Guides
Longer pieces on what iOS does and does not allow, what the built-in features cover, and where this app fits — written to be accurate about the limits as well as the capabilities.
How to get translated subtitles for Hong Kong dramas and Cantonese video on iPhone
Hong Kong dramas, TVB shows and Cantonese videos often come with Chinese subtitles only, or none. How to watch them on iPhone with live subtitles in English, Mandarin Chinese or another language, translated from the Cantonese audio on the device.
Read the guideVideo sound, screen text or a live speaker: which iPhone translation mode should you use?
Keep translated subtitles over videos, read text in other apps, or follow a speaker nearby. Choose Sound, Screen or Live in Hono Translate, with the setup and limits for each.
Read the guideGoogle Translate, Apple Translate or Hono Translate: which fits a video on iPhone?
Compare playback audio, continuous microphone translation and screen text. Google supports Transcribe; Hono focuses on floating video subtitles, Screen and Live on one iPhone.
Read the guideHono Translate 1.2: video subtitles, screen translation and live speech in one iPhone app
What changed in Hono Translate 1.2: Sound stays central, with Screen, Live and Premium transcripts. A guide to the current 1.2.2 release and the difference from the earlier sound subtitle app.
Read the guideCan iPhone Live Captions translate? What to use instead
Live Captions writes down what is said, in the language it is said in — it does not translate. What each built-in option does with a Japanese, Korean or English video on iPhone, and how to get translated subtitles on top of it.
Read the guideAirPods Live Translation or Hono Translate for foreign videos on iPhone?
AirPods translate nearby conversations on eligible Apple hardware. Compare that with floating playback subtitles, Screen text and microphone translation in Hono Translate.
Read the guideNo subtitles in your language on iPhone? What to try, in order
The video's own subtitles, YouTube's auto-translate, Safari, Live Captions, Live Translation and iOS 27's generated subtitles — what each one can do for a video or livestream on iPhone, and what to use when none of them can.
Read the guideWhich live translation apps keep your audio on the iPhone?
Some apps that translate videos and livestreams on iPhone run speech recognition and translation on the device; many send the audio to a cloud service. How to tell which is which, why it matters, and what stays on your phone with Hono Translate.
Read the guideHow to record a livestream with translated subtitles on iPhone
iOS screen recording stops working while another app is sharing audio for live translation. How to save a clip of a livestream or video with the translated subtitles in it, on one iPhone, and what to expect from the result.
Read the guideHow to save and review original and translated subtitles on iPhone
Use Premium translation records in Hono Translate to review, copy and share session text. Understand the difference between a floating subtitle card, a saved transcript and a recorded video.
Read the guideHow to translate any video you watch on iPhone
There is no iOS setting for this — Live Captions writes the audio down, but in the language it was spoken. Four steps to get a translated subtitle floating over a video playing in any app, and the honest limits.
Read the guideHow to translate Japanese game menus on iPhone
Read Japanese game menus and quest text in a floating translation window. Choose Screen for written dialogue and Sound for voice acting, with limits for fast scenes and vertical text.
Read the guideHow to follow an English lecture with live Chinese subtitles on iPhone
Use the iPhone microphone and Hono Translate Live mode to follow a nearby speaker. Set up bilingual subtitles and optional Premium transcripts, with practical limits for distance, noise and specialist words.
Read the guideHow to translate an Instagram Live on iPhone in real time
Instagram translates captions, comments and bios, and can auto-caption Reels — but not the speech of a Live. How to get translated subtitles over an Instagram Live on iPhone.
Read the guideHow to get live translated subtitles on any livestream on iPhone (one phone, free to try)
Translate a TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Twitch or Weverse livestream on iPhone as it airs: the Hono Translate app turns the stream's audio into live translated subtitles that float over it. One iPhone, no second device, free to try.
Read the guideHow to read an English PDF with floating Chinese translation on iPhone
Use Screen in Hono Translate for the visible paragraph of a PDF, including text you cannot copy. Keep the original document open and read a floating translation, with limits for scans and complex layouts.
Read the guideHow to translate text in other iPhone apps without copying it
Use Hono Translate Screen mode for visible text on web pages, game menus and documents. Read the translation in a floating window without repeatedly taking screenshots.
Read the guideHow to translate a TikTok LIVE on iPhone in real time (one phone, free to try)
TikTok does not translate what a LIVE host is saying. The Hono Translate app does: it turns the LIVE's audio into translated subtitles that float over TikTok on the same iPhone. No second device, free to try.
Read the guideHow to watch TVer, ABEMA and SHOWROOM with translated subtitles on iPhone
Japanese TV catch-up on TVer, ABEMA's channels and SHOWROOM idol lives are in Japanese, with no subtitles in other languages. How to follow them on iPhone in your own language as they play, and what translates well.
Read the guideHow to get live translated captions on a Twitch stream on iPhone
Twitch shows captions only when the streamer sends them, and never translates the speech for you. How to follow a Twitch stream in another language on iPhone, with translated subtitles floating over the Twitch app.
Read the guideHow to watch hololive and other VTuber streams with subtitles on iPhone
Translated clips come out after the stream, and only for the best moments. How to follow a Japanese VTuber stream live on iPhone with translated subtitles, what works well, and what voice effects, singing and game audio do to it.
Read the guideHow to get translated subtitles on a Weverse live on iPhone (one phone, with or without membership)
Weverse documents membership subtitles for supported Korean and Japanese LIVE broadcasts. When captions are unavailable, try Hono Translate for floating translated playback subtitles on the same iPhone.
Read the guideHow to translate a YouTube video or live stream on iPhone, even with no captions (free to try)
YouTube's Auto-translate needs a caption track. When a YouTube video or live stream has none in your language, the Hono Translate app translates its audio into subtitles that float over YouTube on the same iPhone: no link to copy, no second device, free to try. Plus the picture-in-picture setting that gets in the way.
Read the guideTranslated video subtitles in Arabic, Vietnamese, Spanish and more on iPhone
Which languages Hono Translate can listen to and write subtitles in, and what it does for each one — right-to-left Arabic next to a left-to-right original, Thai without spaces, Vietnamese, Turkish, Russian and Indonesian video recognised on the iPhone, and an app and website in 16 languages.
Read the guideHow to watch Japanese dramas with Chinese subtitles on iPhone
Want to follow a Japanese drama before Chinese subtitles are available? Check existing subtitles first, then try spoken Japanese translation on your iPhone, with clear playback and accuracy limits.
Read the guideHow to watch Korean variety shows with Chinese translation on iPhone
Watch a Korean variety show before Chinese subtitles arrive: choose built-in subtitles or live Korean speech translation, and understand the limits around overlapping voices, names and jokes.
Read the guideNo fansub yet? Watch a raw Japanese or Korean stream with live subtitles on iPhone (one phone, free to try)
Fansubs of an idol live, a variety show or a VTuber stream arrive hours or days later, and many never do. The Hono Translate app translates the raw broadcast as it airs — on YouTube, TikTok, Weverse, SHOWROOM or any other app — with subtitles floating over it on the same iPhone. Free to try.
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