Captions and audio description are playback options in PBS Video and PBS KIDS, not separate subscriptions. Start a programme, open the controls for your device, then choose the caption language or the secondary English AD audio track when that title provides one.
The menu and icon differ between PBS.org, iPhone and iPad, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV and smart-TV apps. Use the instructions for the app and device you are actually watching on. If English AD is not listed, PBS says that programme does not offer an audio-description track; changing devices will not create one.
What captions and audio description do in PBS streaming
Captions display dialogue and other audible information as text. The player may offer more than one caption language, and some players include a separate control for changing the captions’ appearance.
Audio Description (AD), also called Descriptive Video Service (DVS), is a secondary audio track that describes what is appearing on screen during a video. It is intended to make visual action, settings and other important information available through narration while the original programme audio continues.
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Both features are selected from the player while a video is playing. PBS does not charge separately for these accessibility controls, and PBS says its app does not require a fee or another app to download and activate.
Which PBS platforms support audio description?
Availability is a combination of the device, the PBS app family and the individual title. The table below reflects PBS’s current platform guidance; support can change as apps are updated.
| Platform | How to open playback controls | Caption control | Audio-description control | AD support stated by PBS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PBS.org web player | Start playback; controls appear in the player | CC at lower right, then a language such as English | Headphones icon, then English AD | Available when the title supplies the track |
| iPhone or iPad | Start playback and tap the three-dot menu | Caption controls may appear in the player’s caption menu | Languages, then English AD | Available when the title supplies the track |
| Roku | Press the star (*) button after playback begins | Captions mode > On Always | Audio track > English AD | Documented when the title supplies the track |
| Apple TV | Pause the video to expose player controls | Closed-caption icon, then English | Audio Levels icon, then English AD | Documented when the title supplies the track |
| Amazon Fire TV | Press Down on the directional pad | CC > English, CC | No selectable PBS AD track on this platform | PBS currently says AD is not supported |
| Android mobile | Use the playback controls exposed by the app | CC may be available, depending on app and title | No selectable PBS AD track | PBS currently says AD is not supported |
| Android TV | Use the playback controls exposed by the app | Availability depends on app and title | No selectable PBS AD track | PBS currently says AD is not supported |
| Samsung TV | Use the playback controls exposed by the app | CC may be available, depending on app and title | No selectable PBS AD track | PBS currently says AD is not supported |
| VIZIO SmartCast | Use the playback controls exposed by the app | CC may be available, depending on app and title | No selectable PBS AD track | PBS currently says AD is not supported |
“Available when the title supplies the track” is important: PBS does not provide AD for every programme. A supported device can still show no English AD choice for a particular episode or film.
Turn on captions and AD on PBS.org
The PBS.org web player exposes both settings directly in the video controls.
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- Open the programme on PBS.org and start the video.
- For captions, select the CC button in the lower-right corner of the player.
- Choose English, or choose another language if the menu offers one. The captions begin using that selection.
- For narration, select the headphones icon next to the other playback options.
- Choose English AD. This switches the video to the secondary audio track when the title includes it.
- If the captions are difficult to read, open the caption-format control beside the caption options and adjust the available appearance settings.
The caption-format control changes presentation, not the programme’s language or audio. If the headphones menu has no English AD item, check the title’s availability rather than repeatedly refreshing the page.
Turn on AD and captions on iPhone or iPad
- Open the PBS video in the PBS app on your iPhone or iPad and start playback.
- Wait for the playback controls, then tap the three-dot menu.
- Choose Languages.
- Select English AD for audio description when it is listed.
Caption controls may be exposed through the player’s caption menu when available. If you do not see a caption choice, bring the controls back up while the video is playing and inspect the caption menu rather than the language list. The exact options remain title-dependent.
Turn on captions and AD on Roku
Roku places the PBS options behind the star button. The sponsorship message must finish before the relevant playback controls are available.
- Start the PBS video and let the sponsorship message end.
- Press the star (*) button on the Roku remote.
- For captions, select Captions mode, then choose On Always.
- For audio description, select Audio track, then choose English AD if it appears.
- Press the star button again to close the menu and return to playback.
To disable captions later, reopen the same menu and select Off. The caption setting and the audio-track setting are separate, so turning captions off does not turn off AD, and choosing AD does not automatically enable captions.
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Turn on captions and AD on Apple TV
- Pause the PBS video so the player controls remain visible.
- For captions, move to the closed-caption icon in the controls and choose English. Select Off there when you want to disable captions.
- For audio description, select the Audio Levels icon, shown as vertical bars.
- If the Audio Levels icon is hidden, scroll up or press Up to reveal it.
- Choose English AD when the track is offered.
Apple TV’s caption and audio menus are independent. You can watch with captions only, AD only, both, or neither, subject to the options supplied for that title.
Turn on captions on Amazon Fire TV
- Start the PBS video.
- Press Down on the directional pad to show the progress bar and playback controls.
- Select CC, then choose English, CC.
- To disable captions, return to the same menu and choose Off.
PBS’s current accessibility guidance says AD is not supported in the PBS app on Amazon Fire TV. Consequently, an English AD choice will not appear there even for a programme that carries an AD track elsewhere. Fire TV’s caption menu should not be mistaken for an audio-track menu: English, CC enables text captions only.
Android mobile, Android TV, Samsung TV and VIZIO SmartCast
PBS currently lists audio description as unsupported in its app on Android mobile, Android TV, Samsung TV and VIZIO SmartCast. Those apps therefore do not provide a selectable English AD track through the PBS player.
Captions may still be available where the app exposes a CC control. Start the title, reveal the playback controls and look for the caption option. Whether captions appear can vary by platform and by title, so the absence of a CC button on one programme is not proof that every PBS programme lacks captions.
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If AD is essential, use a platform on which PBS documents an audio-track control, such as the PBS.org web player, Roku or Apple TV, and confirm that the specific title offers the track.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.PBS KIDS uses different menus
PBS KIDS is a separate app family and does not always place accessibility settings in the same menus as PBS Video. Follow the PBS KIDS controls rather than the PBS Video instructions above.
PBS KIDS website
- Start the PBS KIDS video.
- Open the gear icon.
- Choose Audio Selection.
- Select the available audio-description option when the title supplies one.
PBS KIDS on Fire TV or Android TV
The PBS KIDS app can expose English (AD) from its gear menu on Fire TV and Android TV. Open the gear menu during playback and choose that track if it is listed.
PBS KIDS on Samsung and VIZIO
PBS lists AD as unsupported in its PBS KIDS apps on Samsung and VIZIO. If those apps provide captions, use their on-screen caption control; an AD choice will not be available through the app.
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Why “English AD” is missing
The most common explanation is that the programme does not include an audio-description track. PBS states that when a title lacks AD, the English (AD) option does not appear. This is a title-level limitation, not a sign that you missed a hidden button.
Use this order of checks:
- Confirm the app family. PBS Video and PBS KIDS can have different menus and different platform support.
- Confirm the device. PBS currently lists AD as unsupported on Amazon Fire TV, Android mobile, Android TV, Samsung TV and VIZIO SmartCast for the PBS app.
- Start the video and reveal controls. On Roku, wait until the sponsorship message ends; on Apple TV, pause; on Fire TV, press Down; on iPhone or iPad, tap the three dots.
- Look in the correct menu. AD is an audio track: headphones on PBS.org, Languages on iPhone or iPad, Audio track on Roku, and Audio Levels on Apple TV.
- Check the exact label. Depending on the app, the option may read English AD or English (AD). A plain English caption option is not the same track.
- Try a documented platform. If the title is known to offer AD but your device is one PBS lists as unsupported, use PBS.org, Roku or Apple TV instead.
Why captions do not appear
Caption problems usually come from the controls being hidden, the mode being set to Off, or the title and platform combination not exposing captions. Reopen the controls while playback is active and inspect the caption menu.
- On PBS.org, use CC in the lower-right corner and choose a language.
- On Roku, choose Captions mode > On Always, not Off.
- On Apple TV, use the closed-caption icon and select English.
- On Fire TV, press Down, select CC, then English, CC.
- On iPhone or iPad, bring up the player controls and inspect the caption menu; it may be separate from Languages.
- On Android mobile, Samsung TV and VIZIO SmartCast, look for a CC control, understanding that caption availability is platform- and title-dependent.
If captions still do not appear after the menu is set correctly, test another PBS title. A different result can show whether the limitation belongs to the programme rather than the device.
Practical choices for watching with both features
Captions and AD can be selected independently. For example, on a Roku title that offers both, set Captions mode to On Always and set Audio track to English AD. On PBS.org, choose a caption language with CC and choose English AD from the headphones menu. If a platform offers only one of those controls, that is a platform limitation, not a requirement to purchase an additional service.
Settings are applied from the player for the video you are watching. When you move to another title, inspect its available languages and tracks again; PBS does not promise that every programme carries the same accessibility options.
Keeping the instructions current
Streaming interfaces change when an app or device is updated. PBS’s help pages are the authoritative place to check newly added devices or revised menu names. When a button has moved, identify the function rather than relying only on its position: captions are normally under CC or a closed-caption icon, while AD is an alternate audio language or track marked AD.
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