How to add subtitles to a video on iPhone

The iPhone can show captions while you watch, but none of Apple’s iPhone apps will write automatic subtitles into a video file. Here’s exactly what Photos, iMovie, Clips and Live Captions do, and how to add subtitles to a video that’s already in your camera roll.

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Before and after

A frame from a vertical video of a woman in pink sunglasses at a desk, no text on it
Before
The same frame with a two-line subtitle in the Highlight style, the word “show” on a purple pill
After

Both frames come from the same clip. The right one is the exported file, rendered by the app — not a mock-up.

Can the iPhone add subtitles by itself?

Photos: no. Its video editor trims, rotates, adds filters and changes speed — there’s no text or captions option.

iMovie: only by hand. You can add animated titles and type the text yourself, but iMovie on iPhone doesn’t transcribe speech.

Clips: Apple’s Clips app could turn speech into on-screen text (Live Titles), but Apple stopped updating it and it hasn’t been available to new users since October 10, 2025.

Live Captions: it transcribes any audio on the phone in real time, in a floating window — but only on screen. Nothing is saved into the video. In iOS 27, Photos and Messages can also show generated subtitles while a video plays (English, iPhone 15 Pro or later); Apple doesn’t say they can be saved into the file.

Automatic captions that end up in the video exist in Apple’s Final Cut Pro — on iPad and Mac, in U.S. English only.

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How do I add subtitles to an existing video?

  1. Pick the video

    Open Subtitled and choose the clip from your camera roll — any video you’ve already filmed or saved.

  2. Generate the subtitles

    The app transcribes the speech and times every word. Edit any line if a word came out wrong.

    Subtitled main screen with the generated subtitle over the video and the trim timeline below

  3. Choose a style

    Pick one of seven styles, then a font and a colour in the Text tab.

    Subtitled Styles sheet with the caption styles

  4. Place the text and save

    Drag the subtitle where it reads best, then save the video to Photos. The subtitles are part of the picture, so they play in any app you share it to.

    Subtitled app with the subtitle being dragged into place

How do I add text onto a video on my iPhone?

For a few words you type yourself — a title or a call to action — iMovie’s titles work. In Subtitled, the editor’s Add text button adds your own line on top of the generated subtitles, styled the same way.

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How do I get subtitles on my iPhone when I watch?

Turn on Live Captions in Settings → Accessibility → Live Captions (iPhone 11 or later) to see any audio transcribed in real time. It works in a set of languages Apple lists on its feature-availability page, and Apple warns accuracy may vary.

To change how subtitles look in apps that support them, go to Settings → Accessibility → Subtitles & Captioning. That only changes existing subtitle tracks — it doesn’t add captions to a video.

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