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In December, Hulu announced a new feature for the streaming service that brought unique user profiles to families who share one account, with personalized profiles offering each user their own Watchlist, viewing history, and recommendations based on their favorite shows. Available at first only on Hulu.com, profiles are now available to all users who have Hulu on their iOS device, through the new version 4.10 update [Direct Link] on Hulu's iOS app (via TechCrunch).

Profiles will keep families organized as well as happy, according to Hulu, since everyone's favorite shows will no longer conflict with content they might not prefer that another member of the family watches frequently. There are also kid-centric accounts that parents can make without having to be concerned about mature content popping up in recommendations.

hulu-profiles-update.jpg

Users on single accounts will simply choose their existing name on the app's launch screen to continue watching their shows as normal, while multiple-user accounts can begin adding new family members and friends with the "Add Profile" button.
"Creating individual profiles enables you to keep track of all of your favorite shows and movies regardless of what other viewers in your household watch. Each profile created within the same Hulu account will have its ow personalized Watchlist, recommendations, and viewing history, allowing everyone to get the most out of their Hulu experience. You can also create profiles for your kids, where they can watch kid-friendly content without worrying about mature shows or movies being recommended to them."
There are limitations to user profiles, however, namely that users can still only stream content on one profile at a time, even after creating multiple profiles for each family member. The company said that this is due to various license agreements it has in place with each content creator.

Although it hasn't been updated with mobile steps yet, anyone interested in learning how to create a user profile can follow the steps on Hulu's help website to learn more about the feature on Hulu.com and TV/living room devices.

Article Link: Hulu iOS App Updates With Personalized Profiles for Multiple-User Accounts
 

d21mike

macrumors 68040
Jul 11, 2007
3,320
356
Torrance, CA
If only one profile can stream, what's the point of having multiple profiles?
First I recently tested with 2 streams (but failed on 3) so not sure if the fully enforce 1 stream. But, clearly the reason for Profiles is so that my wife's watchlist is separate from mine. My wife and I have separate schedules so we do not always watch tv at the same time. Also, when my grandkids visit I prefer they have a Kids Profile. Profiles are very important to my use. Which is the same for Netflix. And if watching on two tv's at the same time we don't always watch the same service at the same time. Like maybe she is watching Directv Now and I am watch Hulu or maybe Netflix or maybe HBO etc.
 

nburwell

macrumors 603
May 6, 2008
5,434
2,351
DE
First I recently tested with 2 streams (but failed on 3) so not sure if the fully enforce 1 stream. But, clearly the reason for Profiles is so that my wife's watchlist is separate from mine. My wife and I have separate schedules so we do not always watch tv at the same time. Also, when my grandkids visit I prefer they have a Kids Profile. Profiles are very important to my use. Which is the same for Netflix. And if watching on two tv's at the same time we don't always watch the same service at the same time. Like maybe she is watching Directv Now and I am watch Hulu or maybe Netflix or maybe HBO etc.

Exactly my thinking. Now when I view my profile, I don't have to see the shows my fiancée watches, only what I watch. Hopefully it's implemented soon with the ATV app.
 

cerote

macrumors 6502a
Mar 2, 2009
843
269
Finally!!!!!!!!!!

I care little for only one user can use at once compared to actually having profiles. My wife's shows take up watch list compared to mine.
 

DavidLeblond

macrumors 68020
Jan 6, 2004
2,321
599
Raleigh, NC
So one thing I'm concerned with is the same issue I have with Netflix... multiple user accounts don't really work all that smoothly with Siri (and I assume the TV app, I don't use it.) Watching the next episode of a show doesn't work well if the last person to use Netflix doesn't watch that show. It got so annoying that I stopped using Siri all together.

(note this is regarding Apple TV.)
 

tonyr6

macrumors 68000
Oct 13, 2011
1,736
732
Brooklyn NY
It's funny - Hulu used to be the joke, while Netflix was where everything we wanted to watch lived. Now we watch Hulu regularly (ad-free tier), while we're discussing cancelling Netflix because they've dumped so much of their third-party content.
Same here. I use to think Netflix was the best and I tried Hulu a few times and hated it everytime because of the ads and lack of content. Now Netflix which is more like Notflix removed about 90% of what I was watching or going to watch in the new year while Hulu went ad-free then added so much stuff like Seinfeld and Smallville. I now watch Notflix about 1 hour a day at most but Hulu is watched at least 2 to 3 hours a day.

Netflix or Notflix only cares about stupid originals most adult while Hulu is getting licensed content left and right.
 

Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
7,517
8,846
My family has been using Hulu a lot more, so the profiles will be a welcomed addition when it comes to the ATV.

My Hulu account used to have only my shows on the watch list, but now it is filled with all sorts of stuff that I have no interest in watching.

I wouldn't say I would replace Netflix with Hulu, as I pay for both and am currently happy with both, but I do think that some of Netflix originals are overrated, and some are simply silly.... Like Sense8, how does that show have an almost 5-star rating.
 
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d21mike

macrumors 68040
Jul 11, 2007
3,320
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Torrance, CA
Anybody see Profiles on hulu.com yet? I read someone said that once he saw it on hulu.com he then started to see it on the Apple TV App. For me the ATV is the most important. Someone also said they saw it on XBOX One last weekend so probably pretty close.
 

kghoops

macrumors newbie
Jan 15, 2009
20
2
Profiles are not working for me on the iPhone. Setup an additional profile for my wife and we are getting a shared Watchlist. It shows my Watchlist under her profile and if I remove one of the shows under her, it removes it under me as well. :(

EDIT:
This only affects the iPhone app. I can create her profile on Hulu.com and it works, no problem. I go back to the iPhone app and choose her profile I justd created there and it acts like it needs to be personalized again. I do that and it shows the shared Watchlist again which it should not.
 
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jettredmont

macrumors 68030
Jul 25, 2002
2,731
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First I recently tested with 2 streams (but failed on 3) so not sure if the fully enforce 1 stream. But, clearly the reason for Profiles is so that my wife's watchlist is separate from mine. My wife and I have separate schedules so we do not always watch tv at the same time. Also, when my grandkids visit I prefer they have a Kids Profile. Profiles are very important to my use. Which is the same for Netflix. And if watching on two tv's at the same time we don't always watch the same service at the same time. Like maybe she is watching Directv Now and I am watch Hulu or maybe Netflix or maybe HBO etc.

They do enforce 1 at a time, but it is spotty. We have Hulu on our AppleTV and on our computers, have for about eight or so years now, and periodically get Hulu's message about someone else using the account. But, not reliably. Sometimes we'll start a show upstairs right when one has started on the TV downstairs, and both run through the show just fine. Then the next episode starts and one or the other says we are watching on another device. If the blocked device sits for ten minutes or so, we can start watching again.

When this has happened in the past we went to our device connection logs to make sure it was only the two devices conflicting with each other, which it always has been. Hulu is just not really good at knowing when a second stream gets opened up.

All that said, I don't think I've seen this happen since they moved to no-free-tier. And before the no-free-tier the one-stream-at-a-time only applied to shows not on the free tier (although at least early on every show on a mobile device or AppleTV were non-free). So maybe something changed since then. Or maybe it is just that we haven't been watching as much Hulu the last several months.
 
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