Live Captioning in Zoho Backstage OnAir: Availability and Roadmap

Is Live Captioning Available in Zoho Backstage OnAir?

Live captioning displays a real-time text transcript of spoken audio during a virtual event. It helps attendees who are deaf or hard of hearing, and anyone taking part where audio is not available. This article clarifies the current status of live captioning in Zoho Backstage OnAir.

Current status

As at August 2026, live captioning is not available in Zoho Backstage OnAir and is not under active development. Hosts and speakers therefore cannot switch on automatic captions for sessions broadcast through OnAir.

Planned availability

Live captioning is on the Zoho Backstage product roadmap for a future release. Zoho will announce it when it is released, and we will update this article when it does.

Note: Roadmap items can change and are not a committed delivery date. Do not promise captioning to a client or an attendee until it has been released and you have tested it.

What to do for accessibility now

This section is our own advice, not Zoho's.

  • Plan for the need early. If attendees might need captions, tell them in advance what is and is not available, and ask what support they need.
  • Consider a human captioner or an outside captioning service, and check how it could work alongside the way you broadcast OnAir sessions.
  • Share materials in advance, such as slides and handouts, and consider recording sessions so a transcript can be produced afterwards.
  • Check your obligations. Public bodies, and many other organisations, have accessibility duties. Check what applies to your event.

To set up OnAir itself, see Setting Up OnAir in Zoho Backstage.

Need help? As a Zoho Partner serving the UK and Ireland, we can help you plan accessible virtual events in Zoho Backstage. Email zoho@1cloudconsultants.com or raise a support request with 1 Cloud Consultants.