ESPN Notification & Accessibility Settings on iPhone

This guide shows you how to adjust ESPN’s video notification and accessibility settings directly from your iPhone. You’ll learn where to find the menus, how to turn off or customize alerts, and how to enable features like closed captions and audio descriptions. No special tools are needed—just the ESPN app installed and your iPhone’s Settings app.

What You’ll Need

• An iPhone running a recent version of iOS (iOS 15 or later is recommended).
• The ESPN app installed and signed in (free account is fine).
• A stable internet connection for downloading video settings changes.

Step-by-Step

Part 1: Changing Video Notification Settings

1. Open the ESPN app on your iPhone. Tap the app icon to launch it.
2. Go to the Settings tab. In the bottom navigation bar, tap the gear icon labeled “Settings” (usually the last option on the right).
3. Select “Notifications”. Scroll down the Settings page until you see the “Notifications” section, then tap it.
4. Choose which alerts you want. You’ll see a list of notification types, such as “Score Alerts,” “News Alerts,” “Video Highlights,” and “Live Game Start.” Tap the toggle switch next to each type to turn it on (green) or off (gray). For video-specific notifications, look for “Video Highlights” or “Top Plays” and adjust as desired.
5. Set a quiet time (optional). If you want to mute notifications during certain hours, tap “Quiet Hours” and set a start and end time. During these hours, ESPN won’t send any video alerts.
6. Return to the main Settings menu. Tap the back arrow at the top-left to save your changes automatically.

Part 2: Adjusting Accessibility Settings for Video

1. Open your iPhone’s Settings app (the gray gear icon on your home screen), not the ESPN app.
2. Scroll down and tap “Accessibility”. This is usually near the top of the third group of settings.
3. Tap “Subtitles & Captioning” under the “Hearing” section. Turn on the toggle for “Closed Captions + SDH” if you want ESPN videos to show captions when available.
4. Customize caption style. Tap “Style” to change the font, size, and background color of captions. You can also create a new style by tapping the “+” icon. Choose a high-contrast option like “Large Text” or “Classic” for better readability.
5. Enable audio descriptions (if available). Go back to the Accessibility main menu, tap “Audio Descriptions,” and turn on “Audio Descriptions” if you want spoken narration of visual elements during ESPN video content. Note: this only works if the specific video stream provides an audio description track.
6. Adjust video motion (optional). In the same Accessibility menu, tap “Motion” and turn on “Reduce Motion” to minimize animations in the ESPN app. This can help if you’re sensitive to fast-moving graphics.
7. Return to the ESPN app. Your accessibility settings apply system-wide, so ESPN videos will now respect your choices automatically.

Common Mistakes

• Turning off all notifications: If you disable “Video Highlights” but leave “Score Alerts” on, you’ll still get alerts for every game—just not video clips. Be specific about which toggles you change.
• Forgetting to save: ESPN’s in-app settings save automatically when you leave the screen, but if you force-quit the app right after changing a toggle, it may not stick. Always back out normally.
• Confusing iPhone settings with ESPN settings: Captions are controlled by iOS, not by ESPN. If you turn on captions in ESPN’s settings (if any), it won’t work unless iOS’s “Closed Captions + SDH” is also enabled.
• Expecting audio descriptions everywhere: Many live streams and short clips don’t include an audio description track. If you don’t hear narration, it’s not a settings issue—the content simply lacks that option.

Tips

• Use “Quiet Hours” for game days: If you don’t want late-night video alerts but still want morning highlights, set Quiet Hours from 11 PM to 7 AM.
• Test captions on a known video: Play a recent highlight after enabling captions to confirm they appear. If they don’t, check that the video itself has caption data.
• Combine with Focus modes: On iOS 15+, you can create a “Sports” Focus that filters notifications from ESPN entirely during specific times or locations.
• Keep the app updated: ESPN frequently changes its settings layout. If you can’t find a menu, update the app from the App Store first.
• Use “Reduce White Point” for dark rooms: In Accessibility > Display & Text Size, enabling this dims bright screens, which helps when watching video in low light.

Troubleshooting

• Notifications still appear after turning them off: First, check that you toggled the correct type (e.g., “Video Highlights” not “News”). Then, force-quit the ESPN app and reopen it. If that fails, restart your iPhone. As a last resort, uninstall and reinstall the app (your account settings will resync).
• Captions don’t show on ESPN videos: Make sure “Closed Captions + SDH” is on in iOS Settings > Accessibility > Subtitles & Captioning. Then, in the ESPN app, look for a “CC” icon on the video player and tap it to enable captions for that specific stream. Some live broadcasts delay caption availability by a few seconds.
• Audio descriptions option is grayed out: This means the current video doesn’t support it. Try a different video or contact ESPN support if it happens on all content.
• Settings won’t save: Close the ESPN app completely (swipe up from the bottom and swipe the app card away), then reopen it and try again. If the issue persists, check your iPhone’s storage—low space can prevent app settings from writing.
• App crashes when opening Settings: Update iOS to the latest version, then update ESPN. If it still crashes, delete and reinstall ESPN (you won’t lose your account).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I set different notification sounds for ESPN video alerts?
A: No, ESPN uses your iPhone’s default notification sound. To change it, go to iOS Settings > Notifications > ESPN > Sounds and pick a different tone.

Q: Will changing accessibility settings affect other apps?
A: Yes, iOS accessibility settings like captions and reduce motion apply globally. If you only want them for ESPN, you’ll need to toggle them on/off manually when switching apps.

Q: Why do I get video notifications for teams I don’t follow?
A: ESPN sends alerts based on your “Favorite Teams” list. Open the ESPN app, tap the star icon on a team’s page to follow or unfollow it, and notifications will adjust.

Q: Can I get notifications only for live video, not highlights?
A: Yes, in ESPN’s Notification settings, enable “Live Game Start” and disable “Video Highlights.” You’ll get a ping when a game goes live but not for post-game clips.

Q: Do captions work on all ESPN video content?
A: No. Most on-demand highlights and replays have captions, but some live streams or user-generated clips may not. If no “CC” icon appears, the video lacks caption data.

Q: How do I turn off all ESPN notifications temporarily?
A: The fastest way is to enable iOS Focus mode (e.g., Do Not Disturb) or go to iOS Settings > Notifications > ESPN and toggle “Allow Notifications” off. This overrides in-app settings.

Related

• How to Create a Windows Service (Step-by-Step)
• N Router vs G Router: Key Differences
• Sort Messages by SIM on iPhone: Step-by-Step