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Netflix is the video streaming service that first brought the concept into the mainstream. Despite the growing number of competitors, many of us still have a Netflix subscription. If you do, there are some hidden features in Netflix that you may be unaware of.
9Hide Shows From Your Netflix Account
Are you getting worried that your partner is obsessed with true crime shows about how to commit the perfect murder? If so, you’re able to hide specific shows and movies from showing up in your Netflix account. The movie or show won’t appear even if you search for it by name.
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Stream licensed and original programming with a monthly Netflix subscription.
This trick is also useful if you have kids. You canblock titles from their accountsif there’s something you don’t want them to watch. It’s only possible to block titles for a children’s profile in a web browser, although you can block titles for adult profiles on mobile, too.
In a browser, sign into Netflix and click the Profile icon at the top right of the screen. Choose “Manage Profiles,” select a profile, and click “Viewing Restrictions.” Search for a movie or show and select the appropriate title from the search results. Repeat for any other titles you want to block and click “Save.”
8Use Secret Codes to Browse Specific Genres
Netflix has plenty of genres that you can use to search for the content you like. In the app, you can select genres such as Action, Horror, Romance, or Thriller to narrow down your search. With such broad genres, however, it may take some time to find the type of content you’re looking for.
Netflix has a lot more genres than you might expect; more than 4,000 of them, in fact. The majority of them are hidden; however, to access them, you need to knowthe secret codes.
In a browser, you can search for these hidden genres simply by adding the secret code to the end of a URL. For example, the secret code for “Camp Sci-Fi & Fantasy” is 1194. Simply enterwww.netflix.com/browse/genre/1194in your browser, and you’ll see all the camp sci-fi content currently available on Netflix.
You can use theWhat’s On Netflix websiteto search a database of the secret codes, but you should be aware that not every one of the 4000+ genres will have matching content available.
7Play Video Games
If you think Netflix is just a video streaming service, think again. Your Netflix subscription gives you access to alibrary of mobile gamesthat you’re able to download and play at no extra cost.
The list includes some excellent games such as Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, Hades, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, as well as show tie-ins such as Squid Game: Unleashed andStranger Things 3: The Game. On mobile, search for games or scroll down on the main screen to the Mobile Games section, and you may download the games directly to your device.
6Test Your Internet Speed
Streaming video is no fun when your network connection is too slow to handle it. Endless buffering can completely ruin your watching experience. If you’re suffering from buffering, you can quicklycheck your internet speedon mobile to see if your network connection is up to the job.
Select the “My Netflix” tab and click the three-bar menu icon. Choose “App Settings,” and at the bottom of the screen, tap “Internet Speed Test.” After a few moments, you’ll see the current speed of your connection so you may judge whether it’s fast enough to keep streaming or not.
5Change The Look of Your Subtitles
Some fantastic shows on Netflix are in languages other than English, such as Dark and Money Heist. Many of these shows, such as Squid Game, offer the option to watch with the audio dubbed into English, but if you find that dubbing takes you out of the moment, you’re able to opt for subtitles instead.
You don’t have to live with the default look for the subtitles. You can change the size and font of your subtitles, add a background color to the text, and even change the style and color of the subtitle text shadow if you want.
Open Netflix in a browser and select “Manage Profiles” from the Profile menu. Select a profile and select “Subtitle Appearance.” Change the font, text size, and shadow style, and click “Background” or “Window” to add a background color to your subtitles. Click “Save,” and the changes will be applied across all of your devices.
It’s also possible tochange your Netflix language preferencesif you want to have your subtitles in a different language.
Watching Netflix on a mobile device is great for viewing on the go, but the downside is that you need a network connection to stream content. If you don’t have internet access and forget to download anything in advance, you won’t have anything to watch.
However, you’re able to get Netflix to automatically download shows and movies that the algorithms think you will like and save them to your device. That way, you’ll always have something to watch, even if you don’t have a network connection.
On a mobile device, click the three-bar menu icon and select “App Settings.” Under “Downloads,” tap “Smart Downloads.” Toggle “Download Next Episode” on to automatically download the next episode of shows you’ve downloaded and remove the ones you’ve watched. Toggle “Downloads for You” on to automatically download shows and movies that Netflix thinks you will like. You can decide how much storage each profile should be allocated.
3Control Netflix With Your Computer Keyboard
If you watch any video content on your computer, you’re probably used topressing Space to play or pause the content. However, you may not be aware that you can use your keyboard for some other controls, too.
If you want toskip backward 10 seconds, press the Left Arrow key. To skip forward 10 seconds, press the Right Arrow key. You can press these keys multiple times to skip further backward or forward.
If you want to change the volume, you can use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow to control the internal Netflix volume without changing the volume of your computer. The same controls are accessible via the screen, but it’s often quicker to use the keyboard.
2Request TV Shows or Movies for Netflix to Add
In the good old days, if there was something you wanted to watch and it was available to stream, it was probably on Netflix. Thenother streaming servicesgot in on the act, and you now need multiple subscriptions to keep up with all your favorite shows and movies.
However, if there’s a show or movie that’s not on any of the other streaming services, you can try requesting for Netflix to add it to the library. It may not happen, but it’s always worth a try.
Navigate tohelp.netflix.com/titlerequestand enter the shows or movies you’d like to request. Click “Submit Suggestion,” and your request will be sent to Netflix. Who knows, if the show or movie does come to Netflix, it might all be down to you.
1Turn Off Annoying Autoplay Previews
By default, Netflix will play previews of shows or movies when you’re browsing. This can quickly get annoying, with shows that you have no interest in starting to play as you’re looking for something to watch. The good news is that you may turn this setting off across all devices.
In a browser, click the Profile icon and select “Manage Profiles.” Choose a profile and click “Playback Settings.” Uncheck “Autoplay previews whilst browsing on all devices” to turn off the previews.
It’s fair to say that Netflix helped to change the way that we watch shows and movies, but there’s a lot about Netflix that you may not know about. Some of the hidden features can be useful, such as access to mobile games and the ability to block titles from your account. It’s worth getting to know Netflix a little better if you watch it regularly.
