Skip to main content
1

Open Readout and sign in

Go to readout.tv in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Sign in with the email and password you joined with. The first time, you’ll set up your account from the invite link you were sent.
2

Start captions

Press the microphone button, Start captions. The browser asks whether Readout may use the microphone: allow it.
3

Put the device near the people talking

What they say shows as it’s said, in large text, with a label for each speaker. Words still being heard show lighter, and settle once the speaker finishes the thought.
The closer the microphone is to whoever is talking, the better the captions. For a group, or someone across the room, add a phone near them as a microphone.

​
Name the speakers

Tap a speaker’s label, such as Speaker 1, and type their name. From then on their words show with it, on the TV too. If one person got two labels (after a long pause, say), tap the newer one and choose Same person as…, then the earlier speaker. When captions start again later, a voice heard earlier in the same conversation is recognized and shown with its name. You can turn that off in Menu → Speech.

​
Reply

Type in the box at the bottom and press send. Your reply shows in the conversation, and on the TV. Tap a reply to show it full screen, for someone to read across the table. Quick replies are one-tap phrases, such as “Please say that again.” Choose your own, your name, and whether replies are read aloud, in Menu → Replies.

​
Get someone’s attention

The bell at the top of the app makes the TV showing the captions flash and chime, with a banner saying who wants the attention of whoever is watching. It shows once a TV is showing captions.

​
Pause

The same button pauses captions (its label says Pause captions while it’s listening), and starts them again. Captions aren’t saved unless you turn that on: see Keeping what was said.

​
Next

Show captions on a TV

Languages and translation