Spotify announces podcast transcriptions for all users in their latest update. In a world that is concerned with improving accessibility for users, the tech giant seems to be leading the path to improve accessibility for the deaf or hard of hearing.
What is the Spotify podcast transcription?
This transcription is currently available on BETA mode and only with Spotify’s exclusive or original shows such as Higher Learning podcast.
Podcast listeners will be able to tap on a specific paragraph to start playing the podcast episode audio at that point, though the transcript can also be read without playback. The transcripts will be automatically generated and will include timestamps for finding your way around.
This new update makes it easier for any listener to jump to a particular part of a conversation without having to fast-forward or rewind to trying to find the right spot.
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How do I get podcast transcriptions on Spotify?
To test the feature you need to be on a selected Spotify exclusive/original podcast. Take for instance the Higher Learning podcast hosted by Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay.
Click on any of the podcast episodes and you will see the episode description. Underneath it you’ll see ‘Episode Transcription‘ And viola! (See image below)
This update is currently available for all Android and iOS users. While this update may be new, Google Podcasts had already announced live captions on all podcasts earlier this year which is great as tech giants are making content more accessible to all user abilities.
Spotify also introduced further readability improvements to aid low-vision and visually impaired users to better see various buttons in the app by adjusting the button’s colour, text formatting and size.
Dynamic Type now allows users to increase text sizes even more through a new feature under Settings on iOS. (Settings –> Accessibility –> Display & Text Size; tap “Larger Text” and drag the slider.)
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How can I setup transcriptions on Spotify for my podcast?
Unfortunately, at the moment this service is only available to Spotify exclusive podcasts so far however the tech giant claims this feature will be available to ‘all podcasters worldwide’ in coming weeks.
What does this mean for podcasters?
It means that podcasters will be able auto-generate transcripts for podcasts without having to use third-party platforms. It’s currently uncertain as to whether podcast creators will be able to download the transcripts to repurpose into blogs.
But the future is certainly very bright for podcasters!
Leave your comments below: do you like this feature? What are your concerns?