It’s not real-time transcription, but it could still prove useful
Google is now rolling a captions for audio and video messages on Duo.
In a noisy place? No problem. Captions are now available on Google Duo, so you won’t miss a word of your video and voice messages. https://t.co/jqEvy9Vyn7 pic.twitter.com/gq5Z2ntn5P
— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) August 19, 2020
This feature was first discovered in February by app researcher Jane Manchun Wong, although this marks its first official rollout.
It’s important to note that this isn’t the same technology as Live Captions, which Google offers on select Pixel phones. That feature is capable of real-time transcription, while Duo’s new captioning option is not.
Still, Google says the Duo feature will help you check video and voice messages even when in a noisy place. In theory, this could be an especially beneficial accessibility option to those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
Further, the Duo captioning tool is also available on non-Pixel devices across both Android and iOS.