Netflix says that “People move. Families grow. Relationships end.”, but don’t worry, it’s only talking about a new feature called Profile Transfer. This should make it a lot easier to move to a new Netflix account.
The new Profile Transfer feature will let you move most of your profile data with you including viewing history, My List, personalized recommendations, and even saved games (for the 12 of you that play Netflix Games), among various other settings.
Profile Transfer is quite simple. All you have to do is go into your account settings on Netflix and click on Transfer Profile. From there it will guide you through a simple process of only pressing a few buttons and adding your account info.
This should be convenient for many, but it is clear that Netflix does not want you to use shared accounts, now more than ever. In simple words, if you are moving out of your parent’s house, or ending a relationship, Netflix is now encouraging you to make a separate account.
However, criticism aside, it will be useful in cases you move in with someone who already uses Netflix. One of the two people could share their account and transfer their profile, which is the only password-sharing case that Netflix does not mind.
Profile Transfer is rolling out already, and it will be available to all subscribers soon. All users will get a notification once it reaches their account.
Netflix is also launching a cheaper subscription soon that will include ads. It will downgrade your video quality to 720p, and it will show you 4 to 5 minutes of ads per hour (each ad being 15 to 30 seconds long). This will be the cheapest subscription model Netflix has to offer. The company will also start charging extra for shared accounts.
