How to Get YouTube Transcript on Mobile (iPhone & Android)

By Amogh Reddy · Updated March 2026

Getting a YouTube transcript on your phone is surprisingly difficult using YouTube's built-in tools. The transcript feature in the mobile app is buried, inconsistent, and does not offer a copy or download button. This guide covers three ways to get transcripts on mobile, starting with the easiest method.

TubeScript is a web-based tool that works in any mobile browser. There is no app to download and no account to create. The entire process takes about 15 seconds on your phone.

Step-by-step

1. Copy the video URL. In the YouTube app, tap the "Share" button below the video and select "Copy link." Alternatively, copy the URL from your mobile browser's address bar.
2. Open tubescript.cc in your browser. Use Safari on iPhone, Chrome on Android, or any browser you prefer.
3. Paste the URL and tap "Get Transcript." Long-press the input field to paste. The transcript appears in seconds.
4. Tap "Copy" to copy the full text. The transcript is copied to your clipboard and ready to paste into Notes, Messages, Google Docs, or any other app.

Why this is the best mobile method

• One-tap copy. Unlike YouTube's transcript viewer, TubeScript has a dedicated copy button. No manual text selection.
• Works with any video. Even videos where YouTube's transcript is unavailable, and YouTube Shorts, which have no built-in transcript option.
• Clean formatting. The transcript is formatted as readable paragraphs with timestamps, not a wall of caption fragments.
• No app or extension. Works entirely in your browser. No storage space used, no permissions required.

The YouTube iOS app has a transcript viewer, but it is not easy to find and does not support copying text. Here is how to access it.

1. Open the video in the YouTube app on your iPhone.
2. Tap the video title or the down arrow below the video to expand the description panel.
3. Scroll down in the description area until you see "Show transcript" or a transcript section.
4. Tap "Show transcript." The transcript appears as timestamped caption fragments.

Limitations on iOS

• No copy button. You cannot easily select and copy the transcript text.
• Not available on all videos. If captions are disabled, the option does not appear.
• Does not work with YouTube Shorts.
• Raw caption format (short fragments, not readable paragraphs).

The process on Android is very similar to iOS. YouTube's Android app places the transcript option in the same location.

1. Open the video in the YouTube app.
2. Tap the video title to expand the description section.
3. Scroll down and look for "Show transcript."
4. Tap to view the timestamped caption text.

The same limitations apply: no copy button, no download option, raw caption format, and not available on Shorts or videos with disabled captions.

• Share the URL from the YouTube app. When you find a video in the YouTube app, tap "Share" and then "Copy link." Switch to your browser, open TubeScript, and paste. This is faster than trying to find the URL manually.
• Add TubeScript to your home screen. On iPhone, open tubescript.cc in Safari, tap the share icon, and select "Add to Home Screen." On Android, open in Chrome, tap the three-dot menu, and select "Add to Home screen." This gives you one-tap access.
• Paste directly into your notes app. After copying the transcript from TubeScript, switch to Apple Notes, Google Keep, Notion, or any text app and paste. The clean formatting transfers well to most note-taking apps.
• Use it for lecture videos. Students can get transcripts of lecture recordings on their phone between classes. See how students use transcripts for studying.