There is a lot to like about Google Drive, especially if you use services like Google Docs or have an Android phone. However, Google is trying to make it even more attractive compared to other cloud storage services.

As discovered by 9to5Google, this feature is already starting to roll out to users. Apparently, Google is using “voice recognition technology” to transcribe speech. This feature is turned on by default for Google Workspace users, but personal Google accounts must be actively turned on before this feature can be used.

The first thing I need to know is that this feature does not seem to work on mobile. At least, I could not see an option to manually add auto-generated captions to my videos. However, the procedure is very easy to follow using a web browser on a desktop.

Google Drive will tell you that your request to add captions is pending. That means you have to sit tight; according to 9to5Google, this process “takes a while,” and once it's done, you can tap the “CC” button in the lower right corner of the player to see the automatically generated captions.

However, I could not get this button to work, meaning my video played without captions. The lack of any sort of obvious progress bar certainly doesn't help, and I don't know if there is a bug that needs to be resolved or if I need to wait a little longer. Time will tell.

Still, this is a great idea and means that people will no longer have to manually add captions to their videos. Whether you are a content creator or just want to keep your personal videos accessible for your deaf friends and family, this feature would be very useful.