Written by: Kriti Anand
Google introduced Live Transcribe app in February this year. The app processes speech into text in real time, an accessibility service aimed for those hard of hearing. The features of this app include:
- Supports transcription in over 70 languages and dialects
- Bilingual support with quick switch between two languages
- The transcript is as good as the audio received from the microphone. That’s why Live Transcribe supports external microphones found in wired headsets, Bluetooth headsets and USB mics.
- Loudness and noise indicator shows the volume level of the speaker’s voice relative to the noise of the environment
- Reply without speaking by typing your responses within the app
- Optional haptic feedback signals you when somebody starts or resumes speaking
- Available on Android 5.0 (Lollipop) and later
- Private – Conversation transcripts stay secure on your device
Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, announced through Twitter on occasion of Global Accessibility Awareness Day that the Live Transcribe app will be getting new updates later this month. It will be able to differentiate between human speech and ambient sounds after the update. For greater convenience of its hearing-impaired users, the app will now recognize different sounds such as laughter, barking of dogs, knock on the door, applause, music, whistling and even passing cars. The audio visualisation indicator on the top right corner of the screen indicating background noise will be bigger in size in the updated version of the app. The user will also be able to save the transcribed text for up to three days after update. This would be an enabling feature not just for deaf or near deaf users, but will also be helpful for other users of the app like students recording lectures, journalists conducting interviews, and so on. Another feature in the update is the ability to copy and paste transcripts to another app.
Live Transcribe app also supports 70 languages and dialects, allows switching between two languages, and also allows typing responses.
