Guide

How to get live translated captions on a Twitch stream on iPhone

Check for a CC button first: some streamers send captions, and then Twitch can show them. But Twitch does not generate captions for viewers or translate what a streamer says, and iOS will not either. To follow a stream in Japanese, Korean, Spanish or any other language you do not speak, use an app that listens to the audio the Twitch app is playing: Hono Translate floats translated captions over the stream, on the device.

Check Twitch's own captions first

Captions on Twitch come from the streamer. If they are sending them — through their streaming software or a captions extension — a CC control appears in the player and you can turn them on. Most streams have none. And where they exist, they are usually in the language being spoken, so a Japanese stream with Japanese captions still leaves you where you started.

There is no player setting that turns a streamer's speech into your language.

Why iOS will not do it either

Live Captions writes down what the streamer says in the language they say it. Live Translation is for Phone, FaceTime and Messages. The generated subtitles in iOS 27 cover English speech only. The full comparison of every option has the details.

Translate a Twitch stream with Hono Translate

  1. Open the stream in the Twitch app and let it play.
  2. Open Hono Translate and choose the streamer's language and the language you read.
  3. Tap Start translating sound, confirm on the iOS sheet, then tap the empty space below the sheet.
  4. The subtitle window floats up on its own and the iPhone returns to the Home Screen. Go back to Twitch.

The captions float over the stream and keep coming as the streamer talks. Headphones are fine, because iOS hands the audio to the app directly. Nothing is sent to Twitch and nothing leaves the iPhone: recognition and translation run on the device, so the translation keeps going even when the stream itself is using most of your connection.

What to expect on a stream

  • Game sound and music compete with the voice. A streamer talking over quiet gameplay comes through well; shouting over an explosion or a loud soundtrack does not.
  • Several voices at once are hard. A collab where four people talk over each other will translate in fragments.
  • It trails the speaker slightly. A phrase has to be said before it can be translated. Fine for following along; you will laugh a moment after chat does.
  • The chat is not translated. It translates the voice only.
  • No iOS screen recording at the same time. iOS allows one broadcast session, and the app is using it. To keep a clip with the subtitles in it, use the app's own recording.

Questions

Does Twitch have automatic captions?

Not for viewers. A CC option appears only when the streamer sends captions, and those are normally in the language being spoken. Twitch does not translate the speech.

Can I translate a Japanese Twitch stream into English on iPhone?

Yes. Set Japanese as the spoken language and English as the language you read, then follow the four steps above. Korean, Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Italian streams work the same way.

Will the streamer know?

No. The app gets the audio from iOS on your phone. Nothing is sent to Twitch or to the streamer.

Does it work in a browser instead of the Twitch app?

Yes. It reads whatever audio the iPhone is playing, so a stream in Safari works the same as one in the app.

Can an iPhone app hear the sound another app is playing? Do I need a second phone?

Yes, and one iPhone is enough. Through screen sharing — the iOS sheet you confirm when you start — iOS hands the sound that is playing to the app you pick. Hono Translate takes that audio from iOS, not from the microphone, so headphones are fine, and its subtitles float in a Picture-in-Picture window over TikTok, YouTube or any other app.

For other platforms, see how to translate any livestream on iPhone.

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