Apple Podcasts can now auto-generate transcripts for podcasts because of an update that has arrived as part of iOS 17.4. Transcripts will automatically appear for new podcast episodes shortly after their publication, while Apple will transcribe podcast back catalogues over time.

The results are impressive. Transcripts allow you to read along with any given podcast episode and it appears automatically on all new podcasts on the app as long as the podcast is in English, French, Spanish or German. Further, the podcast transcripts are searchable, allowing users to type in a specific word or phrase and skip to that part of an episode.

You can find transcripts for individual podcast episodes on the bottom-left corner of the “Now Playing” screen. To use the feature, update to iOS 17.4. Choose a podcast and in the podcast player, hit the transcript button in the bottom left corner and the transcript will fill the screen. It’s like how Apple Music’s live lyrics feature works. Apple Podcasts highlights the words in the transcript as the speaker says them, which makes it easy to follow along. In case you want to share part of the transcript to another app, you can long press on any section, then choose Select Text.

“Introducing transcripts on Apple Podcasts builds on Apple’s commitment to making products and services for everyone,” said Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director, global accessibility policy and initiatives. “We are thrilled to make transcripts widely available for all, adding an additional layer of accessibility to the Podcasts experience.”