Accessibility features worth setting up before a trip
Phones already carry most of what a deaf, hard of hearing, blind or low-vision traveller needs: live captions and transcription, alerts for alarms and for your own name, screen readers and spoken walking directions. The trip-specific part is knowing which ones need internet, downloading the languages that can work offline while you are still on Wi-Fi, and keeping the battery for the features that are always listening.
See the data packsCaptions for the conversation in front of you
On iPhone, Apple's Live Captions turns spoken audio into text in real time, both from apps such as FaceTime and from people talking around you: turn it on in Settings, Accessibility, Live Captions, then choose Microphone to caption an in-person conversation. It needs an iPhone 11 or later, and Apple's availability list includes English, French (France), German, Spanish (Spain, Mexico and the US), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and Cantonese, but not Italian or Portuguese.
On Android, Live Transcribe does the same for conversations, and its Type option lets you answer on screen and show it to the other person. Pixel phones have it in Settings, Accessibility, Live Transcribe; on other phones Google says to search for it in Settings or install it from Google Play. Apple adds a warning worth keeping: caption accuracy varies, and it should not be relied on in high-risk or emergency situations.
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On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
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Download the languages while you still have Wi-Fi
Live Transcribe needs an internet connection unless you are using one of its offline languages, and Google's own help mentions travelling as the reason to download them. On all Pixel phones and some other Android phones with Android 12 or later you can download several languages; on some phones with Android 8 to 11, only English. The option is in Live Transcribe's settings, under the primary and secondary language.
Live Caption, the Android feature that captions media, phone calls and audio messages, works differently: Google says all captions are processed locally and never leave the device, but the first use needs Wi-Fi to download the language pack. Do both at home or at the hotel. For signs and menus in another language, downloading translation languages helps the same way; see how to download offline translations.
Alerts for alarms, doorbells and your name
Android's Sound Notifications listen for sounds you choose, such as a smoke alarm or a doorbell, and alert you on screen. Google says the audio stays on the device. In an unfamiliar hotel room, its advice for best results applies directly: put the phone in the middle of the room, with nothing covering it, and keep loud sounds like the TV down. Because it is always listening, it can use more battery.
iPhone has Sound Recognition for the same purpose and Name Recognition, which alerts you when someone says your name, useful at a hotel reception, a pharmacy counter or a restaurant that calls out names. Apple's availability list for Name Recognition is much longer than for Live Captions, and includes Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Greek and most other European languages.
Screen readers and spoken walking directions
VoiceOver on iPhone and TalkBack on Android read the screen aloud and work with maps like any other app. What changes on a trip is the connection: download the city before you go, so directions do not stop when the signal does. The steps are in using Google Maps offline and using Apple Maps offline.
Google Maps also offers detailed voice guidance for walking, built with people with vision impairments. According to Google, it announces the distance to the next turn and the direction you are walking, warns before large intersections and tells you when you are being rerouted. It was launched in a limited number of languages, so check in Google Maps' navigation settings that it is offered in yours before relying on it in a new city.
Data, battery and the right line
Sorting these features by what they need makes packing easier. Live Caption on Android and Sound Notifications run on the device. Live Transcribe needs data unless the language is downloaded. Video calls with a sign language interpreter or a relay service need a steady connection and a lot of data, as measured in how much data a video call uses.
Features that listen all the time cost battery, and a phone that runs flat takes the captions with it, so carry a power bank. A data eSIM keeps the online features working away from hotel Wi-Fi, while calls and texts keep arriving on your usual number; Snoozim's packs also allow hotspot, so a travel companion can share the connection. If a feature you depend on needs a newer phone, check it before buying anything.
Is iPhone Live Captions available in Spanish?
Yes. Apple's availability list includes Spanish for Spain, Mexico and the United States. It needs an iPhone 11 or later.
Does Live Transcribe work without internet?
Only for languages you have downloaded for offline use. On Pixel phones and some Android 12 or later phones you can download several; on older versions, often only English.
Do Sound Notifications send audio to Google?
No. Google says the audio Sound Notifications hear stays on the device.
Can I rely on live captions in an emergency?
Apple says Live Captions accuracy may vary and should not be relied on in high-risk or emergency situations. Have a written message ready as a backup.
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