LiveCaptionN - Live Captions

LiveCaptionN turns your Android device into a powerful live captioning and instant translation assistant that floats over any application. Enjoy real-time subtitles for videos, social media, voice and video calls, podcasts, meetings, lectures, and live conversations. Whether you are watching foreign content, learning a new language, or need hearing accessibility, LiveCaptionN delivers continuous word-by-word captions right when you need them.

CORE FEATURES
• Floating Caption Overlay: Resizable, draggable window that floats over any app; pause, minimize, or customize anytime.
• Dual Audio Capture: Listen through your device microphone or capture internal system audio directly (Android 10+).
• Real-Time Transcription: Instant, low-latency speech-to-text powered by streaming Vosk engine.
• Instant Translation: Live translation into 59+ languages with Google ML Kit or self-hosted LibreTranslate.
• Full UI Localization: Translate the entire app interface into 59 languages.
• Transcript History & Export: Search, review, and export timestamped caption logs.
• Complete Customization: Adjust font size, text colors, background opacity, and positioning.

ON-DEVICE AI VS. SELF-HOSTED (HOW IT WORKS)
LiveCaptionN gives you the flexibility to choose how your speech is processed:

• Mode 1: On-Device AI (100% Offline & Private)
Processes everything locally on your phone without internet access. After downloading your preferred Vosk speech model and ML Kit language packs, your audio and captions never leave your device. Zero account sign-up, zero tracking, and complete privacy.

• Mode 2: Remote Self-Hosted (Ultra-Accurate & Low Battery)
Connect to your own computer or home server running OpenAI Whisper ASR and LibreTranslate (Docker-ready).
- How to use: Run the Docker container on your PC/server and enter your local network address (e.g. http://192.168.1.50:9000) in the app settings.
- Benefits: Offloads heavy AI computing from your phone to your PC, saving battery and CPU while delivering state-of-the-art Whisper accuracy. Includes an in-app interactive tutorial with video and audio guidance.

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS & COMPATIBILITY CHECK
LiveCaptionN automatically checks your hardware at startup to recommend the optimal mode:

• On-Device Mode:
- Minimum: 2.5 GB RAM, 4 CPU cores, 350 MB free storage.
- Recommended: 4 GB+ RAM, 64-bit multi-core processor, 1.5 GB free storage (for Large speech models).
- Compatibility Guard: Devices under 2.5 GB RAM or 4 cores are automatically routed to Self-Hosted mode to prevent memory lag and guarantee device stability. Devices with 2.5–3.8 GB RAM receive performance recommendations with lightweight models.

• Self-Hosted Remote Mode:
- Minimum: 1.5 GB RAM, Android 9.0+ (API 28), connected to your home Wi-Fi/LAN. Runs smoothly even on budget or legacy devices.

FREE VS. OPTIONAL UPGRADES
All core captioning and translation features are 100% free:
• Free: Unlimited live captions via mic and internal audio, on-device Vosk STT, ML Kit translation, customizable floating window, history export, and self-hosted mode.
• Ad-Free ($1.99/mo): Removes all banner and interstitial ads for an uninterrupted viewing experience.
• Pro ($4.99/mo): Completely ad-free, plus unlocks high-accuracy server-grade Vosk models, premium overlay color themes, custom vocabulary and glossary replacements, and extended offline language packs.

PRIVACY & PERMISSIONS
Your privacy comes first. Audio streams and transcripts never leave your device or local network:
• Microphone: Captures live speech for captioning.
• Display Over Other Apps: Shows floating captions above other apps.
• Foreground Service: Keeps captions streaming while multitasking.
• System Audio: Optional permission to capture internal app playback (Android 10+).

Recent changes:
• Fixed overlay layout: transcription and translation no longer overlap, featuring clean row separation and typography.
• Hardware Compatibility Check: automatically recommends optimal on-device or remote AI mode based on device RAM and CPU.
• Interactive Self-Hosted Tutorial: step-by-step video and voice guidance for Docker Whisper and LibreTranslate setup.
• Performance & Stability: smoother overlay dragging, lower latency, and enhanced memory efficiency.