How Do You Turn Off the Narrator on Your TV?

Last evening, I got a call from my Uncle who had recently bought a Samsung Smart TV on my recommendation. He described how everything that appeared on the TV screen was being narrated and he wasn’t able to turn it off. I sensed his annoyance and assumed that he might have unintentionally turned on the TV narration feature.

I had to turn off the audio guidance on my LG TV to stop the narration but wasn’t sure if the procedure was the same for the Samsung TV as well. I hung up the call and switched to the official forums and solution articles online to find a general way to turn off the narration on Smart TVs.

Reading through discussion threads, I discovered that people were hearing narration or audio description even while watching some programs on their TVs.

Here’s how to turn off the narrator on your TV and also disable unwanted audio description while watching a show or movie:

To turn off the narrator on your TV, navigate to Settings and open the Accessibility menu. Find the audio guide, VoiceOver, or voice guide option based on your TV model and disable it.

What do you mean by TV Narration?

TV narration or voice guide is a feature installed in Smart TVs that narrates everything displayed on the screen. The narration allows users to easily control their TV without having to look at the screen. This feature is very useful for TV owners with visual impairment or low vision.

The TV narrator would narrate everything precisely based on your commands which makes it easier to navigate and scroll through the TV settings and other features. Based on your preferences, the screen narration settings can be adjusted on some TVs.

What is The Purpose of TV Narration?

TV narration, also known as VoiceOver or Audio Guide, works on the text-to-speech output technology to narrate text displayed on the screen with precision.

The main purpose of TV narration is to help visually impaired people easily control the TV. In case the TV screen is displaying a menu with multiple options available, the narrator will read out the number of options including each option as they’re highlighted. This allows visually impaired or low vision users to easily control the TV via remote control without having to rely on anyone else.

However, based on the TV models, the narrator feature may not support external inputs such as gaming consoles, streaming devices, and cable boxes.

When enabled, the narrator feature will start narrating every program or menu displayed on your screen if it is compatible with the feature. This can be really annoying if you want to watch your favorite content on TV.

If you’ve accidentally enabled the narration on your TV, you may need to turn it off to get rid of the unwanted audio interruptions. Based on the TV model you own, the process of disabling the narrator may vary.

Turn off Narration on Samsung TV

From the Samsung Home Screen, go to Settings on your TV
Navigate to All Settings and select General & Privacy
In the General & Privacy menu, select Accessibility
Now go to Voice Guide Settings and disable the Voice Guide feature

Alternatively, you can access the Voice Guide Settings via Samsung Remote control. Simply press and hold the Volume button (+/-) for about 2-3 seconds. This will open the Accessibility Shortcuts where you can easily disable the

Turn Off Narration On LG TV

Go to the LG TV Settings (indicated by the Gear icon)
Now scroll down to Accessibility
In the Accessibility menu, go to Audio Guidance
Highlight the toggle switch for Audio Guidance using the Up Arrow button on the remote control
Now press Enter on your remote to turn off the Audio Guidance feature

Turn Off Narration On Sony TV

Press the Home Button available on your Sony remote control
Select Settings and Go to Accessibility
Under the Services option, check the Talkback or Screen Reader options
To turn these features off, unselect Enable while the feature is highlighted and click OK

Turn off Narration on Roku TV

The easiest way to toggle Audio Guide On/Off on a Roku TV is by pressing the * (Options) button four times quickly.

Audio Guide can also be turned off via Roku Settings:

Press the Home button on Roku remote and go to the Settings Menu.
Navigate to the Accessibility option.
Select the Audio Guide option in Accessibility Menu
Once the Audio Guide option is highlighted, select Off to disable it and get rid of the annoying narration

Turn off Narration on Apple TV

The narration feature is titled “VoiceOver” and is available on Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, and Apple TV (3rd Generation) running on software version 4.2 or later. There are different ways to turn off narration on Apple TV based on the model.

For Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD

On the Apple TV Settings, go to Accessibility
Find the VoiceOver option in the Accessibility menu and turn it off

Via Siri:

Hold the Siri button on your Siri Remote and say “Turn VoiceOver off”

Via Remote shortcut:

Press the Menu button or Back < button thrice to turn the VoiceOver off

For Apple TV (3rd Generation)

To go to the Main Menu, press the Menu button (located on the lower-left) repeatedly till you hear the Stop sound
Press the Down button once
Now, press the Right button repeatedly to highlight Settings
In case you changed the layout, use the arrow buttons to find and highlight Settings
Now press Select twice
Press Down repeatedly until you hear Stop again
Press Up four times to highlight the Accessibility option
Press Select twice and VoiceOver should be turned off if it was enabled

Turn off Narration on Other Smart TVs

Based on your TV model and manufacturer, the procedure to turn off narration can differ. You can refer to the TV manual to find a remote shortcut to open the Accessibility menu on your TV. Most major brands have a dedicated key or remote shortcut to enable or disable TV narration.

Here’s a general guide to turn off narration on any Smart TV:

From the Home screen of your TV, navigate to Settings
Search for the Accessibility menu and open it
Now navigate to the voice guide, audio guidance, or audio guide feature, based on your TV model and disable it
Scroll through the options and check if the narration has stopped

Bonus Tip: How To Turn Off Narration While Watching A Show/Movie

If you’re trying to watch a show or movie on your Smart TV but the narrator keeps describing everything that comes on the screen, you may have the audio description setting turned on.

In case using a streaming platform, follow these tips to turn the audio description off:

While watching a movie or episode, pause the playback and search for the Audio & Subtitles menu (usually a speech bubble icon)
In the Audio section, check if the audio is set to English- AD or Audio Description
If it’s set to audio description language, make sure to switch it to English- Original or any other language based on the show you’re watching
This will disable audio descriptions and the narration should stop

If the audio is already set to the original language, it’s possible that your TV’s narrator is enabled. In that case, based on your TV model follow the above described steps or use the remote control shortcut to turn off the narration.

Say Goodbye To Annoying Narrations

The TV narration feature is available on all major Smart TVs. It describes everything that appears on the screen allowing users with visual impairment to easily control the TV.

The narration describes each command of the remote precisely including TV settings and other features. If compatible with a specific program, this feature can also narrate key elements happening in a show or movie.

In case you’ve accidentally enabled the narrator on your TV, go to the TV Settings and find the Accessibility menu. Check for the narrator option and turn it off. You can also refer to the TV manual for any remote shortcut or dedicated key to turn off the TV narration.

If you’re hearing descriptive narration while watching a movie or show, it’s likely that the audio description is enabled on the streaming platform or your TV. Make sure to disable the narrator or audio description feature to get rid of unwanted narrations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I turn off the narrator on my TV?

The steps to turn off the narrator on your TV will vary depending on your TV model. A general way is to navigate to your TV Settings and find the accessibility menu. The narrator option might have a different name based on your TV such as voice guide, audio guide, VoiceOver, etc.

Select the narrator option and disable it. An alternative way is to use remote shortcuts or a dedicated key if available on your remote to turn off the narrator. Refer to your TV’s user manual or reach out to the manufacturer for specific instructions.

How do I turn off the audio description while watching a show or movie on my TV?

Audio descriptions can be enabled due to incorrect audio settings or if the TV narrator is turned on. Firstly, make sure that the narrator is turned off in your TV settings. Now pause the show or movie and check for the Audio and Subtitles icon on the playback screen. Tap on the icon and check if the audio is set to English- Audio Description. Change it to English- Original to get rid of the audio description.

Is there a remote button available to turn off the narrator on my TV?

On most major TV brands, the remote has an accessibility key or remote shortcut to open the accessibility menu and toggle the narrator On or Off. The remote shortcut or keys may vary depending on your TV model and manufacturer.

For example, pressing and holding the Samsung Smart TVs for 2-5 seconds opens the accessibility menu and allows users to turn off the narrator. On Apple TV, pressing the Menu or Back button three times enables or disables the VoiceOver setting. While on Roku TV, to turn the Audio Guide on/off, press the Options button (*) four times quickly.

What is the TV narration feature called on Smart TVs?

Depending on the TV model and manufacturer, the TV narration feature has different names. On Samsung TVs, it is called Voice Guide while on LG TVs it is known as Audio Guidance.

Sony TVs are equipped with the Talkback or Screen Reader options and Apple TVs have VoiceOver. Additionally, the Roku TVs have the Audio Guide option. Though the names differ, all these features serve the same purpose of narrating whatever is displayed on the TV to help visually impaired or blind people easily control the TV.

Why is the narrator installed on Smart TVs?

The narrator feature is specially designed for people with visual impairment or blindness to control the TV with ease. The narrator describes each action in detail allowing easy operation on the TV without necessarily having to look at the screen. There are additional features attached to the TV narrator including a screen guide and volume control. Most Smart TVs have remote shortcuts to enable or disable the narration feature for ease of access.