How to Change Language on Apple TV

This article explains all the ways to change language on the Apple TV, including audio language, subtitle language, and onscreen menu language. The instructions in this article apply to tvOS 15 and higher. The basic principles work for earlier versions, too, but the exact steps differ based on what version of the OS you have.

How to Change Languages on Apple TV

When it comes to changing languages on Apple TV, there are three primary kinds of language you can change:

• Audio language: The language that you hear TV, movie, and other audio in.
• Subtitle language: If you turn on subtitles, the language that's shown onscreen during dialogue.
• Onscreen menu language: All menus, alerts, and other onscreen text use this language.

The most important thing to understand about changing languages on Apple TV is that not every app or TV show/movie supports the same languages. The Apple TV supports a huge number of languages for onscreen menus because Apple built them into tvOS.

For audio and subtitle language, though, the app you use to watch TV and movies has to provide options in a given language. And not all shows or movies available in the same streaming app support all of the same languages.

For example, you can switch the Apple TV onscreen menu language to Afrikaans, but that doesn't mean that Netflix offers audio or subtitles in Afrikaans. You have to check in each app.

How to Change Subtitle Languages

Subtitles are maybe the most common language to change when using the Apple TV. To see what's being said using a different language, follow these steps:

1. Begin playing the TV show or movie whose subtitles you want to change.

2. What you do depends on what version of the Siri Remote you have:

   • 2nd Generation: Click the up button
   • 1st Generation: Swipe up.

3. Click the icon that looks like a small, square balloon with lines in it.

   In most apps, that's above the playback timeline. In some apps, it's at the bottom left. In some older apps, swipe down on the remote.

4. Swipe up and down to see what languages are available.

5. Click the language you want to use for subtitles and they'll appear.

How to Change Audio Languages

To change the audio played for a TV show or movie, follow these steps:

1. Begin playing the TV show or movie whose audio you want to change.

2. What you do depends on what version of the Siri Remote you have:

   • 2nd Generation: Click the up button
   • 1st Generation: Swipe up.

3. Click the icon that looks like a small speaker.

4. Swipe up and down to see what audio options are available.

5. Click your preferred language and the spoken dialogue will change to that language.

How to Change Onscreen Languages

If you want to change the language used onscreen for menus and alerts, follow these steps:

1. Click the Settings app.

2. Click General.

3. Click Apple TV Language.

4. Click the language you prefer.

How to Change Languages on Apple TV App for iPhone and iPad

Want to change the language on your Apple TV app rather than the streaming device? (Not even sure what the difference is? We've got you covered.) You can do that, too:

1. Start by playing the TV show or movie whose language you want to change.

2. Tap the More (three horizontal dots) menu.

3. Tap Languages to change the spoken audio or Subtitles to change the subtitle language.

4. Scroll through the available languages and tap your choice to switch to that language.