AiThaoTurning them on
Subtitles are off unless you ask for them. Tap Subtitles on the call screen, or turn on the Subtitles switch in Settings before you call. It is one setting seen from two places: whatever you choose during a call is what your next call starts with.
Reading the screen
- The other person’s latest line is the larger one, with their picture beside it.
- Your own line is smaller, underneath: it shows how your words came out in their language.
- A line that is still being translated looks paler and settles when the sentence is finished.
- On a video call the subtitles stay at the bottom, above the buttons, so they never cover a face.
Languages that are subtitles only
Calls understand speech in 60 languages. In 29 of them the translation is spoken; in the other 31 it can only be shown as text. When you choose your language for calls, these are marked Subtitles only. If you or the other person uses one of them, turn subtitles on: that is where the translation appears.
Using your own line to check yourself
Your own subtitle is the quickest way to see whether you were heard correctly. If it shows something you did not say, the problem is recognition, not the other person: repeat the sentence more slowly, closer to the phone, or send it as a message.
Questions
Do subtitles change what is translated?
No. They show as text the same translation the call already produces.
Can I have subtitles without spoken translation?
Subtitles belong to a translated call. If you share a language, turn translation off instead; the call then stays end-to-end encrypted between phones that support it.