Guide
How to add captions to a street interview on iPhone
Updated
To add captions to a street interview or on-location Q&A on iPhone, film with a microphone close to whoever is speaking, open the clip in CaptionAddr, let it transcribe both the questions and the answers in English on your iPhone, fix misheard words in Edit Captions, then export a captioned copy to Photos and post it. Videos up to 2 minutes are free; CaptionAddr Pro covers up to 30 minutes.
Why caption interviews filmed on location
Quick question-and-answer videos filmed on the street, at events or on campus depend on hearing every reply, but they are recorded with wind, traffic and crowds in the background and are usually watched with the sound off. Captions keep both the question and the answer readable, and they help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Unlike a studio podcast clip, location audio is rarely clean, so this guide focuses on recording and checking. CaptionAddr burns the captions into the picture, so they show on every platform.
Caption a street interview on iPhone
- Get the mic close. Hold a microphone near whoever is speaking and point it at the person answering, or film close up. Wind and traffic are the biggest threats to accurate captions.
- Choose the video. Tap Select Video in CaptionAddr and pick the clip with Apple’s Photos picker. Vertical and landscape clips both work, and the video keeps its shape.
- 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.
- Check every answer. In Edit Captions, play back quiet or noisy replies and fix misheard words, slang and place names. You can edit, delete and reorder words, with undo and redo.
- Style and place the captions. Choose one of the 20 fonts and a size that reads on a phone, turn on the tinted background over a busy street, and drag the captions clear of faces and the microphone.
- Export and post. Tap Export Video to save the captioned copy to Photos, then post it to TikTok, Reels, Shorts or anywhere else.
Tips for location interviews
- Use a windscreen. A foam or furry cover on the microphone cuts wind noise, which otherwise turns words into rumble.
- Ask one question at a time. When the interviewer and the guest talk over each other, words can be missed or merged.
- Repeat a quiet question. If the question was hard to hear, re-record it close to the mic so viewers know what is being answered.
- Ask before you post. Check that the people you filmed are happy to appear in the video.
Limits
- English only. CaptionAddr transcribes English speech and doesn’t translate, so answers in another language won’t be captioned.
- No speaker labels. Captions show the words spoken, not whether the interviewer or the guest said them.
- No noise removal. The app doesn’t clean up wind or background noise or change the audio, so noisy replies may need corrections.
- Single-word captions. Words appear one at a time, timed automatically; full-sentence layouts and manual per-word timing aren’t available.
- Length. Free covers videos up to 2 minutes; CaptionAddr Pro covers up to 30 minutes. The App Store shows the current Pro price in your currency.
- Burned-in captions only. There is no SRT, VTT or text export, and the app doesn’t post to social platforms.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add captions to a street interview on iPhone?
Open the clip in CaptionAddr, generate captions on your iPhone, check the answers in Edit Captions, choose a font and size, drag the captions into place and export a captioned copy to Photos.
Does it caption both the interviewer and the guest?
Yes, it captions all the English speech it can hear. It doesn’t say who is speaking, and a quiet or distant voice is more likely to be missed.
Can it handle wind and traffic noise?
Light background noise is usually fine, but strong wind or traffic can cause missed or wrong words. CaptionAddr doesn’t remove noise, so a close microphone with a windscreen makes the biggest difference.
How is this different from captioning a podcast clip?
The steps in the app are the same. Location interviews usually have noisier audio and shorter, unscripted answers, so recording close to the speaker and checking each answer matters more.
Is there a watermark on the captioned video?
No watermark is required. A small CaptionAddr watermark is optional and off unless you turn it on.