How to add subtitles to a video on iPhone

Start with a video that contains clear speech. Generate the text, correct it while listening to the audio, then save a copy with the words visible in the picture.

1. Get the original onto your phone

Find the clip in Photos or Files and play it all the way through. If it is stored in iCloud, download the original while connected. A thumbnail in your library does not prove that the whole file is available offline.

Check device storage before editing a large clip. Keep the original and leave room for working files and a finished copy. The import guide covers this preparation in detail.

2. Generate captions from the speech

Open the video in Tap Captions and use its automatic caption workflow. The app processes the video on your iPhone. Speech recognition produces a draft of the spoken words for you to review.

If the clip is silent, it has no spoken words to transcribe. Write a script and add a voiceover, or choose wording that explains what the viewer is seeing.

3. Correct the words and timing

Listen as you read. Give names, numbers, acronyms and specialist vocabulary extra attention. Correct a plausible-looking word when it is not what the speaker said. Check that each phrase appears when it is spoken and stays long enough to read.

Include meaningful sounds and speaker identification when the audience needs them. A transcript of dialogue alone may omit information required for a complete captioned experience.

4. Check the style against the footage

Choose clear type and enough contrast. Use short phrases instead of filling the frame with text. Keep captions away from faces, demonstrations and the controls the destination app places over your video.

Review the busiest and brightest parts of the clip, not just its opening frame. The readability guide has a repeatable final check.

5. Save and watch the result

Export a new video and play that saved file. Watch once with sound and once without it. Check the first and last lines, audio level and framing. If you publish to a social platform, check its draft preview as well.

Captions embedded in the picture are always visible. They are not a separate subtitle file. Read captions and subtitles explained if you need a track viewers can switch off.

Try the workflow

Tap Captions is available for testing through TestFlight on iPhone with iOS 27. Request beta access.