Toolbox Tuesday: a tip on using the iPhone built-in transcription app (speech-to-text) I’m profoundly deaf. I also have ADHD—the kind that makes my brain feel like it’s got tabs open in every room of a house I can’t find my way through. This combination means I need speech-to-text apps to navigate the world—but also that I often forget to download or open them until I’m already in the thick of needing them. Cue the awkward scramble in a meeting, a restaurant, or a doctor’s office while I fumble through apps that are still stored in the cloud, or try to remember passwords. So I’m really grateful for one particular thing: native speech-to-text apps. Built right into the phone. No downloads, no digging. Just there, waiting quietly on the sidelines until I need them. Why Built-In Tools Matter Accessibility is often treated like an afterthought—something to install, toggle on, or request. But when you’re deaf, and especially when you’re neurodivergent too, the steps between knowing what you need and getting what you need can feel like climbing a mountain in roller skates. That’s why having speech-to-text tools built into both iPhones and Android phones is a total game-changer. No extra effort, no forgetting. It's just a tool that's ready when I am. Let’s Talk iPhone: Live Captions The native - built in - app on the iPhone is called Live Captions. Here’s what I love: It’s clean—doesn’t cover the whole screen or distract. You can toggle it up to make the captions bigger (great for those of us who wear readers). It lives on your phone screen—once enabled, you can slide it out like a drawer anytime. Here’s how it works: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Live Captions. Turn it on. Customize how it looks (text size, position, background color). Once enabled, just swipe to access it. Boom. It’s there. Always. You can press it, resize it, move it to the side—whatever makes it easiest for you. It’s not in your face, but it’s not buried either. Android Users: Google Live Transcribe If you're on Android, Google Live Transcribe is your go-to. It’s been around for a while, and for good reason. It works in real time, supports over 80 languages, and you can even use it offline in newer versions. Here’s why people love it: It’s free and easy to use. Accuracy is pretty good—about on par with Apple. It’s perfect in those moments when you need to hear what someone’s saying right now. Now, yes, it’s still machine-generated. So sometimes the captions are craptions. But for something that lives in your phone and is free? I'm okay with that. Accessibility isn’t just about having tools. It’s about having them available. Built-in transcription apps have made my everyday life easier, less stressful, and more connected—and for someone who is both deaf and brain-scattered, that’s no small thing. If you’re like me—navigating the world with ears and/or brain that don't fit the mold—these little setups can make a big difference. They're not perfect, but they're powerful. And they're already in your pocket. https://youtube.com/shorts/pP7XB_9asKI PS. This sounds like an ad, but I swear it wasn't!