Netflix, like many other streaming services, offers a subtitle feature that enhances accessibility for its users. While these subtitles serve a vital purpose for those with hearing impairments, they can sometimes be distracting. In response to user feedback, Netflix has begun implementing dialogue-only subtitles. Originally, Netflix’s subtitles provided not just captions for spoken dialogue, but also descriptions of sounds and actions.

This approach is beneficial for individuals with hearing difficulties as it provides context beyond spoken words. However, many viewers without hearing impairments find it awkward to read sound descriptions such as “dramatic music playing” or “phone ringing.” Many people opt for subtitles to ensure they catch every line of dialogue, particularly in instances where the audio quality may be lacking due to quiet character speech or poor sound mixing. Subtitles thus serve a broad audience, as evidenced by the statistic that U.S. viewers spend nearly half their time on the platform using them. To improve the viewing experience, Netflix has started rolling out an option allowing users to select subtitles that display only the dialogue of characters.

This means that background noises and other sound descriptions will not appear, making it more streamlined for those who simply want to understand the conversation. The existing subtitle options will still be available for users who prefer them. The new feature is currently available for “You” Season 5, with plans to extend it to other titles in the future. Initially, it will be offered in English, but Netflix aims to support additional languages as well.

To identify this new setting, users will see the option labeled without the “CC,” making it easier to select the dialogue-only mode. This feature is accessible on both the Netflix website and its mobile apps.