@banshee

I use Live Transcribe. I have tried AVA and it was basically a total fail. The speaker needs to be very close to the mic in order to get captions. You have to invite others to join and get the app also. Not as easy as it looks. I last used this about a year ago (since got rid of it) and found that, when a group of us were in a restaurant I was able to only get the person directly in front of me. People talking down at the end of the table had their heads turned to whoever was speaking so the voices could not be picked up. This seemed to be a one at a time sort of thing. It also picked up random voices from the next table.
We were all having a problem with it at that time. It involved handing the phone back and forth to each person speaking.

On my phone I also have an app called TextHear which is available on iphones and androids. You have to hit the microphone to speak but it does a good job one on one. You would have to pass the phone back and forth in a large group. If you around a dinner table its easier to lean over to the person speaking. Another app I have used is Otter which I think was originally designed for business meetings. That also did a good job. That one you need to sign up for although it is free. I didn't need all this apps on my Android so I stick with Live Transcribe and TextHear. They are especially helpful in Doctors offices when everyone is speaking behind masks. For all the apps you need good wifi service and a good mic on the phone.

All that being said, there are really no apps out there that will let you sit back and place the phone in the middle of a table and you are able to hear everyone.
Even the Pocket Talker microphone that I used to place in the middle of the table didn't pick up voices less then a couple of feet away and often not at all. The lapel mics are better but you can ear the rustling sounds of the speakers when they move. At least people are still trying to come up with apps.

I would like a new update of my Samsung 7S but am really afraid that the next mic might not be as powerful so I will keep the current version as long as I can because Live Transcribe is so successful for me...as is TextHear.

FL Mary