Guide
How to add captions to lecture and sermon videos on iPhone
Updated
To add captions to a lecture, class or sermon recording on iPhone, open the video in CaptionAddr, let it transcribe the English speech on your iPhone, correct names and terms in Edit Captions, then export a captioned copy to Photos. Recordings up to 2 minutes are free; CaptionAddr Pro covers up to 30 minutes, so cut longer recordings into parts or highlight clips.
Why caption talks and lessons
Captions help students, members and viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, people watching in a quiet place, and anyone following a speaker with an unfamiliar accent or a lot of new vocabulary. They also make a short highlight from a talk work on social feeds, where video often plays with the sound off.
CaptionAddr burns the captions into the picture, so they show wherever you share the video: a class page, a group chat, a website or a social post.
Caption a lecture or sermon on iPhone
- Prepare the recording. If the recording runs past your plan’s length, trim it in Photos into parts or a highlight clip first.
- Choose the video. Tap Select Video in CaptionAddr and pick the recording with Apple’s Photos picker. Landscape recordings from a tripod work as well as vertical clips.
- Let the captions generate. Captions start as soon as the video opens; keep the app open until they’re ready; the English speech is transcribed on your iPhone, not on a server. Longer recordings take longer.
- Correct names and terms. In Edit Captions, fix names, places, course or technical terms, quotations and references. These are the words a speech model is most likely to miss.
- Make them readable. Choose a plain font and a large size, turn on the tinted background over a busy stage or slides, and drag the captions where they don’t cover the speaker or the board.
- Export and share. Tap Export Video to save the captioned copy to Photos and keep CaptionAddr open for the fastest export, then share the captioned copy wherever your audience watches.
Tips for clear captions of a talk
- Record close to the speaker. A phone near the lectern, or audio from the sound system, gives more accurate captions than a phone at the back of a large, echoing room.
- Review questions from the audience. Voices far from the microphone are often quiet or missed, so check those parts in Edit Captions.
- Share a highlight. A strong two-minute excerpt fits the free plan and works well on social feeds; link to the full recording from your post.
- Keep your original. CaptionAddr exports a new copy and leaves the original recording in your library.
Limits
- English only. CaptionAddr transcribes English speech and doesn’t translate, so it can’t caption a talk in another language.
- Length. Free covers videos up to 2 minutes; CaptionAddr Pro covers up to 30 minutes. Recordings longer than that need to be split. The App Store shows the current Pro price in your currency.
- Burned-in captions only. There is no SRT, VTT or transcript export, so it doesn’t produce lecture notes or a caption file for a video platform.
- Speech only. Captions show spoken words, not music, sound descriptions or speaker names.
- Not a compliance guarantee. Review captions for accuracy; CaptionAddr doesn’t certify that a video meets an accessibility requirement.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add captions to a lecture recording on iPhone?
Open the recording in CaptionAddr, generate captions on your iPhone, correct names and terms in Edit Captions, choose a readable style and export a captioned copy to Photos.
Can I caption a full sermon or class?
Yes, if it runs up to 30 minutes with CaptionAddr Pro, an optional monthly or annual subscription through Apple. Free covers videos up to 2 minutes. Longer recordings need to be trimmed into parts first.
Can I get a transcript or caption file of the lecture?
No. CaptionAddr burns captions into the video and doesn’t export SRT, VTT or text transcripts.
Will it caption a speaker with an accent?
It transcribes English speech, including many accents, but strong accents, echo and background noise can cause mistakes. Review the captions in Edit Captions before sharing.
Is the recording uploaded for transcription?
No. Transcription runs on the device, and CaptionAddr doesn’t send your video, audio or captions to its servers for transcription.