News

How To Use TikTok Auto Captions To Make Your Videos More Accessible

At the moment, the auto captions feature is available only in American English and Japanese, but support for additional languages is planned for the near future.

Published

5 years ago

May 9, 2021

Joanna Melki

how to use tiktok auto captions to make your videos more accessible

Over the years, TikTok has launched a number of accessibility features to make its video-sharing social networking service more accessible, including options to skip photosensitive content and convert text to voice. Now, TikTok is launching one of its most-requested features: TikTok auto captions. Aimed primarily at deaf or hard of hearing users, the automatic captions feature can automatically generate subtitles for videos with a simple tap on the corresponding option in the editing page.

In addition to people with a hearing disability, automatic captions can also help users who don’t suffer from any hearing impairment enjoy TikTok content better in situations when turning up the volume isn’t an option.

“Inclusivity is important because when people feel included, they’re more comfortable expressing themselves and engaging with their community,” states Stephanie Hind, the Creator Management and Operations of Top Creators and Public Figures at TikTok. “We’re committed to fostering an inclusive app environment, and that means building products and tools that support our diverse community.”

Turning On TikTok Auto Captions As A Viewer

To turn on TikTok auto captions as a viewer, all you need to do is:

Click the share icon and look for a captions option on the bottom row.
Next, click the captions option to activate autogenerated captions or switch between available languages.

At the moment, the feature is available only in American English and Japanese, but support for additional languages is planned for the near future.

TikTok

TikTok auto captions can be enabled only on videos whose creators have manually activated the feature. Here’s how that works from the creator’s point of view:

The creator records a video and moves to the editing page.
There, the creator taps the captions button on the right side and turns on automatic captions, allowing viewers to enable them when watching the video.

Also Read: Netflix Introduces “Play Something” Shuffle Feature

TikTok isn’t the only video-sharing social networking service with support for automatic transcriptions of speech to text. Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook also have similar features. Prior to the most recent update, TikTokers relied on manually added text overlays and the “Siri” text to speech feature as workarounds.

News

Syria Just Got Its First Super App Featuring Built-In Digital Payments

Built by UAE-based Syrian founders with the Ministry of Tourism’s backing, My Syria lands as visitor numbers more than double.

Published

5 days ago

August 1, 2026

Nour Nasir

syria just got its first super app featuring built-in digital payments

For most of the past decade, paying for anything in Syria with an international card was effectively impossible. Sanctions, a collapsed banking sector, and years of isolation left the country running on cash. That is what makes the launch of My Syria — the country’s first super app — more than a routine product announcement.

Developed by 121 Living, a company founded by four UAE-based Syrian entrepreneurs — Rami Kaiem, Feras Kaiem, Waseem Qudmani, and Kinan Madi — the app launched in Damascus on July 30 under the patronage of Minister of Tourism Mazen Al-Salhani. It bundles hotels, restaurants, transport, attractions, food delivery, and other lifestyle services into a single platform, currently offering eight services with plans to expand to more than 40 verified tourism and hospitality providers across the country.

Although the app already sounds enticing, the headline feature is its built-in payments. My Syria is the first platform in Syria to support cross-border digital payments through Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express — familiar tools for international visitors, and a route into the digital economy for local businesses that have long operated outside it.

my syria super app launch event

The launch rides on a sharp rebound for the troubled country. Syria’s tourism sector recorded 3.52 million visitor arrivals in the first half of 2026, a 111 percent increase over the 1.67 million during the same period in 2025 — a mix of returning expatriates, regional visitors, and international tourists.

Also Read: This UAE Platform Wants To Replace Fashion Photo Shoots With AI

The Ministry of Tourism, which supported and supervised the app’s development, frames the launch as proof of concept for a wider strategy. “Digital transformation is one of the Ministry’s strategic priorities because it enables us to build a more competitive, connected and investment-ready tourism sector,” Al-Salhani said, inviting technology companies “globally, regionally and locally” to explore opportunities across the wider economy.

For 121 Living, this is phase one, with additional services and expanded geographic coverage planned. Whether a super app can flourish in a market still rebuilding its infrastructure is an open question, but for the first time in years, a visitor to Damascus can pay for dinner with their phone.