Eyes Are Ears

Private live captions with speaker names, processed entirely on your iPhone or iPad.

Need help? Email strokes-jetway5@icloud.com. Please include your device model, iOS version, and what you were doing when the problem happened.

Getting started

  1. Open the app once while connected to Wi-Fi. The speech and speaker-detection models download the first time you tap Start.
  2. Allow microphone and speech recognition access when asked.
  3. Place your iPhone or iPad where it can hear everyone, then tap Start.
  4. Tap End when you're done. The conversation is saved to History and the screen clears for the next one.

Common questions

Does the app record audio?

No. Audio is turned into text on your device as it's heard and is never saved. Only the text transcript is kept, on your device.

How do I name speakers?

Tap a speaker in the bar at the top of the screen, or tap the name above any line, then choose Rename. If one person was labeled as two speakers, long-press a speaker and choose Merge Into. To fix a single line, tap its speaker name and choose This Line Is.

How many speakers can it tell apart?

Up to four people at a time. With more people, some voices may share a label. You can correct any line by tapping its speaker name.

Why are speaker labels sometimes corrected a moment later?

Names appear quickly using an early guess, then are confirmed a few seconds later as more of the voice is heard.

How do I make the captions bigger?

Pinch the transcript, or go to Settings > Caption Size. Captions also follow your device's text size setting.

The transcript keeps jumping to the bottom while I'm reading.

Scrolling up stops it from following new captions; tap Jump to Live to return. To turn following off entirely, go to Settings > Follow Live Captions.

Why isn't a summary available?

Summaries are created on your device with Apple Intelligence. They require an iPhone or iPad that supports Apple Intelligence with it turned on in Settings. Summaries can miss or misstate details, so check anything important against the transcript.

What happens during a phone call?

iOS pauses the microphone during calls. The app shows "Microphone interrupted" and resumes captioning when the call ends.

Can I use AirPods or hearing aids?

Yes. The app always listens through the device's built-in microphone so it hears the people around you, even when headphones or hearing aids are connected.

How do I delete a conversation?

In History, swipe left on a conversation and tap Delete, or open it and choose Delete from the menu. Deleting the app removes everything it stored.

Important: Captions are generated automatically and can contain errors, including wrong words or speaker labels. Eyes Are Ears is not a medical device and is not a substitute for a professional interpreter or captioner, especially for medical, legal, or safety-critical conversations.