# YouDescribe > YouTube videos with audio descriptions for visually impaired users. (iPhone/iPad app by Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/youdescribe/id1177344886 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute](https://appshunter.io/developer/1308564939) - Category: Photo & Video - Price: Free - Rating: 2.47/5 from 15 App Store ratings · 12 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 9.1 · 24 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2018-01-16 - Data updated: 2026-06-01 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/youdescribe/id1177344886/reviews.md ## What is YouDescribe? The YouDescribe app gives blind and visually-impaired viewers convenient mobile access to a rapidly growing collection of YouTube videos with audio description -- an extra soundtrack added by a describer to tell the viewer about text, illustrations, setting, gestures and facial expressions that are otherwise not accessible to blind viewers, or to otherwise aid viewers who benefit from additional description to understand the video content. The YouDescribe app for iOS lets you choose from thousands of YouTube videos described by our global community of contributors. The app also lets you request descriptions for YouTube videos that have not yet been described, and rate descriptions that have already been created. YouDescribe is free and easy to use from the iOS app or from the desktop. The app has been extensively tested with the VoiceOver screenreader, and the web site works well with a variety of screen reader/browser combinations. If you are interested in joining the community of volunteer describers to record audio descriptions for others to view on YouDescribe, use a desktop browser and visit us at https://youdescribe.org/ We will be adding the ability to record from the app in an upcoming release. Who are the describers? * Teachers of the visually impaired who want to give their students better access to educational videos; * Sighted friends and family of all ages who want to share their favorite YouTube videos with the blind people in their lives; * Children and adults who believe in accessibility and want to help make video more accessible for blind or neuro-diverse viewers. The YouDescribe app can be used to: * Watch the latest contributions to the YouDescribe collection * Search for and view described or undescribed YouTube videos * Rate the quality of any audio description with up to 5 stars * Make suggestions for how individual describers can improve their AD technique, * Submit requests for YouTube videos you want described. * Share links to videos on YouDescribe Learn more about Smith-Kettlewell at https://www.ski.org/ Send us feedback by e-mailing support@youdescribe.org Learn more about YouDescribe by following us on Twitter and Facebook: http://twitter.com/SKERI_YD http://facebook.com/YouDescribe The YouDescribe app allows you to sign in with Google Account. For Google Privacy Policy, click https://policies.google.com/privacy This app fetches data from YouTube. For YouTube Terms of Service, click https://www.youtube.com/t/terms The YouDescribe app was developed by Rupal Khilari as part of her master’s degree under the direction of Dr. Ilmi Yoon of San Francisco State University, and Dr. Joshua Miele of the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute. ## Key features - Watch videos with audio descriptions - Search for described YouTube videos - Request descriptions for new videos - Rate the quality of audio descriptions - Submit suggestions for description improvement - Share video links ## Recent user reviews (10 of 12) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/youdescribe/id1177344886/reviews.md ### 1/5 — ummm... not everyone speaks whatever that language is for the vids it decides to describe... *2025-04-05, version 1.0.4* I see devs never respond to rcheviews, I can't like provide the app a video for describing, therefore making it a waste. ### 4/5 — Cannot Hear Video While Description Is Active *2024-01-15, version 1.0.4* This app has amazing potential, and it works well. My only problem is that when a video is playing and a description track is active, the audio from the video either gets cut off or does not play at all. For example, when I played the latest described video to try it out, the intro music played for about 0.5 seconds before being cut off instead of simply fading out like the "audio ducking" menu item suggests. This happens whether the setting is turned on or off. I hope this is fixed! ### 3/5 — I’m Sad *2023-05-25* The App Won’t Let Me Make Audio Descriptions ### 5/5 — New version works smoothly *2021-02-01, version 1.0.4* This new version works very smoothly!! ### 1/5 — Great Potential, but Can't Even Set it Up without Getting Kicked Off *2020-05-25, version 1.0.1* I heard about this app from a fellow blind individual. I got excited, as some YouTube videos, such as family vlogs, don't have enough description of the activities, or if I'm watching a video of someone doing a tour of their house, I have no clue what the camera is showing. However, every time I try to open the app, it kicks me right off without even letting me set it up. ### 1/5 — Don't waste your time. *2020-05-17, version 1.0.1* This app is total trashWhen I looked at the reviews, I thought maybe there had been an update since then. Nope. Luckily it was free and I didn't have to worry about being ripped off. ### 1/5 — The app crashes. *2020-05-17, version 1.0.1* The app crashes every time I try to open it. I hope this is fixed soon. ### 4/5 — Works well, but has minor problems *2019-09-06, version 1.0.1* This app is working well for me, but I'm having a few minor issues. The first issue I'm having is that when I'm in the search tab, I can't go back so for example, if I select trailers, and then I decide that I want to switch from trailers to funny videos, I can't do that unless I Close and open the app. Also, it isn't very clear that you have to tap on the search heading in order to type in your own text. It isn't very clear that that is a text box. I was searching for a video that I wanted to get described and I know it is on YouTube, but it wasn't coming up. Also, I wish I could leave more specific feedback. I was watching a video about three ways to prepare watermelon, and I thought the description was mostly good, but one thing I wanted to add is that they describe her was reading everything that was on the video, but I could hear her stirring and boiling, so I know that there were things happening in the video as well. For example, she would read the recipe, but from what I could hear in the background, I think that you could also see someone making the recipe on the video, but I'm not sure. I wanted to say somehow but if you could actually see the person making the recipes, I wanted some description of that as well, But there was no way for me to say that. Other than those minor problems I'm having, I really like it. I know the volunteers are doing it, but I think the descriptions I have experience so far are relatively good. I hope there will be a way to add it to Livestreams on YouTube as well, or if you want to watch something like the Apple event described. This app really does fill a necessary gap because YouTube videos do not have audio description, and there is normally no way to get it because they are just made by random people. Even on the cooking videos where they read the recipe, it would really help to have description to know things like what did the cookies look like? Were they flat or were they puffy? If I was looking for a recipe for thin, black cookies, then I could know whether that one would be good. Or what did the dough look like? What is the person trying to show me? I was watching chef support with Gordon Ramsay where he answers questions from Twitter, and he was showing all sorts of different things from different ways to chop garlic and all sorts of things, but it wasn't described so I got nothing out of it. I would also like to get advertisements and movie previews with descriptions because I can never understand what is going on in those. I'm really glad to have this app because I feel very excluded a lot. I do hope you will advertise more so that we can get A lot of sighted volunteers to do more videos, and if the video is longer, I would also be fine if there was a way for different people to describe one section. I don't know if I will ever get the video that I want because it is a documentary, and everything is in a foreign language so it has subtitles, and then you have to know what is happening. There is no way I can watch it at all without description. Whoever, a single volunteer who might not have even done it before might be daunted by the difficult task of my documentary. YouTube also has some TV shows and made-for-TV movies that are longer. ### 3/5 — App crashes *2019-09-01, version 1.0.1* I heard about this app, and it sounds really interesting. The only problem is, whenever I try to open it, it keeps crashing. I hope this is fixed very soon. ### 1/5 — Worked for a while then quit *2019-08-22, version 1.0.1* This app has great potential. Only problem is when I try to open the app, it crashes. I do hope this app is fixed soon, because it’s awesome and I’d like to use it. ## Frequently asked questions about YouDescribe ### What is YouDescribe? YouDescribe provides mobile access to YouTube videos with audio descriptions, which are added soundtracks that describe visual elements for blind and visually-impaired viewers. It allows users to watch, search for, and request descriptions. ### Is YouDescribe free to use? Yes, YouDescribe is completely free to use. There are no costs associated with downloading or using the app. ### What devices does YouDescribe support? YouDescribe is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It is designed to be compatible with iOS devices. ### How often is YouDescribe updated? The app was last updated on December 21, 2020, with version 1.0.4. Future updates are planned, including the ability to record descriptions directly from the app. ### What is the age rating for YouDescribe? YouDescribe has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for younger users and children. This indicates it contains no mature content. ### How can I provide feedback on YouDescribe? You can send feedback to the developers by emailing support@youdescribe.org. They also encourage users to follow them on Twitter and Facebook for updates. ### Does YouDescribe have ads? No, YouDescribe does not contain advertisements. It is a free application that focuses on providing an accessible viewing experience without interruptions. ### Can I sign in to YouDescribe with my Google Account? Yes, YouDescribe allows users to sign in using their Google Account. This may offer a more personalized experience and is subject to Google's privacy policy. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.0.4 — 2020-12-21 Added analytics to the app and updated the libraries to latest versions. ### 1.0.3 — 2020-07-12 Fix crash during search and improve backend integration. ### 1.0.2 — 2020-06-12 Update Google Privacy Policy and YouTube Terms of Service. ### 1.0.1 — 2018-01-31 Watch all contributions to the YouDescribe collection, search for videos, rate, share and request audio descriptions for YouTube videos. ### 1.0.0 — 2017-11-05 No release notes. ## Apps similar to YouDescribe | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Scrolling Credits Video](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scrolling-credits-video/id6469454751) | 4.6 (33) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Lingvotube: Video translator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lingvotube-video-translator/id1632282523) | 4.3 (554) | Free | Photo & Video | | [VideoPad - Video Editor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/videopad-video-editor/id835545255) | 3.8 (375) | Free | Photo & Video | | [AI Video Translator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ai-video-translator/id6467438215) | 4.1 (174) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Mega Photo: Real-Time Effects](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mega-photo-real-time-effects/id471883260) | 4.5 (3,785) | Free | Photo & Video | | [Storyboard Animator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/storyboard-animator/id1326518944) | 3.3 (271) | Free | Photo & Video | ## More apps by Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute - [Tactile Graphics Helper](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tactile-graphics-helper/id1469997677) - [YouDescribeX](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/youdescribex/id6450295667) All apps by Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute: https://appshunter.io/developer/1308564939 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-01.*