CoPilot Interview transcribes in passes about every 2 seconds, so captions trail speech a little and the last few words can change as more audio arrives. If captions stop altogether, the usual causes are the 10-minute silence pause, Auto New Q setting earlier text aside after a 20-second gap, lost meeting audio, the wrong language or your network.
CoPilot Interview is an AI interview assistant; its captions appear in the CC Captions box of a live session. The app doesn't publish a fixed caption delay.
What normal looks like
| Behaviour | Value |
|---|---|
| Transcription pass | About every 2 seconds; silent stretches are skipped |
| Answer after you click ⚡ AI Answer | About 2 seconds, per the website |
| Silence pause | After 10 minutes with no voice |
| Auto New Q | When speech resumes after a 20-second pause and a transcript exists |
| Session-end warning | 2 minutes before the plan's session cap |
Captions missing: check these in order
| You see | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| “Recording paused after 10 minutes of silence” | Nothing was heard, so listening stopped and the clock paused | Click Resume, click the orb or press Ctrl+Shift+L |
| “🆕 New question detected” | A 20-second gap set the earlier transcript aside | Click Undo if the interviewer was only pausing; turn off 🆕 Auto New Q in ⚙ Options if it happens too often |
| ● REC MIC in the captions area | No meeting audio | See not hearing the interviewer |
| “Audio dropped — reconnecting…” | A capture device ended | Wait a moment; if captions don't return, press Ctrl+Shift+L twice |
| “No audio yet — click Listen first” | Listening is paused | Press Ctrl+Shift+L |
| The session ended on its own | It reached the plan's session cap | Start a new session; free sessions last up to 15 minutes |
Captions delayed: what helps
- Network. Audio is sent for transcription every few seconds, so a weak connection shows up as lag. Use Ethernet or sit near the router, and close apps that sync large files. Using a phone hotspot covers mobile data.
- Busy speech service. When the main speech-to-text provider is overloaded, the server switches to a backup provider; there is nothing to change on your side.
- The last words of a question. You don't need to wait for them: when you click ⚡ AI Answer, the app shows “⏳ Capturing last words...” and transcribes the end of the question before answering, and waits a moment more if the question looks unfinished.
- The AI model doesn't affect captions. Models change answer speed, not transcription.
Captions present but wrong
- Wrong language. One 🌐 Language setting controls captions and answers. If the app says “The interviewer seems to be speaking…”, click the Switch button it offers, which re-runs the captions.
- Bluetooth earbuds using their own mic can garble audio. Use wired headphones, or the laptop mic with earbuds for sound only.
- Your voice in the interviewer's captions means speakers are playing into your mic. Wear headphones.
- Unusual names and jargon are the hardest words for any speech model; how accurate AI interview transcription is goes into the limits.
Get an answer without waiting for captions
⚡ AI Answer uses whatever has been transcribed. If it says “Audio too short — speak for a few seconds, then press Answer”, let more of the question play. You can also type the question into 💬 Type to ask AI anything..., or, for a question on screen, use 🖥 Read screen (Ctrl+Shift+S). Audio goes in short segments through the company's server to the speech-to-text provider and is not stored. In a live interview, follow your employer's rules; live captions for interviews covers caption options that need no assistant at all.
Frequently asked questions
How far behind are CoPilot Interview's captions?
The app transcribes in passes about every 2 seconds, so a short lag is normal. It doesn't publish a fixed delay, and your network adds to it.
Why did the transcript suddenly clear?
Auto New Q treats speech after a 20-second pause as a new question and sets the earlier text aside. Click Undo in the notice, or turn Auto New Q off in ⚙ Options.
Why did captions stop after a long silence?
After 10 minutes with no voice, recording pauses and the session clock stops. Click Resume or press Ctrl+Shift+L.
Is audio transcribed on my computer?
No. Short audio segments are sent through the company's server to a speech-to-text provider, and the privacy policy says they are not stored.
Run the audio check before your next call
The free plan needs no account and no card: 15 minutes of live help a day in sessions of up to 15 minutes, plus AI mock interviews. Desktop app for Windows 10 and 11 and macOS 12 or later.
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