How to Translate a Video on iPhone (YouTube and Files)

Translating a video on iPhone is harder than on Android or desktop, because Safari does not run browser extensions and Apple restricts what apps can do with other apps’ video. Here is what works on iPhone right now, honestly, and how to get full AI dubbing for YouTube videos from an iPhone owner’s point of view.

1. YouTube app: translate captions

If the video has captions:

Tap the video, then the gear icon.
Tap Captions, choose the caption track.
Tap Auto-translate and pick your language.

Text only, and only when captions exist. If the menu is missing, the video has no caption track.

2. iOS Live Captions

iOS can caption any audio playing on the phone: Settings → Accessibility → Live Captions. It shows captions in the original language and supports a limited set of languages. It does not translate, but you can copy the text into Translate. Useful for short clips.

3. Apple Translate app, conversation mode

Play the video and hold the phone in conversation mode: it picks up speech through the microphone and translates it. Works for a few minutes of clear audio, poor for long videos and any background music.

4. AI dubbing for YouTube videos: desktop or Android for now

TranslateTube gives a real spoken translation plus subtitles for any YouTube video, including ones without captions, but it currently runs as a Chrome extension on desktop and as an Android app. There is no iOS app yet. If you have a Mac or PC nearby, that is the fastest route to dubbing; a lecture translated once on desktop can be watched there with headphones.

An iOS version is planned. Until then, the three iPhone-only methods above cover captions and short clips.

Video files on iPhone

For a video in your Photos: play it with Live Captions on to get the original text, then translate the text. Or, if you have the right to, upload it to YouTube as unlisted and translate it on desktop or Android with dubbing.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a YouTube translator app for iPhone with voice? Not from TranslateTube yet. YouTube’s own captions are the built-in option on iPhone.

Can I translate a YouTube video to English on iPhone for free? Yes, when the video has captions, with auto-translate in the YouTube app.

Will the TranslateTube Android subscription work on iOS later? One subscription already covers the extension and the Android app; iOS will follow the same model when available.

Try it now: translate any YouTube video with AI dubbing and subtitles — Chrome extension or Android app. One subscription works in both.

Tips and updates: follow TranslateTube on Telegram for short guides on translating and dubbing YouTube videos.