
The developer indicated that this app supports the following accessibility features. Learn More
Supported Features
Larger Text
Captions
Audio Descriptions
Information
Seller
Junyi HE
Size
20.4 MB
Category
Productivity
Compatibility
Requires iOS 18.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 18.0 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 15.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.