Connect your computer
PocketTranscript doesn't grab transcripts by itself — your computer does the work and sends the result to your phone. So there's a one-time setup on the computer. About three minutes.
Download the extension
On your computer, open this page and tap the button.
⬇︎ Download the extensionYou'll get a .zip file. If your computer didn't unzip it for you, double-click it. You should end up with a folder of files — that folder is what Chrome needs.
Is it in the Chrome Web Store?
It is, but the Store copy is version 4.1, and the Phone feature arrived in 4.2. So the Store version can't talk to your phone yet — a new build is waiting on Google's review.
Use the download button above for now. Once the Store catches up, you'll be able to install it in one click from there instead.
See the Chrome Web Store listing →Open Chrome's extensions page
In Chrome, type this into the address bar and press Enter:
chrome://extensions
It can't be a normal link — Chrome blocks pages from linking to its own settings. You have to type or paste it.
Turn on Developer mode
Top-right of that page there's a switch called Developer mode. Turn it on. Three new buttons appear.
Click "Load unpacked" and pick the folder
Choose the folder you unzipped in step 1 — the one with manifest.json inside it. Pick the folder itself, not a file inside it, and not the .zip.
Chrome may warn that the extension isn't from the Store. That's expected for a hand-installed extension; it's the same code as the Store listing, just newer.
Open it and get your code
Click the extension's icon in Chrome's toolbar, open the Phone tab, then press Show pairing code. Six digits appear. They're good for 10 minutes.
Type the code on your phone
Back on your phone, open PocketTranscript and type those six digits. That's it — you'll never do this again on this phone.
If something's off
The app says my computer is asleep
Chrome has to be running on the computer. Wake it, open Chrome, and the app turns green on its own within about a minute. Anything you sent meanwhile is still queued — nothing is lost, and you don't need to send it again.
The code says it expired
Codes last 10 minutes and work once. Press Show pairing code again for a fresh one.
A transcript came back as an error
Most often YouTube simply hasn't made captions for that video yet — on a fresh upload that can take 15–30 minutes, longer for Bangla. Tap Retry on the row and it goes back into the queue.
How long are my transcripts kept?
7 days, then they're deleted automatically. Each row shows its age so you can see what's about to go. Copy anything you want to keep.
I already had this extension installed
Then you just need the newer build. Do steps 1–4 again; Chrome replaces the old copy. Check the version badge in the bottom corner of the popup — it should read 4.5 or higher.