Captioned Calls
Communicate with confidence using advanced call captioning at no cost if you have hearing loss that makes live captions necessary to use the phone
No-Cost Captioned Phone Service
Sorenson’s phone call captioning solutions create clear, accurate text of conversations in real time, so people with hearing loss who need captions to use the phone can go about their lives and maintain their connections. If you qualify for captioning service, you have two options: our popular CaptionCall by Sorenson service for home phone and Olelo by Sorenson mobile app for the most accurate phone call captioning on-the-go. Use both and never worry about understanding your phone conversations with fast, accurate captioning on two easy-to-use products.
CaptionCall and Olelo are part of a federally funded service, so people who need captions to use the phone because of their hearing loss can use them at no cost. You self-certify your need when you sign up.
Benefits and Features
CaptionCall by Sorenson
Our latest and greatest captioning telephone allows you to read your conversations in big, clear text. We’ve also included several features to make your phone calls more convenient, but whether you choose to use all or none of them, you can count on instant, accurate captions so you don’t miss a word.

Follow along
Adjustable
Find numbers easily
Patented SilkScroll® technology smoothly displays words on easy-to-read screen
CaptionCall phone meets TIA-4953 amplification standards
Save transcripts of captioned calls so you can look back at them for details
Use the large touchscreen to dial from your recent calls or your saved contacts
Caption emergency 911 calls in real time, so you don't miss critical information
Captioned voicemail so you can read messages for details and callback numbers
Olelo by Sorenson
For work, home, or on-the-go, Olelo is a simple real-time captioning app that uses advanced automatic speech recognition technology to instantly—and accurately—convert spoken conversation to text on your mobile device.

Visual Voicemail
Use on iOS & Android
Save Transcript
Speed
Review call transcripts for details you’re not sure you caught the first time
Olelo works on Android or iPhone anywhere you have WiFi or mobile data
Captions in less than a second, so there's no lag in your conversations
Captioned voicemail so you can read messages for details and callback numbers
Emergency 911 call captions in real time, no matter where you’re calling from
Import the contacts you've saved on your phone to call without dialing manually
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See the true emotion of others on the call
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See the true emotion of others on the call
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See the true emotion of others on the call
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See the true emotion of others on the call
How CaptionCall works
Sorenson has been fine tuning its phone call captioning via CaptionCall by Sorenson and mobile apps for years to make our hard-of-hearing phones the best out there. Watch how seamlessly our services fit into everyday life.
How Olelo works
Anywhere you take your smartphone, you can also take your captions. Olelo by Sorenson provides immediate, accurate captions in a customizable app eligible users can download and start using right now.
Places
You can get CaptionCall by Sorenson for all the places you need a captioned phone and take your captions everywhere you go with the Olelo by Sorenson mobile app
Home
Stay in touch with family and friends
School
Catch up with your classmates or check in with your teachers
Work
No need to fear unclear calls with coworkers or customers
Government
Work for a government agency? We build our solutions to meet your needs
Sorenson Scoops

CaptionCall & Sorenson Merge
Sorenson launched its phone call captioning service in 2010 as CaptionCall, which has become the leader in the industry. In 2022, our global rebranding initiative kickstarted the transition to bring CaptionCall and Sorenson products and services together under one brand.
Need Help?
Support | User Guides | Outages | VideosFrequently Asked Questions
If you have questions we don’t answer here, check our support page or contact our excellent Customer Care teamNo. Telephone captioning is a no-cost ADA service the government funds to help people with hearing loss who need captioning to communicate on the phone
All captioned call companies receive compensation from the same Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) Fund through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). CaptionCall by Sorenson receives compensation from the TRS Fund by the minute for captioned calls.
Yes, you can pair wireless hearing aids with your mobile phone to stream audio, and the Olelo by Sorenson mobile app displays captions of both sides of the conversation.
Yes. Only people with hearing loss who need captions to use the phone effectively may use CaptionCall and Olelo. This isn’t just our policy; it’s the law. The Federal TRS/IP CTS fund supports Sorenson’s call captioning services and only permits Deaf and hard-of-hearing users to register for service.
Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS) is a form of telecommunications relay service (TRS) that permits an individual who can speak, but who has difficulty hearing, to use a phone to simultaneously listen to the other person and read captions of what the other person is saying.
As part of the requirements of the IP CTS program, we need to validate that our users are actual people and not fictional or fraudulent signups. This is the only reason we ask for your registration information, and we never sell, share, or use it for third-party marketing or any other purpose.
If you have qualified hearing loss to use our CaptionCall service, we’ll also provide a CaptionCall phone to you at no cost
As long as you have either landline phone service, high speed internet, or a smartphone, we can connect you with a CaptionCall phone. CaptionCall offers two free installation service options: Red Carpet Service installation with in-person installation and hands-on training or self-guided installation with virtual trainer support.
Anyone who qualifies for CaptionCall service will receive a CaptionCall phone to access their call captioning. To qualify for CaptionCall, you must have hearing loss that necessitates the use of captioned telephone service. You’ll have to complete a self-certification and provide other mandatory registration information.
CaptionCall uses the most advanced voice recognition technology, captioning agents, and a fast transcription service to display written captions of what a caller is saying on a large, easy-to-read screen.
Yes, CaptionCall works with your current home phone number. You can also keep your current provider and plan.
Yes, in addition to adjusting the volume of your calls, you can also customize the CaptionCall phone to boost frequencies where you have the greatest hearing loss. To do this, leave the handset in the cradle, touch Settings on the screen, then touch Amplification to choose your preferences. You can find more information in the user guide.
No. CaptionCall works seamlessly with services from your provider, including call waiting, call forwarding, voice mail, and caller ID.
This will depend on the length of captions per call, but don’t worry: we give you enough space for months—even years—worth of calls.
If your phone does not make automatic updates to the Olelo app, you can manual update Olelo to make sure you have all the latest features.
For iPhones and iPads
- Open the App Store on your device
- Tap on your account information in the top right corner
- Scroll down to “Upcoming Updates”
- Find the Olelo app and press “Update”
For Android Phones
- Open the Play Store on your device
- Tap on your account information in the top right corner
- Go to “Manage Apps & Device” and then “Available Updates”
- Scroll to find the Olelo app and tap “Upgrade”
To make it easy for the people you’re calling to know it’s you, Olelo allows you to use your current mobile phone number as your Caller ID. To enable or disable caller ID, click on the menu in the Olelo app, and select My Caller ID.
This is one of the first things we recommend you do when you start using the app:
- Open the Olelo menu options by tapping on the menu icon
- Tap Call Forwarding
- Tap Enable
- Tap Got it!
- Call the pre-filled activation code
When on a call, look for the A’s in the bottom right corner of your screen. Pressing on the larger A will make the text size bigger, and the smaller A will shrink the text size down.
You can also change this and the colors of the captioning in the settings under the main menu.
This could be due to a setting that stops transcription for your side of the call, so that only the person you are speaking to produces captions. Go to the Settings tab in the menu at the top left corner of the app, and you’ll see the option to show your captions.
*911 Calling Advisory: Calling 911 from a landline remains the most reliable method of reaching emergency response personnel.
Olelo requires our users to have registered information that complies with United States 911 regulations. To ensure your correct address is in your Olelo app, go to the menu and select 911 Location. Verify your address so that, in case of an emergency, help will know where to go.
Please also see our Emergency Calling page for more information.
The app does not support making outgoing international calls, but you can receive and caption incoming international calls.
You can delete call transcripts in the Call History tab by tapping on the trash can icon in the top right corner and choosing which transcripts you would like to delete. To delete all of your call transcripts, hit the select all button (the three squares with a check mark). You can also delete transcripts by sliding the call you’d like to delete to the left in the call history tab. You cannot recover deleted transcripts.
Download Olelo by Sorenson app
Register and self-certify directly from the mobile app
Get started with CaptionCall by Sorenson
If you need captions to use the phone because of your hearing loss, fill out the form to get our CaptionCall service and phone at no cost, you can also reach us at 833-691-1600
CaptionCall is available in the United States ONLY. FEDERAL LAW PROHIBITS ANYONE BUT REGISTERED USERS WITH HEARING LOSS FROM USING INTERNET PROTOCOL (IP) CAPTIONED TELEPHONES WITH THE CAPTIONS TURNED ON. IP captioned telephone service may use a live operator. The operator generates captions of what the other party to the call says. These captions are then sent to your phone. There is a cost for each minute of captions generated, paid from a federally administered fund. No costs are passed along to individuals who qualify for the service. The CaptionCall phone remains the property of CaptionCall in order to provide ongoing support, service, and upgrades. ©2023 CaptionCall, LLC. All rights reserved. Patent information: www.Sorenson.com/Legal.
CaptionCall and the spiral mark are registered trademarks of CaptionCall, LLC.