The experience of watching TED Talks on your iPhone or iPad is about to get even better. Version 2.0 of our iOS app is out and, once you download it, expect faster buffering and downloads for videos, not to mention more self-adjusting profiles for different connection speeds. But the real star of the show: the subtitles. With this release, TED is the largest content provider to use iOS6’s new subtitle feature on its streaming video service. Meaning that subtitles are now available in 90 languages, directly in the video player. And, should you want to watch via Apple TV, when you scoot over to AirPlay, the subtitles will travel with you. Each language also now has its own catalog of available talks.

“This release is a very important one to us. Our talks are translated by a team of volunteer translators worldwide. For the first time ever, their work is now available on iOS, our largest mobile platform right now,” says TED’s Thaniya Keereepart, who led the update. “The subtitle piece utilizes iOS6’s new HLS services. Our engineers have been working very closely with Apple to make it possible.”

Reviewers for the app seem to be loving these new features.

Filip Truta writes on Softpedia.com, “The official TED application for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch now features subtitles in over 90 different languages and faster buffering, just to name a couple of the enhancements delivered in version 2.0 … The app is snappier now.”

And Federico Viticciof MacStories.net writes, “I’ve been watching a few videos with it and it’s been a solid update so far. The app is generally faster on 3G and videos load faster than the previous version. Living in a town where 3G is actually faster than my home DSL connection, I can confirm video buffering starts quickly. I’m a fan of TED’s video player controls that sport the same metallic elements of Apple’s Music app. The big new feature in this update is the addition of subtitles and translations. Subtitles are available in over 90 languages and they can be enabled from the video player and they persist over AirPlay — useful if you’re going to stream TED to an Apple TV or Mac running Reflector.”

The app is available here »
And download the Android version of the app from the Google Play store »

Subtitles for Version 2.0 of the TED iOS app make use of iOS6’s streaming video service. Subtitles move with the talk via AirPlay.

Version 2.0 of the TED iOS app offers a catalog of talks available in each language. Subtitles in the app are available directly in the video player.