Captions not appearing on calls is most commonly due to an internet connection issue. This can happen on both wi-fi and cellular data. It can be caused by connection slowdowns or delays. To troubleshoot, we strongly recommend:
Restart your phone
Restart your wi-fi router (if you are connected to wi-fi)
Try an alternate internet connection. If you are on wi-fi and restarting the router does not resolve the issue, try a different wi-fi network or disconnect from wi-fi in your Settings app. If your device has cellular data, disconnecting from wi-fi will automatically connect you to cellular data. If you are using cellular data, try connecting to an available wi-fi network.
Please note if you are new to the service: be sure you open the CaptionMate app to place captioned outbound calls. CaptionMate cannot caption calls placed directly from your regular Phone app. Click here for instructions to make an outbound call through CaptionMate.
If you only do not get captions on inbound calls, and you want captions on calls made to your cell phone number, reset your call forwarding to ensure it is successfully set up. Click here for instructions to turn your call forwarding off and on.
If you have an iPhone on iOS 26:
If your iPhone is on iOS 26 and you have problems getting captions on inbound calls, you may not be opening the caption screen after answering. Answering a CaptionMate call is different when your phone screen is dark or locked, versus when your phone screen is on.
Below is an explanation for answering a call and opening the caption screen when your phone is locked:
When your phone is locked and you answer a CaptionMate call, the screen shows a button in the lower left corner. It is an icon with three dots, and it says 'More' underneath. This is what the locked answer screen looks like:
When you tap 'More', a banner will appear at the bottom of the screen prompting you to open CaptionMate. You need to tap that to open your captions. Here is what that looks like:
Once you tap "Open in CaptionMate", the caption screen should appear.