TikTok has quickly become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users as of September 2022 according to Businessofapps. The app allows users to create and share short videos, often set to music.
Closed captioning displays text on videos to provide the dialogue and audio details for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Captions are also useful for viewers who are in loud environments or prefer reading along.
TikTok has built-in functionality to turn on closed captions for their huge library of videos. Here’s how to enable this accessibility feature on the platform.
What are closed captions and why use them?
Closed captions are text versions of the audio in video content that appear on your screen. Captions display the dialogue, narration, sound effects, and other audio information in the video. They allow people with hearing impairments or those watching videos without sound to access the full content.
According to a recent survey by 3Play Media, 66% of respondents agreed that media accessibility needs have moved beyond closed captioning alone (The Current State of Captioning: A Report by 3Play Media). However, closed captions still provide significant benefits to many users:
- Make videos accessible for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers
- Help non-native language speakers understand dialogue
- Aid comprehension and learning for all viewers
- Allow video consumption without disturbing others in quiet environments
- Enable users to watch videos without audio turned on
In a survey by Rev.com, 90% of respondents found closed captions moderately to extremely helpful for comprehension and learning (Compelling Closed Captioning Statistics). Closed captions make online video content more inclusive for diverse audiences.
Finding the caption settings in TikTok
The closed caption settings in TikTok are located in the app’s “Settings and privacy” menu. To access the caption settings:
- Open the TikTok app on your mobile device.
- Tap on your profile icon in the bottom right corner.
- Tap on the three horizontal lines “hamburger” icon in the top right corner to open the menu.
- Select “Settings and privacy” from the menu options.
- Tap on “Accessibility” under the “General” section.
- Toggle “Closed captioning” to the on position to enable captions for all videos.
The Accessibility menu in Settings is where you can find TikTok’s closed captioning options to enable or disable captions across the app. This menu also allows you to customize caption text size, font, color, and more. Refer to TikTok’s help guide for step-by-step instructions with visuals for finding the closed caption settings.
Turning on captions for all videos
TikTok makes it easy to turn on closed captions for all videos in your feed. Enable this setting, and captions will automatically appear for every video, without having to toggle them on each time.
Here are the steps to enable closed captions sitewide on TikTok:
- Open the TikTok app and tap on the ‘Me’ icon in the bottom right.
- Go to Settings > Accessibility.
- Under ‘Caption preferences’, toggle ‘Show captions’ to the on position.
Once enabled, you’ll see auto-generated captions on every video you watch in your For You feed and Following feed. The captions will be in the language detected by TikTok automatically. If no captions appear, it could mean captions weren’t added by the video creator.
Enabling this setting makes consuming content on TikTok much more accessible for those hard of hearing or deaf. Captions also allow videos to be watched without sound in public spaces. According to one study, captions improve comprehension, memory and attention span for videos (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5214590/).
Turning on captions for a single video
If you only want captions enabled for specific videos, you can turn them on individually. Here’s how:
- Open the video you want to enable captions for in the TikTok app.
- Tap the share icon in the bottom right.
- Select “Captions” from the menu.
- Toggle the switch for “Captions” to enable them.
This will turn on auto-generated captions only for that specific video. The captions will be visible when viewing that video in the future. To disable them again, just repeat the steps but toggle the “Captions” switch off.
Enabling captions per video is useful if you only need them for certain content. It prevents having captions on all videos when you may not want them. And it’s quick to toggle them on and off per video as needed.
According to Rev, adding captions to select high-value videos can increase viewership by 12-15%. So even if you don’t use captions all the time, enabling them for your most important videos can help maximize reach.
Adjusting caption settings
TikTok allows you to customize your caption settings to optimize legibility and accessibility. Here are some options to adjust:
Text size: You can make captions larger or smaller by adjusting the text size in the settings. Larger text may be helpful for visually impaired users. The recommended text size is 12-32 pixels (Source).
Text color: Choose a high contrast color like white, yellow or cyan so the captions stand out against the video. Avoid busy backgrounds and colors that may clash. Light text on a dark background is usually best (Source).
Font style: Sans-serif fonts like Arial, Helvetica or Verdana are easiest to read on screens. Avoid stylized, cursive or italic fonts as these are harder to decipher (Source).
Customizing these settings can make your captions more accessible for all users. Test different options to find the best fit for your videos.
Troubleshooting Problems
There are a few common issues that can prevent captions from showing up properly on TikTok. Here are some troubleshooting solutions:
If captions aren’t showing up at all, first make sure they are enabled in your settings. Go to your profile, tap the 3 dots in the top right, choose “Settings and privacy” then “Captions” and toggle on “Show captions.” If they are on but still not appearing, try force quitting the TikTok app and reopening it.
Sometimes captions get stuck loading and never show up. This is likely a technical glitch. Try refreshing the video or reopening the app. You can also try deleting and reinstalling the TikTok app to resolve persistent technical issues.
If captions only show up sometimes, or take a long time to load, this could be due to a poor internet connection. Try viewing over Wi-Fi or restarting your router if on a home network. TikTok captions require a stable internet connection to load properly.
The video creator may not have added captions yet. To request captions, tap Share then Report then Report a problem and select “No captions.” TikTok will notify the creator to add captions.
If captions are showing the wrong language, check your device and TikTok language settings. Go to your TikTok profile, tap the 3 dots, choose “Settings and privacy” then “Language” to update as needed. This sets the default caption language.
As a last resort, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling TikTok, or submitting feedback to TikTok on any persistent caption issues. Most problems can be resolved with a few quick troubleshooting steps.
Captioning your own videos
If you create and upload videos to TikTok, you have the option to add captions to make them more accessible. Here’s how to add captions to videos you make:
In the TikTok app, tap the + icon to create a new video. After recording or uploading your clip, tap ‘Text’ on the bottom. This will allow you to add text overlays to your video.
Tap ‘Captions’ and you’ll be able to type out captions for your video. You can break up your captions into multiple blocks if needed. Position the caption blocks where you want them to appear on screen.
When done, tap ‘Save’ in the top right. Your captions will now be embedded in the video. The captions will automatically be triggered as the video plays.
One tip is to write out your captions in Notes or another app first before adding them in the TikTok app. This allows you to perfect the wording and timing.
You can go back and edit or delete captions later before posting your video. Captions you add will carry over if you download your video and post it elsewhere.
Adding captions is an easy way to make your TikTok videos more engaging for all viewers. It helps expand your reach and makes your content more inclusive.
Third-party captioning tools
In addition to TikTok’s built-in captioning, there are also third-party apps you can use to add captions to your TikTok videos. These apps use AI and speech recognition to automatically generate captions for your videos. Some popular options include:
Submagic – Submagic uses advanced AI to analyze audio and add accurate captions. It offers features like automatic punctuation, capitalization, and spacing. The app is free to try with limited caption lengths.
Descript – Descript is a premium captioning tool with highly accurate voice recognition technology. It provides editing tools to customize captions and an auto-transcribe feature.
Otter.ai – Otter generates captions using AI and natural language processing. It has a free plan with limited minutes or a paid plan for unlimited use. You can edit captions within the app.
Rev.com – Rev offers a paid human captioning service, so captions go through professional transcribers. Turnaround is fast and accuracy is very high.
Using a third-party app provides additional captioning options and can help save time. Just be sure to check accuracy before publishing your videos.
Conclusion
In summary, closed captions can make TikTok videos more accessible for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. TikTok has settings that allow you to turn on captions for all videos or select videos. You can also adjust caption settings like text size and color to make them easier to read. If you are creating your own videos, there are tools to help you add high-quality captions.
Some final tips for using closed captions on TikTok:
- Check your caption settings periodically to make sure they haven’t reverted back to default.
- Test captions on different videos to ensure they are working properly.
- Report problems through the app if captions aren’t appearing correctly.
- Consider hiring a professional captioning service for your own videos.
- Spread awareness and encourage others to turn on captions!
With the right settings enabled, closed captions can make TikTok a more enjoyable experience for all users.
