Google’s Live Caption feature is now available on desktops for the first time through the Chrome browser.
This update was first discovered by XDA Developers.
In the past, this automatic transcribing feature could only be found on the Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones. It was being tested on 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 going into 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’ll create 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 an extremely 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