How to Translate Phone Calls on Windows with Phone Link (2026)

TL;DR: Pair your iPhone or Android with your Windows PC through Microsoft Phone Link, take the call on the PC, and StreamVox turns the other person's voice into live translated subtitles - in 49+ languages. Your own voice is not translated: the caller hears you exactly as you speak. Setup takes about ten minutes the first time; after that, it's pick up and read.

A phone call is the least forgiving way to hear a foreign language: no captions, no chat window, no face to read - just a compressed voice at native speed, and one chance to catch what it said. As of July 2026, StreamVox solves this on Windows with something Microsoft already ships: Phone Link routes your phone's call audio to the PC, and once the call plays through your computer, StreamVox subtitles it like any other audio.

Why Route a Phone Call Through Your PC?

Video meetings have caption buttons, chat windows, and a face on screen. A phone call has none of that. When the call is with a landlord abroad, a clinic in another country, or a relative who never learned your language, you either understand it live or you don't.

StreamVox can't listen to your phone directly - and doesn't need to. Microsoft Phone Link pairs an iPhone or Android with Windows so calls can be made and answered on the PC, audio playing through its speakers or headphones. StreamVox captures what the PC is playing and overlays live translated subtitles on top. No adapter, no recorder, no extra hardware - two free apps and the phone already in your pocket.

It's the same overlay that subtitles Zoom and Teams meetings - a phone call is just one more audio source. To see it in action before installing anything, visit the phone call translation use case page.

How to Set Up Phone Call Translation on Windows (5 Steps)

What you need:

A Windows 10 or 11 PC
An iPhone or Android phone
Microsoft Phone Link - free, built into Windows 11
StreamVox from the Microsoft Store - the free plan is enough to test

Then:

Install Phone Link. On Windows 11 it's preinstalled - search "Phone Link" in the Start menu. On Windows 10, get it from the Microsoft Store.
Pair your phone. Follow Microsoft's pairing flow to connect your iPhone or Android.
Open StreamVox and pick your languages - the language the caller speaks and the language you want to read. Set the audio source to system audio.
Make or take a call through Phone Link. The call audio plays through your PC, where StreamVox picks it up.
Read the conversation. Translated subtitles appear on screen as the other person talks.

Two practical notes. First, pick your translation mode before dialing: General handles everyday calls, while Quality trades a little speed for a more accurate read when the line is rough or the accent is heavy - phone audio is compressed, and background noise on the caller's end does affect accuracy. Switching modes means stopping the capture, selecting the new mode, and starting again, so decide before the phone rings. Second, if the call is audible through your PC but no subtitles appear, enable Compatible Mode in the audio-source dropdown and restart the capture - the same fix that covers Teams and Zoom. The phone calls help article keeps a short version of this setup for later.

What Languages Does It Cover?

StreamVox listens in 49+ languages and translates into 49, and any pairing works: a Spanish-speaking caller read in English, a German bank's support line in Turkish, a Japanese in-law in Portuguese. If StreamVox handles your language pair in a meeting, it handles it on a call.

Does It Translate What I Say Too?

No - and this is worth being clear about before your first call. StreamVox translates the other person's voice and shows you subtitles. It does not translate your outgoing voice: the person on the other end hears you exactly as you speak. On a phone call, StreamVox is a listening aid for your side of the screen, not an interpreter speaking on your behalf.

In practice, that covers more calls than you'd expect. If the other person speaks some of your language, or you can get by with simple phrases in theirs, the hard half of the call - following a native speaker at full speed - is the half StreamVox handles. When both people genuinely need translation and you're in the same room, like a family visit or an in-person appointment, Conversation mode translates both speakers live on one screen - the complete guide to two-way AI translation explains how that works.

Is the Call Audio Private?

Phone calls are about as personal as audio gets. The call audio is processed in real time to generate your subtitles and is never stored - not by StreamVox and not by the AI providers it uses. Nothing about the call is saved after the subtitles appear. The usual courtesy applies: if you'd want to know the other side was using a translation tool, tell them you are.

Can You Do This on a Mac?

StreamVox is on Mac as well - macOS 14.2 Sonoma or newer, available on the Mac App Store. The route is different: instead of Phone Link, Apple's Continuity feature lets an incoming iPhone call ring on your Mac when both devices share the same Apple ID and Wi-Fi network. Answer the call on the Mac, and StreamVox subtitles it the same way it does on Windows. There is a full walkthrough of translating iPhone calls on a Mac if that is your setup.

One limit: Android calls on a Mac aren't available - Continuity only works with an iPhone, so answering Android calls on a computer remains a Windows-only capability via Phone Link.

What Does It Cost?

The free plan gives you 15 minutes a day - enough to try StreamVox on part of a call, not hours of talking.

Pro is $8.99/month for 40 hours, Pro+ is $14.99/month for 70 hours, and Unlimited is $24.99/month with no cap. Every plan includes the same overlay, translation modes, and 49+ languages - the only difference is how many hours you get.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does StreamVox translate what I say to the other person?

No. StreamVox translates the other person's voice and shows you live subtitles. Your outgoing voice is not translated - the person on the other end hears you exactly as you speak. Treat it as a listening aid for your side of the call, not an interpreter speaking for you.

Does it work with both iPhone and Android?

Yes, on Windows - Microsoft Phone Link pairs with both, and StreamVox subtitles the call audio either way. On a Mac it's iPhone only: StreamVox translates the iPhone calls you answer on your Mac via Apple Continuity, while Android calls on a computer remain a Windows-only capability.

Do I need to install anything on my phone?

Nothing beyond Microsoft Phone Link's own pairing flow. Phone Link is free and built into Windows 11, and your phone connects through Microsoft's standard setup. StreamVox runs entirely on your PC.

What if StreamVox doesn't pick up the call audio?

If the call is audible through your PC but no subtitles appear, open the audio-source dropdown, enable Compatible Mode, and restart the capture session - the same fix that covers Teams, Zoom, and other communication apps on Windows.

How much of a phone call can I translate for free?

The free plan gives you 15 minutes a day - enough to cover part of a call, not hours of talking. Pro at $8.99/month unlocks 40 hours a month, Pro+ at $14.99/month gives you 70, and Unlimited at $24.99/month removes the cap.

Get Started

Pair your iPhone or Android with your PC through Microsoft Phone Link.
Install StreamVox from the Microsoft Store and pick your language pair.
Set the audio source to system audio and take your next call on the PC.
If subtitles don't appear, toggle Compatible Mode and restart the capture.
Upgrade when 15 minutes a day stops being enough - Pro, Pro+, or Unlimited.

The next call in a language you don't speak doesn't have to be a guessing game - route it through your PC and read every word as it lands.

AlekGir