In a press release, Apple on Tuesday announced sign language interpretation is coming to Apple TV.
“Today, Apple announced a new accessibility feature for the Apple TV app that gives viewers the option to watch supported titles with accompanying sign language interpretation,” the company said in its Newsroom post. “The feature will be available on Friday, November 13, alongside the global streaming premiere of Being Heumann, a film based on the true story of disability rights activist Judy Heumann, on Apple TV.”
According to Apple, users will be able to find sign language content via a new icon, which lives in the same UI as captions, sound settings, and more in the tvOS (or other) video player. Moreover, users can search partial phrases like “with ASL” to find content, and Apple has created a bespoke “Movies & Shows with American Sign Language” collection of titles featuring sign language interpretation that will be updated over time. Besides Being Heumann, F1 and, later this year, Way of the Warrior Kid and Greyhound will also support sign language in both American Sign Language and British Sign Language. Sign Language is available in the Apple TV app on every available platform.
Crucially, Apple notes the sign language feature has been conceived and developed with the Deaf community, both on (and off) screen. The company says the feature was built alongside native signers and “offers a sign language experience that’s designed and tested by Deaf and native signers,” adding “each performance is carefully crafted to fit and complement the Apple Original film it interprets.”
“At Apple, we believe everyone should be able to enjoy great stories and entertainment,” Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s senior director of global accessibility policy and initiatives, said in a statement for the announcement. “Bringing sign language interpretation to Apple TV is an exciting step forward in making the viewing experience more accessible and inclusive for Deaf audiences. Accessibility is a core value at Apple, and we’re proud to continue creating experiences that allow more people to enjoy the content they love.”
Apple laid the groundwork for today’s news by including sign language support as part of the tvOS 27.2 update.
As a real-life CODA, I love this kind of news from Apple. It’s the company at its true best, sure, but it resonates deeply with me personally because it brings me back to my roots. I have vivid memories of doing more or less the same type of interpretation for my fully-deaf parents, even with closed captions turned on, and remembering how tedious it was. I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but despite ASL being my native language, actual interpreting—like what Apple has commissioned here, or what you see on the news during pressers with government officials—is a highly skilled, trained profession that I technically could do but not without pitfalls. To wit, my low vision is such that sometimes I miss signs and, more pointedly, my cerebral palsy makes it such that I can’t form signs with absolute precision in certain cases. Not to mention I have a lifelong stutter too. What I’m saying is there’s a huge delta between being the interpreter at home and doing it in the real world. (Plus, admittedly, I never felt a strong desire growing up to chase it professionally.)
And no, I have not forgotten an ounce of my ASL—despite using it only once in a blue moon nowadays.
