Zoom is making a major update, bringing automatic closed captioning to all users, not just paid subscribers of the popular video calling service.

AI-powered live transcription is already available for Zoom's paid subscribers, but with this announcement, free members will also be able to enjoy automatic closed captioning when this feature is available in the fall.

Non-paying users currently have to rely on free transcription services or type out all messages for group members who may be hard of hearing. So even if closed captioning should never have been paid for in the first place, the fact that it will be available to all is a huge win for accessibility

According to Zoom, requests will be responded to "within a week or two," so a few months That's a lot better than waiting or paying $150 a year for a paid account.

However, this feature must be turned on by the meeting host. So, if you or someone you work with has hearing loss and would like to benefit from better closed captioning in meetings, please keep that in mind. Also, this tool currently only supports English.

While this is good news, one wonders why basic accessibility features are locked behind a paywall in the first place. Still, this is definitely a step in the right direction, and at least we have a system that ensures that live subtitles are available to those who need them most. And to make things more equitable, we just have to sit tight and be patient. [Microsoft Teams and Skype have offered live subtitles for several years, but most platforms still lack this important feature.