How to Use Google Live Transcribe – Everything You Need to Know
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Google Live Transcribe is a free Android app that converts speech and surrounding sounds into text in real time. It was built for accessibility, designed primarily to help people who are deaf or hard of hearing follow conversations. In practice, it is also useful for anyone who needs to capture spoken words as text quickly in meetings, lectures, or noisy environments where following audio is difficult.
The app is free to download and use. A paid upgrade, Live Transcribe+, adds features like extended transcription history and additional customisation options, covered in detail below.
Live Transcribe is Android-only. There is no iOS or iPhone version. If you are looking for real-time transcription on an iPhone, that functionality is not available through this app.
What Is Google Live Transcribe and Sound Notifications?
Live Transcribe launched in February 2019 alongside Sound Amplifier, both released by Google as dedicated accessibility tools. The full app name in the Play Store is Live Transcribe & Sound Notifications, which reflects its two core functions.
Live Transcribe handles speech: it listens through the device microphone and displays words on screen as they are spoken, in large readable text. It supports over 70 languages and can handle two languages simultaneously during bilingual conversations.
Sound Notifications is the second function bundled in the same app. It alerts you to specific sounds in your environment — a doorbell, a fire alarm, a baby crying, a dog barking — using on-screen labels, vibration, or flashes of the screen. This is particularly useful for people who are Deaf and cannot rely on hearing ambient sounds.
The two features are separate. You can use Live Transcribe for real-time conversation transcription without enabling Sound Notifications, and vice versa.
Is Google Live Transcribe Free?
Yes. Live Transcribe is free to download from the Google Play Store and free to use. Google does not charge for the core transcription or sound notification features.
A paid tier called Live Transcribe+ is available as a subscription, adding features on top of the free version. The free version remains fully functional for real-time transcription, offline use, and all core features.
How to download and turn on Live Transcribe on Android
To download and turn on the Google transcribe audio to text on Android phones, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Visit the Google Play Store to download the Live Transcribe & notification application.
Step 2: Ensure you’re connected to the internet.
Step 3: Upon opening the app, give permission to Allow Live Transcribe & sound to record audio.
Step 4: Hold the microphone (usually located in the middle of the screen) close to the source of the audio you wish to transcribe and begin real-time transcription.
Use Notta's AI transcription tool to quickly and easily transcribe audio and videos. We guarantee accuracy and ease of use.
How to download and turn on Live Transcribe on Pixel devices
You need not download the Google transcribe application if you own a Pixel device. It is pre-installed on the phone. However, it does not appear in the app section. Instead, follow the instructions below to turn on and use Google Live Transcribe on pixel devices.
Step 1: Open your device’s Settings application
Step 2: Scroll down and click on Accessibility
Step 3: Locate the Captions section and click on Live Transcribe
Step 4: Select Open Live Transcribe
Step 5: A prompt will appear asking you to permit the application to access the microphone. Click Allow.
Step 6: Choose the Live Transcribe shortcut by clicking the button to the left.
Step 7: To start Live Transcribe, tap on the Live Transcribe shortcut you selected.
Step 8: Ensure you’re connected to the internet. Hold the microphone (usually located at the bottom of the phone) close to the source of the audio you wish to transcribe, and the real-time transcription will begin.
How to use Live Transcribe offline
It is possible to use Live Transcribe without an internet connection. However, you need to have the specific language you want to transcribe to use this feature.
Note that offline features work only on Android devices with at least 6GB RAM and all Pixel devices. Also, not all languages are available for offline use. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to use Google Live Transcribe offline.
Step 1: Go to your App drawer and open the Live Transcribe application.
Step 2: At the bottom left corner of your device, tap the Settings icon.
Then select More Settings.
Step 3: Scroll down and click on the Transcribe offline button.
Step 4: Pick the language you wish to use offline from the Primary language and Secondary language sections. Languages available for offline use will have a download icon beside them. Those unavailable for download will not have this icon.
Note that when Transcribe offline is on, you can use it for the languages you’ve downloaded, even with an internet connection.
More than Live Transcribe — Notta
Notta is an online service that allows its users to automatically convert live audio, audio recordings, online meetings, and many more to editable and searchable text. Unlike Google Live Transcribe, Notta is available for both desktop and mobile, which means you can use it anywhere.
It does not stop at real-time transcription but can be used to record and transcribe online Google meetings, <u>online Zoom meetings</u>, audio/video files, podcasts, etc. With Notta, you can also save data to multiple formats, such as TXT, DOCX, PDF, and SRT, as you like.
How to Change the Language in Live Transcribe
Live Transcribe supports over 70 languages for real-time transcription. You can set a primary language and an optional secondary language for bilingual conversations.
To change your language:
Tap Settings while Live Transcribe is running.
Tap More settings.
Tap Primary language and choose from the list.
Optionally, tap Secondary language to set a second language.
For a faster switch during a live session, tap the current language name displayed at the bottom of the transcription screen. This opens a quick-select list without going into full settings.
How to Manage Transcription History
Live Transcribe stores your transcription sessions locally on your device for up to 72 hours, after which they are automatically deleted. This 72-hour history is available when transcription history is turned on. If it is turned off, transcriptions delete after 24 hours.
To turn transcription history on or off:
Open Live Transcribe and tap Settings.
Toggle Transcription history on or off.
To view a past session, scroll up on the transcription screen. To delete history manually before the automatic window, go to Settings and select Delete transcription history.
All audio and transcription data is encrypted and stored locally in the app. Google does not store or transmit audio for Live Transcribe sessions.
Live Transcribe+ subscribers have extended history retention beyond the 72-hour window of the free plan.
Notta can convert your spoken interviews and conversations into text with 98.86% accuracy in minutes. Focus on conversations, not manual note-taking.
What are the useful tips for using Live Transcribe?
Apart from real-time transcription, Live Transcribe also offers some features that make the application easy to use. Some of them are listed below.
1. Reset the screen
When your screen is filled with transcribed text, you can easily clear the screen for convenience. To do this, just Swipe up on the screen. To bring back the texts, Swipe down.
2. Lookup words in the transcribed text
To search for a word in the transcription, follow these steps. First, on the Live Transcribe app, go to Settings. Then, tap Search transcription and input the desired text. You can also tap to view a search result in context.
3. Input a reply
To type a response, tap the Keyboard icon at the bottom of the application.
4. Copy & paste transcription text
To copy and paste a text from the transcription, tap and hold the text, then select copy.
5. Pause transcription when overwhelmed
To pause transcription for easier reading, go to Settings and tap More settings. Next, tap Advanced, then click the Show hold button. Go back to the Home Screen, then click the Pause button to break or resume transcription.
Google Recorder vs Google Live Transcribe: What Is the Difference?
These are two separate apps that are often confused because they both produce text from speech.
Google Live Transcribe is a real-time accessibility tool. It transcribes speech as it happens, displays it on screen immediately, and does not save a permanent audio recording. It is designed for in-person conversations and live accessibility use. Transcription history is temporary (72 hours maximum on the free plan).
Google Recorder is an audio recording app. It records audio files, stores them permanently, and uses on-device processing to generate a transcript of the recording after or during capture. It is designed for recording meetings, lectures, interviews, and personal notes. Recorder is available on Pixel devices and some other Android phones.
Use Live Transcribe when you need to follow a conversation in real time. Use Google Recorder when you need a saved audio file and a permanent transcript.
FAQs
Can I use Live Transcribe to transcribe meetings or recorded audio?
Live Transcribe transcribes audio picked up by your device microphone in real time. It is not designed for uploading recorded audio files or transcribing online meetings directly. For meeting transcription, Notta supports real-time and recorded audio transcription across Zoom, Google Meet, and other platforms, with saved transcripts in multiple export formats.
How many languages does Live Transcribe support?
Live Transcribe supports over 70 languages for real-time transcription. A subset of these is available for offline download, with the exact list depending on your device's Android version. To see which languages are downloadable, open the language settings in the app and look for the download icon next to each language name.
How can I manage my transcription history in Live Transcribe?
Click on Transcription history on or off in the More Settings section of the Live Transcribe application. It is important to note that when transcription history is off, your transcriptions will be erased after 24 hours.
You can find the transcription history in the application for up to 72 hours when turned on. They are automatically deleted after the 72-hour period. You can also clear your transcription history at any time you choose. To view your transcriptions, scroll up on the transcription screen.
Can I add custom words in Live Transcribe?
Yes, you can. If your conversations include unconventional words, Live Transcribe allows you to add them so they can be transcribed. To do this, follow these steps:
● Step 1: Open the application and tap the Settings icon at the bottom corner
● Step 2: Click More settings
● Step 3: Scroll down, and then tap Custom words
● Step 4: Tap Add word
Can I connect and use an external microphone when using live transcribe?
Yes, you can use an external microphone instead of your device’s microphone. First, connect the external microphone to your device. Then tap Settings > More settings > Microphone, then pick the external microphone from the list that appears.
Is Google Live Transcribe HIPAA compliant?
HIPPA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. It is a United States Act of Congress enacted by the 104th United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 21, 1996. Google makes no representations that Live Transcribe satisfies HIPAA requirements.
How can I change my language on Live Transcribe?
Google Live Transcribe offers transcription for over 70 languages. To change your language, tap Settings > More settings > then select your Primary language from the list. You also have the option of selecting a Secondary language.
Conclusion
Google Live Transcribe is an application that offers real-time audio-to-text services. It makes communication easy, especially in cases where it would have been difficult. However, it does not store transcripts for more than 72 hours.
Notta, on the other hand, is a top speech-to-text service that offers real-time and recorded transcription. With Notta, you save and store your transcription for any length of time and also in different formats. Sign up today.
