Closed captions or subtitles can be useful for some, but many Android users find them distracting and want to know how to turn them off.
Fortunately, disabling closed captions on Android devices is quick and easy once you know where to look.
What Are Closed Captions and Why Would You Want to Disable Them?
Closed captions display text transcriptions of the audio in videos, shows, and other media.
They are useful for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
However, some people find the extra text distracting or unnecessary if they can already hear the audio clearly.
Reasons you may want to turn off closed captions on your Android device include:
- You find the text overlays distracting
- You don’t need text transcriptions of the audio
- Captions cover up parts of the video image
- You want less clutter on your Android’s screen while watching videos
Step-by-Step Guide to Disabling Captions on Android
The steps to turn off closed captioning may vary slightly depending on your specific Android device and OS version.
But in most cases, disabling captions is quick and straightforward.
1. Open Your Android’s Settings App
Like most configuration changes on Android, modifying closed caption settings starts in the Settings app.
Open your Settings like usual – either by swiping down from the top and tapping the gear icon or by locating the Settings icon on your home screen or app drawer.
2. Choose Accessibility Settings
From the main Settings menu, choose “Accessibility” or a similarly named section dedicated to accessibility services.
This is where you manage services that assist users with disabilities, which is also where closed captioning options are configured.
3. Select Captions or Subtitle Settings
In Accessibility settings, you should see options like “Captions” or “Subtitle settings.”
Tap this to open captions configuration.
4. Turn Off Captions or Disable Services
Finally, in your caption settings you can turn subtitles off completely.
Toggle the main captions switch to the off position.
You may also see toggles for disabling individual caption services like Samsung subtitles, Android subtitles, etc.
Turn those off too.
5. Confirm Closed Captions Are Now Disabled
Go back to video apps and content to confirm that closed caption text no longer appears automatically.
Enjoy your Android device now without bothersome or unnecessary text overlays.
Additional Ways to Disable Android Closed Captions
Besides the main global toggle in Accessibility settings, you may also find other ways to turn off closed captions, such as:
- Disabling captions in individual video streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, etc. Look for CC or subtitle options in the app menu.
- Turning off subtitles in the Photos/Gallery app for videos saved locally on your device storage.
- Toggling captions off for specific videos in YouTube.
- Using the quick settings panel in your notification shade to instantly enable/disable captions as needed.
FAQs About Closed Captions on Android
Why do I keep seeing closed captions on my Android?
If captions reappear automatically despite disabling them globally, it’s likely individual apps are overriding your system preference and turning them back on. Check app-specific caption settings as outlined above.
Do closed captions drain my Android’s battery faster?
Enabling closed captions requires additional processing power for rendering the text, so yes technically they can slightly reduce battery runtime, but the impact is minor in most cases.
Say Goodbye to Unwanted Captions on Android
While closed captions serve an important accessibility purpose, many Android users want to eliminate distracting text overlays.
Thankfully disabling closed captions is quick and straightforward if you know what settings to tweak.
Now subtitles won’t stand in the way of enjoying videos, streaming content, and other media on your Android smartphone or tablet!
