Netflix Adds PIN-Protected User Profiles To Keep Your Queues & Algorithms Intact

Netflix has added the option of locking your individual user profile with a PIN. This will allow users to protect their ‘continue watching’ queues and keep their personalised viewer algorithm  – a feature that will be particularly appealing if you share a Netflix account with many people.

If you’re a parent, this feature will also lock kids out of content they’re not meant to see, by restricting them to their kids profiles only.

This follows a couple of other parental controls Netflix has introduced in recent weeks, such as allowing parents to block specific titles and disabling the auto-play feature for TV episodes (perhaps to prevent kids from binge-watching shows now that they have more time at home).

To add a pin to your profile, you’ll need to go to your ‘Account’ page and navigate to the ‘Profile & Parental Controls’ settings. From there, select the ‘Profile Lock’ setting and enter your Netflix account password. Then, check the ‘Require a Pin’ box to access the selected profile, and enter four numbers to create a profile lock PIN.

You can also require a PIN to add any new profiles. Together, the new PIN requirements may deter freeloaders from using your account.

Netflix’s usage has surged globally since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first quarter of the year, Netflix registered 59 million new downloads. In Australia, Netflix rolled out reduced bandwidths in late March in order to reduce traffic on the country’s networks by 25%.