Zoom said earlier this year that it would make its automatic closed captioning technology available to all users, not just premium members. The firm stated that it would make the feature available to everyone in the fall of 2021, and that moment has now arrived. You don’t have to pay to utilise the accessibility feature any longer.
Live transcriptions during Zoom calls are a pleasant feature for many users, but for those who suffer from hearing, it is an essential participation tool. Locking accessibility features behind paywalls has sparked debate, mostly because it requires those who require the features to pay for them.
In a blog post, Zoom stated that “it’s crucial to us that everyone can properly connect, talk, and participate” in video calls. Customers who have paid for the service can still use it. Users with free accounts can use the Zoom online portal to enable automatic closed captioning.
According to the business, single users who access Zoom through a multi-account will need to request that their account administrator enable the option for them before they can use it. Zoom continues to support third-party captioning services and manual captioning through the meeting toolbar, which allows video conference participants to ask the host to enable live transcriptions discreetly.
Zoom’s other accessibility features include screen reader assistance, the ability to highlight interpreter videos, voicemail transcription, and keyboard accessibility tools, among others. Zoom’s related support paper has extra information for users who want to enable automatic closed captioning.
Source: blog.zoom | support.zoom
