Samsung's One UI 8 Introduces Advanced AI-Powered Voice Captioning Feature

One UI 8 is adding a powerful new Galaxy AI feature, but there's a catch

The catch is that the feature isn't available officially yet, so you'll have to download an APK to access it. Samsung has added a new feature called Voice Captioning to its suite of Galaxy AI tools on One UI 8. It allows users to convert speech to text in real time, whether it's from a video, call, or live conversation. What makes it more powerful than Samsung's existing Live Captions feature is its ability to also translate speech into different languages and summarize what was said. While the Live Captions in One UI only transcribes spoken words in the same language, Voice Captioning offers real-time translation of the captions across multiple languages, just like the Live Captions feature on Pixel phones with Live Translate enabled. Moreover, you also get summaries of the captioned media or conversations, along with the ability to save text and audio. The feature was spotted by GalaxyTechie on X, who confirmed that it's officially only available in China for now. However, users can manually install the APK to try it on their Galaxy phones running One UI 8 or One UI 7. Once you install the APK, you'll need to add the Voice Captioning shortcut to your Quick Settings panel and allow necessary permissions. You'll also need to choose supported languages for translations. We tested the APK on our Galaxy Z Fold 7 running One UI 8. After installing the app, we were able to add the Voice Captioning shortcut in the Quick Settings panel, but the app kept stopping unexpectedly. Reports on Reddit also say it doesn't work on beta versions of One UI 8, but some users have had success using it on One UI 8 and One UI 7. If you want to try Voice Captioning before it officially rolls out, you can install the APK, but be aware that it might not work properly on all devices. Otherwise, it might be best to wait for Samsung to release it globally.

Samsung's secret Galaxy AI feature gives live captions a powerful upgrade

T-Mobile is automatically 'upgrading' Magenta Max customers to its new Go5G plans While not as big of an upgrade as One UI 7, Samsung's Android 16-based One UI 8 still packs plenty of meaningful improvements. There's deeper Galaxy AI integration as well for a better experience. Samsung also includes a new Voice captioning feature in One UI 8, enabling real-time speech-to-text translation. While the feature is China-exclusive and not a part of the global One UI 8 build, you can sideload the APK to enable it on your Galaxy phone. Samsung phones already ship with Live Captions, enabling them to transcribe voice to text in real time. However, the feature does not translate the text into a language you are familiar with. Voice captioning aims to solve this problem, as it supports "real-time conversion of speech to captions, and it can also provide translations in multiple languages." Samsung says the feature is best suited for conference calls or speakers (via @GalaxyTechie). Unlike Live Captions, Voice captioning supports multiple languages, though you must download the language packs for translation beforehand. Close Think of Voice captioning like Galaxy AI's Live Translate feature, which transcribes and translates voice and WhatsApp calls in real-time. Voice captioning extends the same functionality to other apps. You can use the feature with your phone's audio, microphone audio, or both simultaneously. The translation appears in a floating, transparent black overlay that you can move and resize to suit your needs. Plus, there's an option to generate a summary of the translated text at the end. And when you close the overlay window, you'll get a prompt to save the transcribed text as a Word file. Sideload the APK to try Voice captioning today You can try sideloading the APK on your Galaxy phone running One UI 7 or One UI 8 to see if Voice captioning works. Once installed, add the Voice captioning tile to the Quick Settings panel and tap it whenever you want to activate the feature. The feature worked reliably on my Galaxy S23 Ultra running One UI 7 and the July security patch, though your mileage may vary. Samsung could bundle Voice captioning in the stable One UI 8 build for the Galaxy S25 series and eventually bring it to its newest foldables.

One UI 8 tipped to bring a major Galaxy AI upgrade -- plus quality of life improvements to Galaxy S26

A recent post on social media has indicated that Samsung is working on a big improvement for Live Captioning with Galaxy AI. The post in question comes from Galaxy Techie, who posted on X about a new Galaxy AI feature called Voice Captioning. Like Live Captions, this feature will convert speech from calls, videos and live conversations into text. However, Voice Captioning separates itself is by being able to translate and summarize the captions in real time. Currently, Samsung's version of Live Captioning will only transcribe voices into the language they are spoken in. Meanwhile, if you have a Pixel phone like the Pixel 9 Pro, you can enable a Live Translate feature, which quickly converts captions into another chosen language in real time. The addition of this feature on Samsung phones would undoubtedly be a lifesaver for holiday goers with the best Samsung phones. Unfortunately, this feature is reportedly only officially available in China, and there's no indication of when it could come to other markets. However, you can download the APK onto your device if it's running One UI 7 or One UI 8. A Google Drive link for the APK is available in Galaxy Techie's X thread. Once it's installed, you only need to add the Voice Captioning shortcut to your phone's quick settings panel and allow all of the necessary permissions. Before you download the file, however, there are a couple of things to note. Firstly, as reported by Android Authority, the APK version of the feature is far from stable and repeatedly crashes. On top of that, Reddit threads indicate that the file doesn't always work with the One UI 8 beta. There's also the inherent risk of sideloading apps on Android phones. So proceed with installing the APK at your own risk. We would also always caution anyone when downloading an online file to make sure their phone is secure. Make sure you have one of the best antivirus apps to keep your data safe. The best VPNs are also worth having, even if they won't protect you from any software you willingly install. It isn't just One UI 8 features that could make life easier, as another rumor has revealed a big quality-of-life improvement for the Galaxy S26. According to a recent report from ET News, several industry sources have claimed that Samsung is planning to add a new NFC antenna to the top of the Galaxy S26. Currently, Samsung phones only have a single NFC coil, which is placed just below the camera module. However, the placement can vary slightly, with the Galaxy S25 Ultra's coil closer to the middle of the phone, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra has it sit slightly higher. This can make it annoying to use the phones to pay, usually leading to having to hold them at odd angles. This single placement is odd, as other Android devices have multiple coil placements. All while iPhones only need you to place the top half of the phone on the scanner. Supposedly, part of the problem Samsung had was that Apple holds several patents related to NFC payments, forcing Samsung to find new solutions. It should be noted that there are indications that Samsung hasn't finalized the overall design of the Galaxy S26 yet, so it is possible that the company could scrap the new coil placement. We'll have to wait for Samsung to officially announce the device to see what changes are coming. While we don't have a set release date yet, Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked events usually occur at the start of the year, with wider phone releases happening around two weeks later.

Samsung's New AI Feature Can Transcribe Your Voice in Real-Time

The text summaries and transcriptions can be saved as a Word file Samsung is reportedly launching a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature in China, which is essentially an enhanced version of the existing Live Captions. As per the tipster, the feature is called Voice Captioning, and it can transcribe live conversations, users' voices via a microphone, and audio coming from the phone in real-time. Currently, the feature is said to be available only in China with the One UI 8 operating system. It is also said to be capable of generating real-time captions in multiple languages. According to Galaxy Techie on X (formerly known as Twitter), a user who claims to be the moderator of the r/OneUI subreddit, the South Korean tech giant has exclusively launched a new AI feature in China dubbed Voice Captioning. The tipster also shared images of the feature and highlighted its functionality. The Voice Captioning feature in One UI 8 in China Photo Credit: X/GalaxyTechie Samsung's existing Live Caption feature can transcribe calls in real-time in the same language as the conversation. Based on the images shared, Voice Captioning expands this functionality and brings real-time caption generation to anything the user speaks (via the device's microphone) or voice coming from a video or a media file. This means users can generate a voiceover of a video playing on their device, and choose whether the feature creates captions of what the user says or the content of the video itself. Additionally, the feature is also capable of generating captions in multiple languages in real-time. The list of supported languages was not disclosed by the tipster. The feature is reportedly part of Samsung's Galaxy AI offerings. To increase the feature's usability, Voice Captioning can also generate summaries of the transcription in multiple languages, save the transcription and summary as a Word file, and save the audio to help the user refer to the original conversation. It is currently being shipped with the One UI 8 OS. Activating the feature, as shown in the images, involves a couple of steps. Users will first have to add the Voice Captioning shortcut to the Quick Settings panel and allow required permissions. Then, they will also have to choose supported languages for translations. It is unclear when the feature will be available in regions outside of China.