YouTube TV Closed Captioning Won’t Turn Off? – Fixed!

If the YouTube TV closed captioning won’t turn off, something bugged out, which might be easy or challenging to identify and resolve.

Well, remain invested throughout this guide to learn all about the YouTube TV closed captions (CC) and why they won’t disappear!

The closed captions in the YouTube platform can be turned off by pressing the “CC” icon after pausing the broadcast.

When the feature won’t turn off, you need to ensure that the specific content does not have in-built subtitles, which are not closed captions!

Let’s continue to unwrap!

How Do You Turn Off Closed Captions On YouTube?

Closed captions or “CC” on YouTube TV are available for mobile and desktop TVs. Turning the feature ON/OFF on all platforms is possible, but done in a different way.

This is why it’s best to learn how to enable and disable the feature first, and only then troubleshoot, if necessary!

How to Turn Off YouTube TV CC On Television?

1. Press one of the arrows from the remote control.
2. When the bar appears, highlight the CC icon.
3. Then use the OK/Select button to enable/disable.

How to Turn Off YouTube TV CC On Computer?

1. Move your computer’s cursor to bring up the bar.
2. Press the “CC” icon at the most-right of the display.
3. The auto-generated subtitles should now disappear!

How to Turn Off YouTube TV CC On Mobile Device?

1. Tap on the display of your device for the bar to appear.
2. Tap the three-dot icon at the top-right of the screen.
3. Press on “CC” and then set the feature to “OFF” to stop.

In case you’re following the correct steps, but the CC is not turning off, keep reading!

YouTube TV Captions Won’t Turn Off – 7 Easy Solutions!

Tip: To achieve success in resolving the problem, follow our steps chronologically!

1. Set your Language to English

Many users who couldn’t turn off the closed captions on YouTube TV reported that selecting “English” as their device’s default language resolves the problem.

It’s unclear why such an issue appears in different languages than English, and we can only speculate work in progress.

• To change the default language, go into your device’s “Region & Language”

Info: You only need to switch your device’s default language temporarily, until you successfully disable the CC on YouTube, and then switch back.

2. Test with a Different Broadcast

While you’re still on YouTube TV, you should try playing a different broadcast to determine if the CC issue is video-related or with the platform in general.

It is possible that some broadcasts in YouTube TV may have CC enabled by default and this is something you cannot change.

• Go back to the homepage of YouTube TV and play an alternative broadcast

Tip: Try multiple different broadcasts available on the YouTube TV platform to determine if the CC will remain enabled, even when disabled.

3. Power Cycle YouTube Device

To further address CC issues with YouTube TV, you should power off your device and then turn it on again.

This will clear out any temporal problems with the platform and possibly deactivate the closed captions of your broadcasts, even though they have not been enabled manually.

Follow these steps to reboot your device along with YouTube TV:

1. Exit the YouTube TV app on your phone, PC, or television.
2. Unplug or shut down your YouTube TV streaming device.
3. Keep your streaming player unplugged for 60 seconds.
4. Re-launch YouTube TV and test whether the CC is there!

Reminder: After launching YouTube TV, check if the “CC” icon on the most-right is gray, thus, the CC is disabled

4. Update the YouTube TV App

If the YouTube TV app runs on an outdated firmware version, it is likely to cause issues with the CC feature on some or all of the videos or live streams.

To resolve the problem quickly and effectively, you must upload YouTube TV’s latest available software version.

• Updating the YouTube TV app is only available on mobile and television!

Here’s how to update the YouTube TV application in easy steps:

1. Launch your device’s content store (GooglePlay/App Store for mobiles).
2. Go to “Manage Installed Applications” and locate the YouTube TV app.
3. Highlight the application and press “Check for Updates” or “Update”.
4. If an update is available, select the “Update” button to start the process.

Pro Tip: In order to take the troubleshooting one step further, remove the YouTube TV app from your device and cleanly re-download the application.

5. Check your Internet Connection!

In case YouTube TV closed captioning won’t turn off, it is possible that the issue is caused by insufficient bandwidth.

If your network router cannot supply your streaming device with stable internet, it’s likely that YouTube can’t recognize your command for disabling the caption.

How to Troubleshoot a WiFi Network?

Note: Apply the steps below if you’re experiencing WiFi issues on other devices or there are major connectivity slow-downs within the YouTube TV platform.

• Reboot your network router, by reconnecting the device from the outlet.
• Unplug the router’s service cable, wait for 30 seconds, and plug it back in.
• Place your router closer to the TV, so the WiFi connection can improve.
• Contact your ISP, if you’re having WiFi/internet issues on other devices!

One More Thing – Try This!

Use your smartphone to enter the mobile YouTube app and go as close as possible to the router to check whether you can disable the CC.

For TVs, users can share a hotspot from their mobile and connect the TV, in order to test whether the CC can be disabled on a stable internet (WiFi).

Note: Verify that your streaming device is connected to a reliable WiFi, before proceeding!

6. Play Live Broadcasts

Some users who had been experiencing this problem later figured that they were only seeing auto-generated subtitles on shows that they have recorded.

If you had a device that could record live shows (such as DVR) and the CC was enabled, they would appear on the broadcast!

Note: You cannot disable captured closed captions, since now they exist in the video!

How to Test for CC On Live Broadcasts?

Simply type “Live Shows” on YouTube and turn on a show that has the “Live” mark on the bottom-right corner or in the description.

This way you can test whether closed captions can be disabled on an “unmodified” video, hence interacting with the live closed captions of the player.

Tip: To prevent recording CCs, always make sure to disable them before starting to capture!

7. Reinstall the YouTube TV Application

If the CC won’t turn off in the YouTube TV app, the best and ultimate solution is to uninstall it and then cleanly install and app from scratch.

This process is different on all devices and as long as you sign in to the same account, your YouTube feed and all settings will remain.

Note: The steps below are universal and might not apply to your TV model so check the user manual for reference!

How to Uninstall YouTube on TV?

1. Access the Settings of your TV.
2. Navigate into the “Apps” section.
3. Locate the YouTube TV app.
4. Highlight and choose “Uninstall”.
5. Wait for YouTube TV to be removed.
6. Access the content store of your device.
7. Download YouTube TV again and test!

How to Uninstall YouTube on Mobile?

1. Go into the Settings of your device.
2. Tap on Storage/App to find YouTube TV.
3. On iPhones, simply hold the app Icon.
4. Then open Google Play or App Store.
5. Find and download the official YouTube TV.
6. Sign into your Google account to proceed.

Note: When you’re ready, start a clip, pause the broadcast, and try to enable/disable the CC.

Are Closed Captions Enabled by Default?

Since CC for YouTube TV (and many other platforms and cable providers) is an optional feature, no, they are not enabled by default.

You must toggle the setting for the auto-generated text to start appearing according to the broadcast and what’s currently saying. 

Will CC Stay Enabled Once Turned On?

The short answer is yes, CC stays enabled once activated for a single broadcast.

Hence, you activate CC for one broadcast on YouTube TV and when you switch to another, the subtitles will still be there until they are disabled again.

Note: When you enable the CC option, it only stays enabled on this particular device!

Quick Recap:

Here we’ve figured that when YouTube TV closed captioning won’t turn off you need to check whether the broadcast doesn’t have inbuilt subtitles. If not, the ultimate solution is to perform a clean YouTube TV reinstallation, in order to regain control over this setting!

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