How to Enable Auto-Generated Captions on Instagram Videos and Why It Matters
Instagram has introduced a much-awaited auto-generated captions feature for videos, making the platform more inclusive and user-friendly. The announcement was made by Instagram Head Adam Mosseri, who highlighted that the feature is designed to empower users from the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. With this update, Instagram videos can now automatically display captions, which users can choose to turn on or off.
Captions have become an essential part of video content consumption, especially as many users watch videos without sound. Whether you are scrolling through your feed in public or prefer silent viewing, captions help you understand the content clearly. This new accessibility-focused feature enhances user experience while also helping creators reach a wider audience.
What Are Auto-Generated Captions on Instagram?
Auto-generated captions are subtitles that Instagram creates automatically by detecting the audio in your video. Once enabled, Instagram converts spoken words into on-screen text, allowing viewers to read what is being said in the video.
It is important to note that:
- Captions are only generated for new videos.
- Old videos will not show captions retroactively.
- The option must be enabled before uploading the video.
Why Auto-Generated Captions Are Important
Auto captions offer multiple benefits for both viewers and creators:
- Accessibility: Helps deaf and hard-of-hearing users understand video content.
- Silent viewing: Useful when watching videos without sound.
- Better engagement: Videos with captions often retain viewers longer.
- Wider reach: Improves content comprehension across languages and regions.
How to Add Auto-Generated Captions to Instagram Videos
If you want to enable auto-generated captions on your Instagram video, follow these simple steps:
- Open the Instagram app on your smartphone.
- Tap the ‘+’ icon at the top-right corner of the screen.
- From the menu, select Post.
- Choose the video you want to upload.
- Tap Next.
- Select Advanced Settings.
- Under the Accessibility section, turn on the toggle next to Show captions.
- Go back to the upload screen and tap Share.
Once uploaded, Instagram will automatically generate captions for your video.
Supported Languages for Auto Captions
According to reports, Instagram’s auto-caption feature currently supports 17 languages, including:
English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Vietnamese, Italian, German, Turkish, Russian, Thai, Tagalog, Urdu, Malay, Hindi, Indonesian, and Japanese.
Instagram has also confirmed that support for more languages will be added in the future.
How This Feature Compares to Other Platforms
Instagram’s rival TikTok rolled out a similar auto-caption feature back in April 2021. With this update, Instagram is catching up in terms of accessibility and creator-friendly tools, making video content more inclusive across its platform.
Final Thoughts
The auto-generated captions feature is a major step forward for Instagram. It not only improves accessibility but also enhances overall video engagement. If you are a content creator, enabling captions can help your videos reach more viewers and improve watch time. For regular users, captions make video consumption easier and more convenient.
If you upload videos frequently, make sure to turn on captions every time to get the most out of this feature.
