BBC iPlayer and audio description for blind and low vision viewers

Introduction 

BBC iPlayer is a free  catchup and live TV service. Content is available free to UK residents with a UK TV licence. The BBC iPlayer app gives full access to catchup and live TV. 

The iPlayer app offers audio description, an additional spoken soundtrack for visually impaired users, when it is available with a programme. At the time of my most recent check of this web page, December 2023, audio description is available only for catchup TV and not for live broadcasts through the app.

The iPlayer app allows users to browse through audio described catchup content and I'll mention that briefly later but I'll begin by describing what I believe is the simplest and most effective way to deal with audio description in iPlayer. 

How to turn on iPlayer audio description

You may know that iPhone and iPad accessibility settings has a setting to request audio description when available.  While this works with movies obtained from the iTunes store, unfortunately the BBC iPlayer app doesn't honour this setting. That's the bad news, but the good news is that the app does have its own setting which, once set, will ensure that every catchup programme that has audio description available will play that audio description. You will be sure to hear audio description whenever it is available, even if you locate the BBC catchup programme using another app such as FreeView.

I know that audio description is valued by many low vision users as well as people with severe sight loss so I'll describe the procedure separately for people who use VoiceOver and those who don't use VoiceOver.

First, for readers who don't use VoiceOver

Open the iPlayer app. Locate and begin playing a catchup show that definitely has audio description. EastEnders will do the job. Controls, including a pause or play button near the centre of the screen appear briefly when a programme starts and can be revealed again by tapping the screen. Pause the show if you want by tapping the screen if necessary to reveal the controls and tapping the pause button. You should see something like the image below.

Tap the button indicated by the red arrow. The subtitles and settings pop up should appear as in the image below.

Tap the Audio Description button to ensure that it is turned on as in the image above. Note that the buttons on this pop up are mutually exclusive so, for example, you won't be able to have both Audio Description and subtitles.

That's it. So long as you don't turn Audio Description off later, you will always now hear audio description for catchup TV when it is available.

Next, for readers who do use VoiceOver

Open the iPlayer app. Locate and begin playing a catchup show that definitely has audio description. EastEnders will do the job. When the programme starts, the phone or tablet will be switched into landscape orientation if necessary and VoiceOver will speak "landscape". Please turn your device into landscape  even if you can't see the screen in order to avoid confusion when locating buttons. Controls, including a pause or play button near the centre of the screen appear briefly when a programme starts. VoiceOver announces "controls hidden" or "controls shown" as appropriate. The controls can be revealed again by double tapping the screen. Pause the show if you want by double tapping the screen if necessary to reveal the controls and locating the pause button at the centre of the screen and double tapping. Now, explore near the top right of the screen to locate the subtitles and settings button and double tap. Alternatively, swipe right repeatedly to locate the subtitles and settings button and then double tap.

You should now hear "subtitles and settings, heading". Swipe right to locate the audio description button and double tap if necessary to turn it on. Swipe left to find the "close subtitles and settings button" and double tap. Note that the buttons on this pop up are mutually exclusive so, for example, you won't be able to have both Audio Description and subtitles.

That's it. So long as you don't turn Audio Description off later, you will always now hear audio description for catchup TV when it is available.

Browsing iPlayer audio described content using categories

I'll describe this just for users who don't use VoiceOver. Skilled VoiceOver users will be able to adapt these instructions.

First, if you haven't already done so, turn on the Audio Description button as described above and then tap back and close buttons to return to the iPlayer Home screen.

Tap the menu button near top left of the iPlayer Home screen.  Scroll the list of categories  to the left to locate and tap the audio described category. You can now scroll vvertically through programmes grouped by type. All of the programmes shown here have audio description available. 

At the bottom of this list there is a View Audio Described A to Z button. This may help you locate a programme so long as you are confident of its title. 

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