How to Fix SmartTube Subtitles Not Showing

After a recent update, SmartTube can show no captions at all even when you've switched subtitles on, on both the stable and beta versions. The fix is to turn subtitles on first, then press Back to beginning to restart the video, and the captions appear.

SmartTube runs on Android TV and Fire TV devices, so these steps use your TV remote.

How to get subtitles showing in SmartTube

1. Start the video. Open the video you want in SmartTube and let it begin playing.
2. Open the subtitles setting. Press the center button on your remote to bring up the player controls, then select the subtitles (CC) button.
3. Turn subtitles on. Pick the language you want. At this point you probably still won't see any captions. That's expected.
4. Press Back to beginning. In the same row of player controls, select the Back to beginning button. It's the one with the left-arrow icon. The video jumps back to the start.
5. Check the captions. Let the video play. The captions should now show on screen.

The order matters. Turning subtitles on after you restart doesn't help, so switch them on first and restart second.

Why captions matter beyond SmartTube

If you're here because you like watching with captions on, you're not alone. A lot of people watch video on mute or in noisy rooms, which is why most short-form creators burn captions straight into their videos.

Here's what styled, word-synced captions look like when they're part of the video itself:

If you make videos yourself, Sycamore adds animated captions like these for you. Upload a clip, pick a style and export, with no timing each word by hand.

FAQ

Is SmartTube's subtitle problem a known bug? It started for a lot of people after a recent update, and it shows up on both the stable and beta versions. The subtitle setting saves, but the captions only appear once the video restarts.

Will switching to the beta version fix it? No. The latest beta has the same problem as the latest stable version, so use the restart trick on whichever one you have installed.