Apple TV adds sign language interpreters you can switch on, starting with Being Heumann on 13 November

For many Deaf people who grew up signing, the captions on a film are written in what is, in effect, a second language. Captions give you the words. They do not always carry the anger in a voice, the timing of a joke or the weight of a pause.

Apple TV sign language interpretation is Apple’s answer to that gap. From Friday 13 November, the Apple TV app will let viewers switch on a sign language interpreter for supported films. The interpreter appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen, while the film plays as normal.

It starts with a fitting film. Being Heumann tells the true story of Judy Heumann, the disability rights activist, and it premieres worldwide on Apple TV the same day.

How Apple TV sign language works, and which films have it

The feature is a setting, not a separate film. TechCrunch, which spoke to Apple, compares it to closed captions: you switch it on or off on the normal title.

First, turn on Sign Language in the Apple TV app settings. Then press the Sign Language button while you watch. Supported titles carry a Sign Language icon, next to familiar ones such as CC and AD. Searching with a phrase like “with ASL” finds them, and a new “Movies & Shows with American Sign Language” collection gathers them in one place.

The list is short for now. After Being Heumann, interpretation in American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) comes to F1. Way of the Warrior Kid and Greyhound follow later this year, with “more Apple Original titles to come”, Apple says.

Interpreters chosen by Deaf signers, not made by a computer

Apple says the experience was designed and tested by Deaf and native signers, and that each performance is shaped to fit its film. TechCrunch reports that Apple worked with Directors of Artistic Sign Language, who match each interpreter to a film’s tone. Apple also told TechCrunch it is not using AI-generated interpreters, because that is not what the Deaf community has said it needs.

Daniel Durant, who appears in Being Heumann, directed its sign language interpretation. He said the work took care so that every translation “captured the emotion and meaning of the story”. Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of Global Accessibility Policy and Initiatives, called the launch “an exciting step forward” for Deaf audiences.

The questions Apple has not answered yet

Four named films is a beginning, not a library. Apple has not said how many titles will follow, or how quickly. It has not named any sign language beyond ASL and BSL, and many countries have their own. Apple TV is available in 170 countries and regions, so that gap matters.

Apple’s wording also hints at more. It says the new collection will help viewers “as sign language interpretation becomes more widely available across streaming services”. MacRumors reads this as a sign that titles from other services could appear there. Apple has not confirmed that.

If someone in your home signs, here is how to start

Check your devices first. Apple TV sign language support needs iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS or visionOS 27.2 or later, or the latest Apple TV app on a supported third-party device, such as a smart TV. Then flip the setting and look for the icon.

If you saw an interpreter you did not expect, nothing is wrong. To turn off Apple TV sign language, press the same button again, or switch the option off in settings.

A careful first step that now needs to grow

On balance, Apple has made two good choices. It built the feature into the normal film, so a Deaf viewer can watch the same title as everyone else at home. And it worked with Deaf signers instead of reaching for a shortcut. Small, respectful settings like this, much like Microsoft’s test fix for the Sticky Keys pop-up, tend to serve both the people who need them and those who don’t.

The weak point is scale. Human interpretation likely takes real time and money for every film. In practice, features like this often grow slowly, and viewers outside the US and UK may wait longest.

What to watch after Friday

Watch how fast the list of films grows, and whether a third sign language arrives. A feature built with the Deaf community will be judged, fairly, by how much of the library it reaches.