How to add captions to a storytime video on iPhone

Why caption storytime videos

In a storytime video the story is everything: a strange day at work, a dating disaster, a travel mishap or a childhood memory told straight to the camera. Most viewers scroll with the sound off, so without captions they see someone talking and miss the twist. Captions keep them reading to the end, and they help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing follow along.

This guide is for sit-down storytimes and long stories told in parts. For stories told while you do your makeup or hair, see the GRWM guide; for everyday updates and opinions, the vlog guide. CaptionAddr burns the captions into the picture, so they show wherever you post.

Caption a storytime video on iPhone

1. Trim the story to length. Cut the clip to the part you want to post in Photos before you start. Free covers videos up to 2 minutes and CaptionAddr Pro up to 30 minutes, so split a long story into parts first.
2. Choose the video. Tap Select Video in CaptionAddr and pick the clip with Apple’s Photos picker. Vertical, square and landscape videos all work, and the video keeps its shape.
3. Let the captions generate. Captions start as soon as the video opens; keep the app open; the English speech is transcribed on your iPhone, not on a server.
4. Fix slang and misheard words. Slang, nicknames, quick asides and words you say while laughing are the most likely to come out wrong. Correct them in Edit Captions. You can edit, delete and reorder words, with undo and redo.
5. Keep your face in view. Choose one of the 20 fonts and a size that reads on a phone, turn on the tinted background over a busy room, and drag the captions below your chin so your reactions stay visible.
6. Export and post. Tap Export Video to save the captioned copy to Photos, then upload it to TikTok, Reels, Shorts or any other app. The watermark is off unless you turn it on.

Tips for storytime captions

• Open with the hook. Start on the most surprising line, so the first captioned words give viewers a reason to stay for the whole story.
• Say the part number. For a story in several videos, say “part two” at the start, because captions come from your speech and the app doesn’t add titles.
• Leave out real names. Use “my coworker” or “my friend” as you tell it. Deleting a name in Edit Captions removes it from the captions only; it still plays in the audio.
• Cut filler words. Delete repeated “like” and “um” in Edit Captions to keep the captions easy to read. The words still play in the audio.
• Keep your original. CaptionAddr exports a new copy and leaves the original clip in your library.

Limits

• Length. Free covers videos up to 2 minutes; CaptionAddr Pro covers up to 30 minutes. CaptionAddr doesn’t trim or split clips, so cut a long story into parts first. The App Store shows the current Pro price in your currency.
• Captions only. The app doesn’t add titles, part numbers, emoji or sound effects, and you can only fix, delete or reorder the transcribed words.
• Every voice is captioned. If someone else speaks in the clip, their words become captions too, with no speaker labels to tell you apart.
• English only. CaptionAddr transcribes English speech and doesn’t translate.
• Single-word captions. Words appear one at a time, timed automatically, always in uppercase; there is no full-sentence layout or manual per-word timing.
• Burned-in captions only. There is no SRT, VTT or text export, and the app doesn’t post to social platforms.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• How to add captions to a get ready with me (GRWM) video on iPhone
• How to add captions to a vlog or talking-head video on iPhone
• How to add captions to TikTok videos

All caption guides →