Are you stuck trying to figure out why Disney Plus’ subtitles or captions are not working?
You’re not alone! Believe it or not, every day thousands of the platform’s subscribers find themselves in this situation with no clue as to where to go next.
I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to have this happen to you. After all, paying for a subscription you’re not getting the most out of can feel like throwing money in the garbage.
But don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. I’m here to help you figure things out once and for all.
Below, you’ll find a list of 8 simple fixes you can try to get everything back up and running. I’m sure one of them will hit the nail on the head.
These are:
Keep reading to leave this nightmare in the rearview mirror!
First, I want us to check your accessibility settings.
Most of the time, Disney Plus simply overrides them; however, on certain occasions, this might not be possible and could explain why the platform’s subtitles or captions are not working.
Luckily, fixing this issue is simpler than you think, you just need to do some tweaking.
Solution: Here’s what you need to do:
For iOS devices:
For Android devices:
Sometimes all you need to do to get things back to normal is turn your subtitles on and off a couple of times.
I know this sounds like something that shouldn’t work, but in a lot of cases, it does.
Sometimes a bug or a corrupted file in Disney Plus can prevent the subtitles on your favorite content to load properly, thus making it look like they’re not working. By toggling them off and back on a few times you’re refreshing the settings inside the platform and giving this feature a chance to work as expected.
Solution: Here’s how to access these options:
You might think that keeping your favorite apps slightly outdated is not a big deal. And while it’s not a federal crime, it could certainly be the source of several technical difficulties down the line.
With every new release, app developers try to keep as much backward compatibility as they can, but it’s not always possible. Using an older version of the platform’s software on a fully updated streaming device could explain why Disney Plus’s subtitles or captions are not working as expected.
And while automatic updating should normally make this no concern of yours, sometimes network interruptions, background process crashes, or even strict device privacy settings can get in the way and leave the pending downloads stuck in Limbo.
In that scenario, you’ll have to take care of things manually.
Solution: With so many streaming devices out there, it would take me hours to walk you through updating Disney Plus within each one.
And while I don’t mind it, I’m sure you’ve got a very busy day!
Instead, I’d advise going to Google and searching for “How to update apps on <Your Device’s Name Goes Here>”. You should be able to find several resources with detailed instructions for your particular case.
That being said, since I don’t want you to leave this section empty-handed, here’s how to update Disney Plus on iOS, Android, and Roku:
For iOS devices:
For Android devices:
You may be prompted with a notification asking for your permission to proceed with the updates. If so, just accept and sit tight.
Sometimes the simplest answer is the right one.
You may or may not know this, but every single piece of content within Disney Plus has its own ID and space on its servers. This is why sometimes you might have trouble watching a specific title, but be able to seamlessly enjoy another.
By keeping your favorite movies and shows organized this way, the platform can prevent an isolated incident from becoming a general failure.
And while this normally works wonders, sometimes it can trick us into thinking that there’s something wrong with the entire service.
Solution: Try switching back and forth between different shows on the platform and see what happens.
In some cases, this can refresh the subtitle settings on the title you were originally watching and get everything back to normal.
Assuming this does not work, you’ll have to be patient and wait for the issue to be resolved.
Next, I want us to make sure that your connection is not to blame.
Although internet service drops have decreased dramatically over the last few years, they still happen now and then. Something I’m sure you already know.
What makes diagnosing a bad connection so tricky is that sometimes, even when you have one, you might not be completely cut off from the Internet. In certain cases, you might still be able to do some light browsing or chatting while also having Disney Plus’ subtitles or captions not working.
Why? Because each activity has different requirements.
Texting your friends and family about how a job interview went will never be as network-demanding as streaming your favorite content on the platform.
As a general rule, Disney Plus needs a minimum internet speed of 5 Mbps to stream in Full HD (1080p) resolution and a whopping 25 Mbps for 4K (2160p).
Before trying anything else, make sure your connection is strong and stable.
Solution: Normally, I advise having a plan that is 5-6 times faster than your favorite platform’s minimum requirements. For example, if you want to stream in 4K, you should have a minimum internet plan speed of 150 Mbps.
If you live alone, you might be able to get away with a slower connection. But if you share your home network with several people, you might even need to go higher.
Provided that your plan is already fast enough, I’d suggest giving your provider a call and asking if they’re having coverage issues in your area. If they tell you everything is fine on their side of the fence, you’ll likely have to reset your modem and see if that works.
If you’ve never done it before, that’s ok! It’s really simple:
We’re making great progress, but we need to keep pushing! Now, I want us to check the status of the platform’s servers.
As you may know, these are responsible for storing important information and providing millions of Disney Plus subscribers with the service they expect for the price they pay every month.
Given how crucial they are to their everyday operations, streaming companies have put a lot of work into designing them to be as resistant as possible. And while I’m not telling you that that they’ll break just for looking at them, I’d be lying if I said that they’ve managed to make them failproof.
In fact, things that seem unimportant, such as a coding bug, a bad hard drive, or even minor hacking, can greatly impact the platform’s performance and compromise several features.
The telltale signs of these events are slow loading times, login difficulties, subscription verification issues, out-of-sync audio/video, and of course, subtitles and captions that refuse to work.
Solution: To confirm or rule this out as a possible cause for the situation, we need to check the real-time status of the platform’s servers.
Here’s how you can do it:
The taller the spikes, the more likely you are to be experiencing issues
If you see the equivalent of Mt. Everest forming in the graph above, it’s an almost absolute certainty that the platform is currently having trouble, and there’s not much you can do about it.
However, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. The IT department at Disney Plus is highly efficient, and to our knowledge, there’s never been an instance where the service wasn’t fully restored within 24 hours.
Moving on, let’s talk about your cache and cookies.
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, that’s perfectly fine, most people are not familiar with the concepts.
But now that you’re here, I’d love to shed some light on them. Let’s start with the cache.
This is where your favorite apps store important information. In it, you’re likely to find audio, video, preset configurations, and sometimes even login credentials. By keeping this data handy, Disney Plus can load much quicker on startup and provide you with an enjoyable experience.
Cookies, on the other hand, are tools used to make your browsing more efficient and increase the accuracy of targeted ads.
They’re the reason why you’re suddenly bombarded on social media with ads for cupcake molds right after looking up the recipe for the perfect Strawberry Shortcake.
And while for the most part, leaving them both untouched will do more good than harm, sometimes it could also be the reason why Disney Plus’ subtitles or captions are not working.
In that scenario, your best bet will be to clear them.
Solution: You should be able to delete your cookies and cache in every major browser and operating system out there. For this example I’ll use Google Chrome and an Android system:
For Google Chrome:
For Android devices:
This is merely a suggestion, but you might want to write these steps down, as knowing how to frequently clear your cache and cookies is a good practice that will save you a lot of trouble down the line.
Lastly, let’s talk about your VPN.
If you don’t know what this is, you’re probably in the clear, so rest easy. But if like me, you love using one to access international content, this definitely interests you.
I think we can both agree that these private networks are simply amazing, as they not only provide us with secure browsing but also open up a world of possibilities.
…which makes it a real shame that streaming companies don’t share the thought.
In fact, several of them, like Disney Plus, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and many more have been outspoken about their dislike for these, and have even gotten to the point of blocking the subscribers who use them.
And while I don’t agree with this, I can certainly understand why they do it.
You see, a lot of the content within these platforms is only licensed to be streamed in certain countries and regions. VPNs allow people from outside these areas to access said content, which forces streaming companies to either take action or face dire legal consequences.
If you absolutely must use a VPN while streaming on the platform, I’d advise buying a subscription from a provider that offers obfuscated servers.
These will make your VPN traffic much harder to detect, thus preventing Disney Plus from decreasing your performance, and making your subtitles and captions work again normally.
Solution: The best way to tell whether your current VPN provider is to blame for this situation is by disabling it and streaming without it for a couple of days.
If you no longer encounter any issues, there’s your answer
Having Disney Plus’ subtitles or captions not working can quickly become annoying. This can not only affect people watching foreign content, but also those who are hearing impaired.
What a disaster!
Luckily, as I hope you’ve learned in this piece, addressing most of the causes behind this issue is fairly simple and quick. More often than not, simple actions, like making sure that Closed Captions are enabled on your devices’ settings, and using the right VPN, should do the trick.
Thank you so much for sticking with me all the way to the end. If you found this article helpful, you’ll be glad to know that we upload new content weekly. Make sure to check out all our other incredible articles below and become a Tech Detective yourself!
I wish you all the best.
Detective Anderson is a grizzled veteran of policing the internet’s cyber-streets. After decades of experience busting illegal floppy disk rings and underground dial-up connections, Anderson has now been placed in charge of the more modern Tech Detective team.
