What you need to know
- Netflix has announced a new feature to help users transfer their profile to a new account of their own.
- The Profile Transfer feature is intended to make sure your viewing preferences and recommendations are not lost once you create your own account.
- It is being rolled out globally, and users will be notified via email when the feature becomes available to them.
Netflix has devised a method to make it easier for hangers-on to transfer their profile to their own new account without disrupting their personalized recommendations and preferences. The Profile Transfer feature is rolling out globally after an initial test run in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru earlier this year.
The streaming giant frames its latest move as a convenient way to create your own account when unexpected changes in life occur, such as a move to a new place or a breakup with your partner (which is sadder than being booted out of an existing Netflix account). Netflix wants to ease those anxieties.
"People move. Families grow. Relationships end," the company said in a blog post. "But throughout these life changes, your Netflix experience should stay the same."
Your recommendations, viewing history, content list, saved games, and other preferences will not change once you break away from an account you're using. Netflix notes that this is a highly requested feature.
That said, it's clearly part of a larger plan to crack down on account sharing, a widespread practice that Netflix previously said had hampered its "ability to invest in great new TV and films" for subscribers. If the company wants those freeloaders to start their own subscription, it only makes sense to make that process a little less painful by preserving the profile they've already created.
Netflix will notify you when the feature goes live on your profile. Once it does, you can simply navigate to your profile icon on the homepage and choose "Transfer Profile." Then, follow the instructions to complete the migration.
With Netflix keen on making password sharing between households a thing of the past, you'll eventually have to pay for your own subscription. By then, Netflix's cheaper, ad-supported tier will be available for $7 per month, challenging some of the streaming services with comparable offerings.
