The autoplay next episode feature on Netflix is great when you are binge-watching a show on a cold Sunday afternoon, making it so you don’t even have to touch the remote to watch the next episode of your new favorite show. Despite this undeniable benefit, I however find this feature to sometimes make me watch another episode even though I didn’t really want to.
I live this specific situation pretty much every night. I plan to go to bed when the currently playing episode is over, but all the sudden, another episode starts. “Well, we might as well watch this one too now, but we’re definitely going to bed when it’s over.” I’m sure this will sound familiar to many of you.
Autoplay next is also pretty bad for kids sitting in front of Netflix as they don’t really get a chance to do something but watch what’s coming next, encouraging them to stay on the couch instead of being more active.
However, autoplay next is not a fatality as the feature can be disabled. In this post, I will show you how to stop the Netflix autoplay next episode feature for each profile you have set up under your account. This will put you back in control as you’ll be able to decide what to watch next on your own terms.
Stop autoplay for the next episode on Netflix
It’s important to note that autoplay next is a feature that is set at the profile level. For example, if you have one profile for you and one for your kid, you can choose to disable auto-next for your kid’s profile but not for yours. The steps described below will then have to be repeated for each profile.
1) In a web browser, log in to your Netflix account. Note that you cannot do that directly from the Netflix app as it has to be done from a browser.
2) In the drop-down on the top right, click Account.
3) Scroll down to the Profile & Parental Controls section.
4) Click to expand the profile you want to change.
5) Go down to the Playback settings option and click Change.
6) Uncheck the box that reads Autoplay next episode in a series on all devices, then click Save.
If necessary, repeat the process for each account.
Going forward, when you get to the end of an episode, the next one will not start playing automatically. Instead, you will have to use the remote to manually select the next episode. Autoplay will also be disabled on other devices such as your iPhone or iPad. So likewise, you will have to manually select what you want to watch next once an episode is over.
While not life changing, disabling autoplay next puts you more in control but more importantly, it can also prevent your kids from vegging out all day in front of Power Rangers Ninja Steel.
And while we’re on the Netflix topic, here is how you can reduce data usage generated by Netflix. This tip alone might save you tons of data.