How to turn on subtitles and captions on an iPhone
2 min read · 5 steps · Updated 4 October 2026
Open Settings, tap Accessibility, scroll to Hearing and tap Subtitles & Captioning. Switch on Closed Captions + SDH. The iPhone then prefers closed captions or subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing whenever a video offers them.
- Device
- iPhone
- Shown on
- iOS 26.5 (iPhone 17)
- App
- Settings
- Path
- Settings › Accessibility › Subtitles & Captioning
- Real screenshots
- 5 of 5 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 1 official, linked below
Subtitles help when you cannot hear well, when the room is loud, or when the sound has to stay off. The iPhone has one switch for captions in general and three more that bring subtitles up by themselves in certain moments.
The screenshots show iOS 26.5 on an iPhone 17. On older versions the rows have the same names, with a slightly different look.
Step by step
Open Settings and tap Accessibility
Accessibility is in the first group of the main Settings list, below General.
Scroll to Hearing and tap Subtitles & Captioning
It is the row under the heading Hearing.
Switch on Closed Captions + SDH
In the picture the switch is still off. The note below says: when available, the iPhone prefers closed captioning or subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Check the automatic subtitles
Three switches under Automatic Subtitles are on at first. When Languages Don't Match shows subtitles when the language of the video is not your preferred iPhone language. Show when Muted shows them when the volume is muted or turned all the way down. Show on Skip Back shows them for a short time, up to 30 seconds, when you skip back.
Change how the captions look
Tap Style to choose another look. In the picture it is set to Transparent Background.
Good to know
In a video app, tap the button for audio and subtitles while the video plays, tap Subtitles, and choose from the list. Captions are offered when the video has them.
Under Style you can use an existing caption style or create your own, with font, size, colour, background and opacity.
Text too small in general? How to make text bigger on an iPhone.
In short: Settings, Accessibility, Subtitles & Captioning, Closed Captions + SDH on.
Links checked on 3 October 2026. Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.