Do audience members need to download an app?
No. SurtitleLive audience access uses a viewer link or QR code that opens in a mobile browser. Audience members choose an enabled language before entering the live viewer.
Mobile theatre subtitles
Mobile Theatre Subtitles for Audience Phones
Mobile theatre subtitles work best when the QR code is part of a complete audience flow: clear entry, readable text, language choice, front-of-house support, and a live workflow that stays aligned with the performance.
Where mobile theatre subtitles fit
- - Venues with mixed-language audiences or visitors who need personal-device access.
- - Productions where projection sightlines are difficult or projection should be supplemented.
- - Festivals and touring shows that need portable audience entry across rooms.
- - Teams that want QR-code or viewer-link access without an app-store install.
Where this may not fit
- - Rooms where phones are not acceptable for the production or audience policy.
- - Venues with poor connectivity and no fallback plan.
- - Productions where a single projected language already serves the audience well.
Vocabulary
The label matters less than the live workflow
Mobile subtitles, mobile surtitles, no-app captions, and QR-code subtitles often describe the same audience problem: how people reach readable live text on their own device without creating a heavy setup at the venue door.
SurtitleLive workflow
- 1Deploy the show and generate a viewer link or QR code.
- 2Place the QR code where the audience can scan before the performance begins.
- 3Let viewers choose an enabled language in the mobile browser.
- 4Run the live show from the Operator Cockpit so phone subtitles follow the cues.
- 5Prepare fallback guidance for low battery, poor signal, or late audience entry.
Related planning
Read before choosing a workflow
Mobile surtitles without an app
Plan browser-based audience entry, QR-code signage, and language selection before the audience arrives.
QR-code subtitles for audiences
Set up the entry path, signage, and front-of-house explanation around the QR code.
When mobile delivery fits
Decide when phones should supplement projection and when they add unnecessary complexity.
Common questions
Should mobile subtitles be used instead of projection?
Not always. Mobile viewing is often strongest as a complement to projection, especially for multilingual audiences or difficult sightlines. Some venues will still prefer projection as the main delivery path.
What should front-of-house staff prepare?
They should know where the QR code appears, how to describe the viewer flow, what languages are enabled, and what fallback advice to give if a viewer has device or connection trouble.