Netflix Debuts Dialogue-Only Subtitles

Netflix today announced that it is introducing a new subtitle option that only shows subtitles for spoken dialogue, aimed at those who don't need captions, but prefer to watch movies and TV shows with the subtitles turned on.

Netflix Smaller 1
According to Netflix, nearly half of all viewing hours on the streaming service in the U.S. happen with the subtitles or captions on, which is why it is debuting the new setting.

The new option will show subtitles for dialogue, but no audio cues such as [phone buzzing], [door slams], or [fireplace crackling], which are normally shown when closed captioning is turned on. Netflix says the option will be available on new titles that are coming to Netflix, starting with the final season of YOU that launched today.

The dialogue-only subtitle setting can be selected by opening up the language picker when watching a Netflix show and choosing the "English" option. "English CC" will have both dialogue and audio cues as normal.

Going forward, dialogue-only subtitles will be available for all new Netflix originals in every language that Netflix offers in addition to the SDH and CC options.

Tag: Netflix

Popular Stories

iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
ios 26 1 slide to stop

iOS 26.1 Brings Back 2007 Feature in New Way

Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important. Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped. The new ...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
Coffee Burgundy and Purple iPhone 18 Pro Mock 1

Leaker Outlines Potential New Colors for iPhone 18 Pro

Friday October 31, 2025 8:28 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models could be available in new rich and warm color option, according to a known leaker. The Weibo user known as "Instant Digital" today suggested that next-year's iPhone 18 Pro models will be available in at least one of the following color options: Coffee, purple, and burgundy. The iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Pro were all available in ...
apple tv hd

Apple Launched Its Big New Vision for TV 10 Years Ago Today

Thursday October 30, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple launched the Apple TV HD, the Siri Remote, tvOS, and their accompanying App Store a decade ago today, marking a major overhaul of the device. The new vision for the Apple TV was unveiled on September 9, 2015 during Apple's "Hey Siri" event in San Francisco, where CEO Tim Cook introduced the device with the statement, "The future of TV is apps." The announcement represented a major...

Top Rated Comments

GMShadow Avatar
27 weeks ago

I have it on so I don’t wake kids up so I’d still want traditional subtitles.

I would of thought most people would have same use case
Most people use them because modern films/shows are mixed terribly - if they do any mixing it's for 7 channel+ and as a result they sound like crap on anything else - dialogue mixed too low and effects too high.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dschmitty-o Avatar
27 weeks ago
Half their customers have subtitles on, and their response is to implement dialog-only captions, instead of figuring out why people can’t hear the dialog (hint: the audio mix is awful).
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chemaximvs Avatar
27 weeks ago
Funny, this is how we are used to watching subtitles in languages other than English in the rest of the world…
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
that be me Avatar
27 weeks ago
Finally! I don't need to read every single sound that plays in the background. I can get a sense of tone from what I see. I'm surprised I haven't seen this before.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Analog Kid Avatar
27 weeks ago
I thought my hearing was shot until I learned that mumblecore ('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumblecore') is a thing. Supposedly there's been a move toward "more natural" dialogue, but never in real life do I find myself asking someone three times to back up 10 seconds and try again before I just tell them to write down what they're saying...
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BB1970 Avatar
27 weeks ago
Me: [exasperated sigh] “Finally”
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)