Accessibility support and services

At Virgin Media, we're doing everything we can to make sure our services are accessible for everybody. You can find out more in our accessibility and vulnerability policy linked below.

Accessibility and Vulnerability Policy

How to register your accessibility needs or personal circumstances

If you have any impairments or personal circumstances that we need to make adjustments for, please tell us. Simply call 150 on a Virgin Media phone. Or Call/Text/Video Relay us on 0345 454 1111* and with your consent we can flag your account so that our staff can respond to your needs appropriately.

Broadband and home phone faults as our priority

Whether you’ve pre-registered any impairments & barriers or tell us when reporting a fault*, we will prioritise your appointment over our standard level of care. Please note that bad weather (floods, storms) can stop our service technicians repairing overhead cables or working in maintenance holes. *If you have no dial tone, can’t receive / make calls from your home phone or you experience total loss of service of broadband, we can prioritise your service appointment.

Services and support

We're committed to making all our products, services, online content, and apps accessible and inclusive for everyone. This means that we're continually making improvements where you've told us something isn't working or where we've put unintentional barriers in your way.

If you or someone in your household have any impairments or need extra help due to accessibility needs or personal circumstances, we've listed how you can enjoy our Virgin Media broadband, TV and home phone services by enabling additional features that work for you.

Please be aware that we’ve recently updated the accessible features on our Virgin TV 360 box and our Stream from Virgin Media box. If you have either for these boxes, make sure you turn your TV box off at the power socket, wait 10 seconds, and then turn it on again. That way our updated remote control instructions below will match the new features you’ll get on your TV box.


Sight loss

If you or someone in your household is experiencing sight loss, the following videos can help you better understand how to change your Accessibility Settings.

Alternatively, to find what you’re looking for, stay on this page.

Using the Virgin TV V6 and TiVo® service's audio cues

If you have difficulty seeing your screen, Virgin TV V6 and TiVo® box’s 'audio cues' might help you find your way around your menus. These are sounds that show actions and reactions to button presses on the remote control.

There are four main audio cues:

  • A tone that starts low and goes higher - this means you've moved forward into the next menu.

  • A tone that starts high and goes lower - this sound means you pressed Back or returned to the previous menu.

  • A single tone - this sound means you've pressed a button when moving around the TV guide.

  • A deep tone - you'll hear this sound when you've tried to carry out an action that isn't available.

If you can't see your screen very well, audio description will transform the way you watch TV. A voice tells you what's happening in the programme you're watching. You'll never miss important things like facial expressions, body language and movements on screen - because they're all described in detail. Broadcasters only provide audio description for certain programmes. But whenever it's available we'll make sure you can hear it. Since April 2022, instead of having dedicated channels with audio description, you’ll be able to watch the original channels and turn on audio description when you need them.

How to turn on audio description on a Virgin TV 360 box or on Stream from Virgin Media using voice control:

  • Press and hold down the microphone button in the middle of the TV box remote

  • Say Audio description to turn it on

  • Say Audio description off to turn it off

Alternatively, you can use your remote:

  • Press the Home button on the TV box remote

  • Press the left arrow button three times then OK to get to Profiles in the Settings menu

  • Press the right arrow button once to get to Accessibility

  • In Accessibility, press the down arrow button twice to get to Audio description. Please note that changing this setting impacts the active profile, and can be set differently for the shared profile or each personal profile

  • Press OK to turn audio description on or off

When audio description is turned on by default, the AD logo will additionally be shown alongside the show names in the Grid Guide and Enlarged Guide.

How to turn on audio description on a Virgin TV V6 box or TiVo® box:

  • Press Info on the TV box remote to bring up the Info banner

  • Press the down arrow twice to go to Audio description

  • Press OK to turn audio description on or off.

How to turn on audio description on a V+ or V HD box:

  • Press the Home button on the TV box remote and select Settings

  • From the Settings menu, choose Change display & audio setting

  • The Audio Description when Available option can be turned on and off

  • Press OK to confirm the new settings and go back to the previous menu

Enlarged version of TV Guide on the Virgin TV 360 box and Stream from Virgin Media

The enlarged version of the TV Guide is available on the Virgin TV 360 box and the Stream box. It has significantly enlarged elements and text, so it’s much easier to identify and read information. This will make it easier to:

• See which programmes are airing now on different channels and which channel and programme is currently playing

• See the schedule for a particular day for any channel up to 14 days in the future, and 7 days in the past (including access to Catch Up content where available)

• Identify which events are available via Catch Up and which are PIN protected, plus on the Virgin TV 360 box you can see which events have been recorded and which ones are planned for or currently recording

You can also view an enlarged TV Guide temporarily on the screen, instead of changing the TV Guide setting for good. Simply press 555 on the remote, or using voice control, press and hold down the microphone button in the middle of the TV box remote, and say ‘Enlarged Guide’ or ‘Go to 555’.

To set the Enlarged Guide as the default for the active profile:

  1. Press the Home button on the TV box remote

  2. Select Settings

  3. Under the Accessibility option, navigate down to Enlarged TV Guide

  4. Press OK to turn it on or off. Please note that changing this setting impacts the active profile, and can be set differently for the shared profile or each personal profile

  5. When the setting is on, pressing the Guide key will open the Enlarged TV Guide

The High Contrast User Interface setting on on the Virgin TV 360 box, V6 box, TiVo® box and the Stream box changes the screen colours and overlay transparency, providing a higher contrast between text and the background across all our TV menus.

How to turn on High Contrast on a Virgin TV 360 box or on Stream from Virgin Media using voice control:

  • Press and hold down the microphone button in the middle of the TV box remote

  • Say ‘High Contrast On’ to turn it on – a message will pop up to let you know the TV box will restart to apply the change. Press OK on the Turn On option to continue or navigate down to and press OK on the Close option to cancel.

  • Say ‘High Contrast Off’ to turn if off – a message will pop up to let you know the TV box will restart to apply the change. Press OK on the Turn On option to continue or navigate down to and press OK on the Close option to cancel.

Alternatively, you can use your remote:

  • Press the Home button on the TV box remote

  • Select Settings

  • Under the Accessibility option, navigate down to get to High Contrast.

  • Press OK to turn High Contrast on or off

  • A message will pop up to let you know the TV box will restart to apply the change. Press OK on the Turn On option to continue, or press the down button and then OK on the Close option to cancel.

How to turn on High Contrast on a Virgin TV V6 box or TiVo® box:

  • Press Home on the TV box remote

  • Go down to Help & Settings, press the right arrow button and go to Settings

  • Now go down to Display & Subtitles, then press the right arrow button or OK

  • Go down to High Contrast Display and press OK on the remote

  • Select Use High Contrast Display

When you turn High Contrast on the TiVo ® box, it’ll be applied to the full screen TV Guide, Mini Guide and the channel banner.

If you find it hard to see your screen, voice control on both the Virgin TV 360 box and the Stream box can help make a positive difference to the way you control and navigate our TV guides and menus.

Simply press the microphone button in the middle of the Virgin TV 360 or Stream remote and speak a command to:

• Quickly search for your favourite shows

• Access different menus, like the TV Guide

• Open apps such as Netflix or BBC iPlayer

• Switch to any channel

• Play and control video by saying instructions like ‘Skip forward one minute’

• Turn subtitles and audio description on and off

We are aware that using voice command to get to ‘accessibility settings’ won’t take you to the accessibility section in settings. We are working on improving this. Instead, it will lead you to the last opened section in settings, and not the accessibility one specifically

If you can't see your screen very well, using Voiceover guidance will read aloud the text on screen from the TV Guide or channel bar, making it easier to browse and navigate.

How to turn on voiceover guidance on the Virgin TV 360 box and Stream from Virgin Media using voice control:

  1. Press and hold down the microphone button in the middle of the TV box remote

  2. Say ‘Voiceover guidance on’ to turn it on

  3. Say ‘Voiceover guidance off’ to turn it off

Alternatively, you can use your remote:

  1. Press the Home button on the TV box remote

  2. Press the left arrow button three times then OK to get to Profiles in the Settings menu

  3. Press the right arrow button once to get to Accessibility

  4. In Accessibility, press the down arrow button six times to get to Voiceover guidance. Please note that changing this setting impacts the active profile, and can be set differently for the shared profile or each personal profile

  5. Press OK to open the options to turn Voiceover guidance on or off, and adjust the voiceover speed and the volume

No need to struggle with the programme guide on the Virgin TV 360 box, V6 box, TiVo® box or Stream from Virgin Media – let our amazing Virgin TV apps do the work for you instead.

Virgin TV Go Let’s you watch telly at home or on the go, anywhere in the UK. You can now watch selected live TV channels (including TNT Sports), On Demand and Box Sets* on 3G/4G as well as on WiFi, on two compatible devices, (this includes mobiles, tablets or web browsers).

With Virgin TV Go you can access subtitles and audio description on Live TV and with On Demand when it’s provided within the content. In addition, Virgin TV Go is compatible with accessible access options on your device..

We’re currently working on supporting subtitles or audio description with On Demand content in Virgin TV Go.

On all devices Virgin TV Go offers:

  • Subtitles when watching Live TV or On Demand (dependent on the provider)

  • Audio description when watching Live TV or On Demand (dependent on the provider)

When using the Virgin TV Go app on Android, iOS, Windows 10, and Windows 11, assisted access options such as VoiceOver, TalkBack or Ease of Access are supported.

When using Virgin TV Go via a computer browser, assisted access support is dependent on your operating system.

Using Subtitles and Audio Description

Not all channels have subtitles or audio description for Live TV or On Demand content. If they do, you’ll be able to access subtitles or audio description options when watching them.

To do this:

• Select or Tap on the language options icon

• Choose your subtitles or audio description options. You’ll only see the options for the language options available

.If you don’t see the language options icon then the channel or On Demand programme doesn’t offer either subtitles or audio description.

Virgin TV Control

Manage and set recordings on a Virgin TV V6 or TiVo box from anywhere in the world with Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G. Plus, turn your mobile or tablet into a handy extra remote to browse the TV Guide or change channel when you’re at home. With a Virgin TV V6 box, you can even stream selected recordings to a mobile or tablet around the home.

If you have one of our Virgin TV 360 boxes, you can use the Virgin TV Go app to access your recordings and use the app as a TV box remote.

VoiceOver and TalkBack support

Virgin TV Go is our companion and streaming app that works together with the Virgin TV 360 box and Stream from Virgin Media. This clever app lets you watch telly at home or on the go on your devices, anywhere in the UK. You can watch selected live TV channels, on demand and more using either a mobile connection or WiFi.

The TV Go app provides spoken feedback to users who have the Apple ‘VoiceOver’ or Android ‘TalkBack’ accessibility features enabled. This means the app can be used without needing the screen. The app announces buttons, icons, on screen text and messages, as well as providing special navigational aids.

Use the app as a remote, or speak to search

You can use the app to search with your voice, but you won’t be able to use your voice to navigate the menus – you can only navigate using the touch screen. Don’t worry, you can navigate via voice by using the TV box remote.

When choosing a mobile phone you may want to look out for the following features:

Voice-activated dialling and a big, clear keypad that makes noises when you type; a large, high contrast screen and VoiceOver or a similar screen reader feature. You can now view Accessibility features on our Mobile phone handsets.

Find out more on our Pay Monthly phone options.

Hearing loss

If you or someone in your household is experiencing hearing loss, accessing this video can help you better understand how to change your Accessibility Settings. Alternatively, to find what you’re looking for, stay on this page.

Virgin TV will always give you the option to see subtitles that the broadcaster has made available – please note that the amount of subtitling varies widely across TV channels and on demand content.

On the Virgin TV 360 box or on Stream from Virgin Media

To change the settings using voice control, simply:

  • Press and hold down the microphone button in the middle of the TV box remote

  • Say Subtitles to turn them on

  • Say Subtitles off to turn them off

Alternatively, you can use your remote::

  • Press the Home button on the TV box remote

  • Select Settings

  • Under the Accessibility option, navigate down to Subtitles. Please note that changing this setting impacts the active profile, and can be set differently for the shared profile or each personal profile

  • Press OK to turn subtitles on or off for the active profile

If you’d like to change the setting for the channel you’re watching:

  • Press the Home button on the TV box remote

  • Navigate down to Subtitles and press OK and choose to turn the subtitles on or off

On the Virgin TV V6 and TiVo® box

The easiest way to turn on subtitles on the Virgin TV V6 and TiVo® box is to press the 'Subtitles' button on your remote.

You can also turn subtitles on through your Virgin TV V6 and TiVo® box's menu:

  • Press Home on the Virgin TV V6 and TiVo® TV box remote

  • Go down to Help & Settings, press the right arrow button and go to Settings.

  • Now go down to Displays, then press the right arrow button or OK.

  • Go down to Subtitling and press OK on the remote.

  • Press the right arrow to turn subtitles on or off.

On the V+ or V HD box

  • Press Guide on your remote control to bring up the mini guide.

  • Press the blue key on the remote control - this turns on subtitles for all channels.

  • To turn them off again, just repeat steps 1 and 2

Highlight sign language on the Virgin TV 360 box and Stream from Virgin Media

The availability of subtitles, sign language, and audio description for a programme is shown alongside the show description within the guide and in detail pages.

The ‘Highlight Sign Language in Guide’ option will additionally display the “SL” logo alongside the show names in the grid Guide and Enlarged Guide to make it clear which shows are available with signing.

How to turn on Highlight Sign Language in Guide

On your Virgin TV 360 box and Stream box using voice control:

  • Press and hold down the microphone button in the middle of the TV box remote

  • Select Settings

  • Say sign language to turn it on

  • Say sign language off to turn if off

Alternatively, you can use voice control:

  • Press the Home button on the TV box remote

  • Select Settings

  • Under the Accessibility option, navigate down to Highlight Sign Language in Guide

  • Press OK to turn on or off. Please note that changing this setting impacts the active profile, and can be set differently for the shared profile or each personal profile

If you're a textphone user and you need to call the emergency services (police, fire or ambulance), dial 18000.

You can also use emergencySMS to call 999 on your mobile

Your mobile number must be registered before you can use the emergencySMS service :

  1. Text ‘Register’ to 999 today

  2. Read the automatic reply text and text back ‘Yes’

  3. Get a ‘success’ message. If not check – text ‘Register’ to 999 and you’ll get a message saying whether your number’s registered.

Text 999 these details in an emergency:

• Service needed (Ambulance, Police, Fire, Coastguard)

• Emergency: What and precisely where.

And make sure you get a reply from the emergency service because the text delivery report doesn’t mean they got your message.

To find out more about this free service: emergencysms.org.uk

Tone callers are little gadgets that connect to your phone socket and make your phone's ringtone much louder. They're great if you miss calls because you don't hear the phone ring.

Models usually have a volume control, a choice of different tones and flashing lights that tell you when the phone is ringing.

Tone callers work with a Virgin Phone line. But make sure you don't have too many phones plugged in to your phone line around the home, as this might stop them from ringing. Try disconnecting one of the phones if this happens to you.

You can buy a tone caller from stores like Maplin or Amazon.

How to use Relay UK Head over to the RelayUK website for handy step-by-step guides.

If you're a British Sign Language (BSL) user you can contact the emergency services through a British Sign Language interpreter using 999 BSL.

999 BSL is an Emergency Video Relay Service that enables you to sign to an interpreter via your webcam, the BSL interpreter will then call the 999 operator and relay the conversation for you.

Here’s how to use it:

  1. Open 999 BSL app

  2. Press red button to call

  3. Connect to a BSL interpreter

You can download the 999 BSL App from Google Play Store for Android, or Apple's iTunes App Store for iPhone.

For more information go to 999 BSL

O2 are not responsible for the content and service supplied by 999 BSL.

Will I be charged? You will not be charged for making calls to the Emergency Services via the 999 BSL service, nor will your mobile phone data be affected/used. If you run out of data, you will still be able to make a call via the 999 BSL service.

Physical or Hidden disability

If you can't read or hold a phone book very well, don’t worry - you can call our free Directory Enquiries service on 118 180₁ .

If you want to find a number for someone or a business, just follow the steps below and you’ll be given the number you're looking for, free of charge.

How to call Directory Enquiries from your Virgin Phone:

  1. Call for free on <a href="tel:118 180">118 180</a> whenever you want to use Directory Enquiries

  2. Tell us what number you're looking for and, providing it’s listed, we'll find it for you. We can even put you straight through if you like (although this part of the call will be charged₂ ).

₁ Inclusive calls to Virgin Media National Directory Enquires (118 180) only includes calls to 118 180 from your home phone; charges apply for calls to 118 180 from your mobile phone or other operators. Excludes all third-party directory enquiry services. Fair usage policy applies with a maximum of 10 calls per day. You're responsible for making sure you don’t exceed this allowance. If you do exceed the allowance, we reserve the right (at our sole discretion) to charge you for the call (30p per call). Onward connection restrictions apply.

₂ In line with our current tariff guide at www.virginmedia.com/callcosts

Extra support & services

It’s important to us that we treat all our customers fairly and support those who need a little extra help. As such we’ll always try to offer the most appropriate services for your personal circumstances, and help out where we can when circumstances require we do so. If you have any specific needs or requirements, or you’re having difficulties you’d like to talk to us about, our customer service team is ready to help you however they can.

For support with what to do if the account holder is critically ill, or has died, please refer to our page - Change Account Holder | Virgin Media Help

Do you support someone who is older, has a physical or mental illness or is disabled and want to help them get the most from their Virgin Media services? If so, it's important to understand what we can help you with.

We can always help diagnose a fault as long as you are in the property and able to give us some account information. Should you require an engineer as a result of the fault, we can arrange that too. <P>If you want to make a payment and contact us, we can do that although, some restrictions will apply.

If you want to make a change or access information on the account holder’s behalf, we will need the account holder to authorise us to speak to you on the call. If they are unable to do this or you have to talk to us without them, we recommend that you consider other ways to become a named appointee on the account, such as applying for a power of attorney, deputyship or benefits appointee, find out more at Different ways of managing someone's affairs | Carers UK

We've partnered with Carers UK so we can support 1 million unpaid carers as they offer a range of practical information, advice and support - find out more at Help and advice | Carers UK

Power of Attorney and other Court Appointed Third Party Account Management

If you need to tell us about a court appointed third party including Power of Attorney, Court of Protection and Appointeeship, you can let us know by sending a copy of the official document to us via email or post. Alternatively, you can contact us by phone, Text Relay or Video Relay as depending on the type of document you have been granted we may be able to validate your status immediately.

Our email address is ExecutiveTeam@virginmedia.co.uk please make sure that the document is attached as a PDF file. We will also require your full name, the account number you’re taking over, account details and a covering note.

Our postal* address is:

Virgin Media Concord House
Executive Team
Concord Business Park
Threapwood Road
Wythenshawe
Manchester
M22 0EY

*Please do not send the original documents as we are unable to guarantee their safe return.

Our charity partner Scope offer free, independent and impartial advice and support to disabled people and their families.

Helpline

Their helpline information officers can answer questions and talk you through a wide range of topics connected with disability including finance, social care, work, equipment and assistive technology and housing and home adaptations.

Freephone: <a href="tel:0808 800 3333"> 0808 800 3333</a>

Opening hours: Monday-Friday: 8am to 8pm Saturday and Sunday: 10am to 6pm

For more information and other ways to use the helpline please visit www.scope.org.uk/helpline

Online advice and support

Scope’s website is available with information, advice and support whenever you need it. Please visit www.scope.org.uk/advice-and-support

Online community

Scope’s online disability forum is a vibrant and supportive space for disabled people, parents and carers to get disability advice and information, and talk to people with similar experiences. For more information or to join the community please visit https://forum.scope.org.uk/

To discuss options and potential payment plans, please call 150 on a Virgin Media home phone or mobile. Or 0345 454 1111* call costs vary).

For free, unbiased, independent advice about money and debt, as well as financial tools and information, you can also speak to:

•www.MoneyAdviceService.org.uk or www.MoneyAdviceScotland.org.uk

•www.citizensadvice.org.uk or www.citizensadvice.org/NIreland or email debt.advice@citizenadvice.co.uk

•www.AdviceUK.org.uk – includes specialist advice for minority communities and people with disabilities.

•www.NationalDebtline.org

•www.StepChange.org

Essential broadband packages

Our Essential broadband packages are a more affordable way of keeping all our customers connected. We just need some details from you to check that you are receiving Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income-based Employment Support Allowance before we can set you up.

M15 Fibre Broadband gives you download and upload speeds averaging 15Mbps and 2Mbps for £12.50 a month.

If you have a bigger household M50 Fibre Broadband serves up download and upload speeds averaging 54Mbps and 5Mbps for £20 a month. You can also get Stream from Virgin Media with M50 Fibre Broadband for a reduced activation fee of £20.

More information on Essential broadband

Talk Protected

Talk Protected is designed for customers whose home phone is their lifeline.

The price of the package is frozen at £17.99 for as long as you're a Virgin Phone only customer and it comes with inclusive calls to UK landline, mobile, 0845 and 0870 numbers on evenings and weekends.***

You also receive some great additional services offering more control over your phone line and how you pay your bills. Plus discounts on other Virgin Phone plans if you choose to upgrade your service.

Benefits of Talk Protected

• No price rises as long as you’re a Virgin Phone only customer*

• Free evening and weekend calls to UK landlines and UK mobiles, and 0845/0870 numbers***

• Discounts off other Virgin Phone plans

• Free calls to directory enquiries (118 180)

• Paper billing at no extra cost

• Free caller display and voicemail

• Option to pay in a way that suits you (non-direct debit)

*If you add Virgin TV or broadband to your account, you'll no longer be eligible.

Eligibility

Talk Protected is applied to Virgin Phone only customers over the age of 65 and those with accessibility needs or who have a condition or impairment impacting your daily life. Be sure to tell us if that applies to you and we’ll do the rest.

Communication preferences

Choices for Sight loss

You can ask to receive correspondence from us in alternative formats. All you need to do is tell us your communication preferences when you join or when you next contact us. You can do this via any one of our accessible contact channels Chat, SMS, Text relay or Video relay:

  • Large print - size 20, 24 or 28 font on standard white or coloured paper. Light green, pale blue, red, yellow or pink paper can make it easier to read.

  • Braille - grade 1 or 2.

  • Audio - listen to the tracks on the CD or use a screen reader or file viewer software to play the CD’s rich text format version of the document.

  • Your preference - All, but marketing and urgent messages, will be sent in the format you choose. So, for example, you’ll continue to get email or text updates on your upcoming engineer visit.

Alternative Contact options

Text us

Mobile customers can send a message to us via WhatsApp on 07305 327 112 Monday to Friday 7am – 11pm, Saturday and Sunday 8am – 8pm


Text Relay service

RelayUK helps deaf, speech impaired and hearing impaired people to talk to each other over the phone and via an app using the relay service. To contact us via RelayUK you can download Relay UK app or call us free on 18001 0800 052 2164


Video Relay service

If you’re a British Sign Language user you can contact us using a British Sign Language video interpreter, via the InterpretersLive! service, provided by Sign Solutions. You can also pre-book BSL Video Interpreters and other types of remote communication support.

The service is available to you during our opening times.


Call our customer service team

Broadband, TV, and home phone customers Call 150 from your Virgin Media phone, or call 0345 454 1111* from any other phone Monday to Friday, 8am until 9pm Saturday, 8am until 8pm Sunday, 8am until 6pm

*For call costs to our team from a Virgin Media home phone, visit our call costs page. Call costs from other networks and mobiles vary. ^The text will be charged at your mobile provider’s standard rates.