Instagram follows TikTok and adds auto-generated captions to videos

Instagram is adding auto-generated captions for videos, making the feed more accessible to users who are deaf or hard of hearing. 

Announcing the new feature on Twitter, the company notes that content creators will no longer need to manually add captions to videos themselves, with the automatically generated scripts set to launch in 17 languages.

More will be coming in the near future, Instagram says, but English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian and Arabic are among the first rollout. 

Naturally, as well as being a long-overdue feature for those who need assistance when viewing videos, the new addition is also handy for those who simply need to view a video without sound. And, as ever, users will have the option to turn the auto-generated captions on or off via the app’s advanced settings.

Interestingly, company head Adam Mosseri described the move as a “long time coming”, though it does lag behind competitor TikTok, which launched auto-generated captions in April 2021.

It also comes as Instagram places a continued emphasis on improving Reels, its direct TikTok rival, with features like Remix (similar to TikTok Duets) and Reels Visual Replies both arriving in the last year.

This latest move also comes a day after support for the standalone IGTV app was ended, with Instagram pointing out that it will continue to simplify video within the main app – a natural move, considering Reels is the company’s largest contributor to engagement growth. 

All in all, auto-generated captions is a small but significant addition, as it’s one that continues to blur the lines between TikTok and Reels and make them both ever-improving platforms.

However, as we saw in the early days of back-and-forth between Snapchat and Instagram Stories, a winner will almost certainly emerge over the next couple of years in the short-form video arena.