Chrome browser adds Live Caption feature for transcribing audio and video

Google’s Live Caption feature is now available on desktops for the first time through its Chrome browser, according to XDA Developers.

In the past, the automatic transcribing feature was only available with Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy smartphones. It was tested in Chrome last month as well. The feature was hidden behind a Chome flag until it was ready to be officially released.

Now, users can enable Live Captions by navigating to Chrome’s settings, then, under the ‘Advanced’ section, selecting ‘Accessibility.’ From there, you can turn on Live Captions, and Chrome will download a few speech files automatically to get ready for audio and video transcription.

Once the feature is enabled, it creates a grey caption box on-screen whenever audio or video is playing. This works for audio-only podcasts, YouTube videos, Twitch streams, and more.

The caption box can be moved around and placed wherever you’d like, so it shouldn’t get in the way of anything going on elsewhere on the screen. It’s a useful accessibility tool for the hearing impaired and most users in general.

However, it should be noted that the transcription only appears to be available for English-language audio at this point.

Source: XDA Developers