Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
I strongly want to observe video content material with subtitles, and it seems to be like I’m not alone. A latest YouGov survey discovered that 38% of Individuals want to observe content material with subtitles enabled, with an enormous 63% of adults below 30 watching content material with subtitles enabled.
So I used to be extraordinarily joyful when Google introduced its Stay Caption function again in 2019, initially as a Pixel-exclusive function earlier than touchdown on different high Android telephones. Sadly, because the years have passed by, I’ve realized that I like the thought of the function however don’t truly use it.
Stay Caption was groundbreaking however I finished utilizing it
Merely put, Stay Caption is a system-level captioning system for audio-related content material on Android gadgets. This accessibility function routinely generates subtitles for nearly any sort of content material with audio in it, equivalent to movies, voice notes, podcasts, and social media clips.
Maybe the most effective factor about Stay Caption is that it runs regionally and offline, which implies you don’t want an web connection of any form to make use of it. This additionally has some privateness advantages, as Google isn’t sending your information to servers to get the captions. All of it sounds nice on paper, however apply is one other story.
Stay Caption is a superb accessibility instrument, but it surely’s far too sluggish for my liking.
My concern with Stay Caption boils all the way down to the truth that it’s just too sluggish, paying homage to reside closed captioning (CC) you’d see on US TV channels. I’ve usually discovered that the captions are about two to a few seconds behind the audio when utilizing the instrument for voice notes or video content material. This isn’t the worst delay on this planet and is unquestionably important for accessibility functions, however as somebody with no listening to points, I discover it annoying when watching content material.
It’s additionally value noting that Stay Caption’s accuracy leaves me wanting as effectively. I may overlook a number of the accuracy points if the pace have been there, however alas, right here we’re. There’s an argument to be made that Google needs the function to be extra consistent with conventional closed captioning relatively than a real-time subtitle engine. However then once more, the time period “Stay Caption” has “Stay” in it.
My brief Stay Caption wishlist
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
The best resolution can be for Google to easily pace issues up, but it surely nearly goes with out saying that that is a lot simpler stated than performed. One doable method can be for Google to harness its semi-custom Tensor processors seen in its Pixel line-up to provide Stay Caption a lift.
We’ve seen Google carry offline voice typing to its latest Pixel telephones, claiming that this function was enabled by the TPU silicon in Tensor. So it stands to cause that the corporate may provide an identical pace and accuracy enhance to Stay Caption by benefiting from its {hardware}.
Google may theoretically ship a serious Stay Caption improve by benefiting from Tensor processors.
It’s additionally unclear if Google has truly refined the Stay Caption coaching mannequin in a major manner since its launch 4 years in the past. If not, the corporate may probably carry a serious pace and/or accuracy improve with a more recent mannequin for non-Pixel gadgets.
One other potential workaround for pace can be the power to feed audio and/or video information into Stay Caption. From right here, Stay Caption would generate subtitle information and use this information for subsequent playback of those information. This manner, the corporate would be capable to give the phantasm of real-time subtitling when it’s merely referring to present captioning information and syncing it accurately.
The truth is, I additionally need the choice to feed information into Stay Caption and have it spit out a subtitle file that can be utilized elsewhere. This is able to be nice when you’d wish to play your recorded clips or downloaded movies on a distinct machine.
Are you pleased with Stay Caption in your telephone?
3 votes
It’s clear that Stay Caption is a superb instrument for the hearing-impaired. The truth that Apple and Microsoft have copied this function reveals that Google got here up with a implausible thought.
Nonetheless, it’s more and more evident that, whereas Android 14 brings some much-needed accessibility additions, Stay Caption wants important pace and accuracy enhancements. So we hope Google brings these upgrades to the desk, particularly now {that a} rising variety of individuals are utilizing subtitles.
