When you talk to someone who can’t hear well, you must be clear. Every word matters. The same is true if your own hearing is not strong. You must catch each word and understand it. Phone calls make this harder. But there is something called RTT that helps. It makes things simpler.
What Is Real-Time Text Calling?
RTT means Real-Time Text. It lets people with hearing trouble talk better on the phone. The words appear as they are spoken, like subtitles, but live. In America, RTT works right away when someone calls you. If you want to call someone using RTT, you must first turn it on. It is there to help. But if you do not need it, let’s go over how to turn it off on your iPhone or Android.
How to Turn Off RTT calling on Android
Turning off RTT means the text won’t show up when you make a call. Not for you. Not for the other person. If the one you’re calling can’t hear well, it’s better to leave it on. But if you don’t want to use it, you can switch it off. Here’s how.
- Open the Phone app on your Android.
- Tap the three dots at the top.
- Choose Settings.
- Go to Accessibility.
- Find Real-time text (RTT). Set it to Not visible.
You can also go back to Accessibility.
Choose TTY Mode.
Set it to TTY Off.
That’s it. No more RTT.
How to Disable RTT calling on iPhone
RTT works on iPhone too. If you turned it on and can’t recall how to shut it off, here’s what to do.
- Open Settings.
- Go to Accessibility.
- Tap RTT/TTY.
- Turn off Software RTT. Turn off Hardware TTY.
That’s all. Simple and done.
Final Words
And that’s RTT calling demystified (and diplomatically dismissed from your digital life, if you so choose). If you’re turning it off because you like your phone calls without the live captioning experience or because you accidentally turned it on in the middle of a late night settings exploration (we’ve all been there), thankfully the process is mercifully straightforward. Remember that RTT is a real need for those who require it and makes phone calls from potential communication barriers to accessible conversations. Technology should not confuse us, it should serve us. The most empowering thing you can do with a feature sometimes is knowing exactly how to turn it off when it doesn’t serve your needs.
