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tvOS 26.2 Lets You Create Apple TV Profiles Without an Account, Adds Dedicated Kids Mode
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Exactly, came here to say that.
I have the 12.9" Pro, my wife has the mini ... from time to time one or the other would appreciate to use the larger or smaller iPad.
We could share both.
No idea why that's not possible...
Yes, yes 100%. The profiles are almost useless since they don't communicate a user/profile to individual 3rd party apps. I would love to be able to tie a Netflix, HBO, Peacock, or whatever profile to my AppleTV profile.
I understand this would likely require the app supporting it, but at least provide the API to do.
I think the apps can all ready do that. The progress on some games we play is definitely dependant on who's logged in
Now if they will add the option to create personal Video Playlists for owned movies and shows.
Shoot, missed opportunity to get some clicks!
I want:
users - and when you change you have to put a password
kids that watch have their time restricted by screen time.
when the screen time is ending they should get to see a timer before. 5 minutes left
adults get to chose if they should be allowed to finish video or if it should stop at the end of the timelimit
restrict access to some apps when in kids mode
also photos app cannot be as open as it is today. everyone with access to my photos can see /and delete! all my images
users - and when you change you have to put a password
kids that watch have their time restricted by screen time.
when the screen time is ending they should get to see a timer before. 5 minutes left
adults get to chose if they should be allowed to finish video or if it should stop at the end of the timelimit
restrict access to some apps when in kids mode
also photos app cannot be as open as it is today. everyone with access to my photos can see /and delete! all my images
That's a fabulous idea!
Would definitely use that in my family; currently one account (mine) has become the de facto place to track TV shows and movies we are all watching together – but it does make the list more confusing as it becomes a mix of those as well as the individual content.
And Apple already have a paradigm that could be extended to work for this purpose – the "For All of You" recommendation engine feature on the tvOS Apple TV app.
All good suggestions! Agree 👍
Screen Time on tvOS is a great one – Apple could extend the existing Screen Time feature to tvOS profiles, which can already be linked to Apple Accounts, and it could appear as another device for which data can be viewed individually or combined with other devices linked to that user.
A countdown timer for Screen Time could be a good tvOS-specific addition to the feature. It would also be helpful to have an option to allow the user to finish watching the content to the end before a lockout occurs – but perhaps have this work automatically as well as with a 'Send Request' type option like iOS/iPadOS apps do.
Passwords/PINs for profiles would be useful, perhaps even with a way for them to be turned on temporarily (e.g. if you have guests staying, and want to encourage them to use a 'Guest' profile).
Photos app definitely needs to be more flexible on tvOS so that subsets of photos can be included and the rest of a library can be excluded. And it needs to have a really robust 'view only' mode.
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tvOS does feel overdue for a Video Playlist feature. Particularly when the concept and implementation is already there in Apple Music.
If only so MacRumors have to revise their standard "tvOS updates are usually minor…" text they paste into every Apple TV beta article 😁
I have been saying for the past 10 years or so that I will never buy another iPad until it supports multiple user profiles. So far I have kept my word. I still power up my 14-year-old iPad 2 occasionally to play some classic iOS games, though. (side note: the original battery is still pretty good after all these years!)
Yeah, it’s possible, there’s an option for that in the system settings, I just don’t remember exactly where.
Settings -> Profile and Accounts
Set "Choose Profile On Wake" to OFF.
Can then now make this for iPad? So annoying my kids use my personal iPad.
With tvOS 26.2, Apple is changing the way that profiles work on the Apple TV. It's now possible to create a profile without an Apple Account, which is particularly useful for guest profiles and profiles for children.
In the Apple TV Settings app's profiles section, the "Add New Profile" option no longer requests that users sign in with an Apple device or manually with an Apple Account.
Alongside the Apple Account sign in, there is a "Create Profile" option that only requires a name, a profile rating, and a yes or no question about whether the new user is a child.
Selecting yes limits content to a PG rating by default, but there is a customize option for more granular control. Users can select ratings for TV shows and movies that are appropriate for the child based on their age. All of the standard TV show and movie ratings are available to select. Creating a child account and choosing a rating changes the Apple TV content that is available to the child. The Apple TV app will only show content that is appropriate for the limits that have been established for the account.
In tvOS 26.1, the latest public version of tvOS, profiles require an Apple Account. The TV app has a dedicated children's section and parents can set up parental controls to limit access, but it is not the full kids-only Apple TV view that's in tvOS 26.2.
The Apple TV app in tvOS 26.2 does not show any adult content when a child's profile is signed in, including in the Store and Library sections of the app. Only kids shows and movies are available to watch or purchase.
Years ago prior to the launch of tvOS 14, there were rumors of a dedicated kids mode for the Apple TV, but that didn't materialize. The changes in tvOS 26.2 are the closest Apple has come to an Apple TV experience just for children.
When a kids profile is active, it only applies to the Apple TV app. All other apps are visible and accessible to the user, and any app can be downloaded from the App Store. Parental controls still need to be used to limit access to content outside of the Apple TV app.
Setting up an adult profile allows for unrestricted access to the content on the Apple TV, so adults in the home that don't have an Apple Account can also now have their own profiles with their own content recommendations. Any account that is created without an Apple Account can be deleted or can be upgraded to add an Apple Account at a later time.
Profiles on tvOS 26.2 say that they may also show up on certain third-party devices, so accounts for children may also be accessible on devices with the Apple TV app, like smart TVs.
tvOS 26.2 is available for developers and public beta testers at the current time, and it is expected to launch sometime around the middle of December.
Article Link: tvOS 26.2 Lets You Create Apple TV Profiles Without an Account, Adds Dedicated Kids Mode
Not buying a second one though
If you have no idea then let me help you here:
It’s perfectly possible but Apple doesn’t want you to. Apple wants you to buy more iPads.
With AppleTV it makes sense because having múltiple Apple TV boxes conectes to one TV is plain stupid.
Extreme case study: Vision Pro
Impressive commitment, but I feel like you need to be regularly using apple.com/feedback to tell Apple your views and make sure your effort isn’t in vain.
Good news - it's already there. Under settings, don't recall exactly where, but you can disable "choose profile at start" (or something similar).
This x1000! Choosing stills rather than trailers is a vague start but my child does not need subjecting to most of the chosen imagery.
If only apps actually cared about profiles
Every once in a while I try to switch between me and my dad’s profile and other than the Apple TV app (which we don’t use because we don’t have a subscription) they all keep using the same user and profile
Literally none of the big streaming services to my knowledge are using the Profiles API, zero
They should scrap the API entirely and turn profiles into users so that every profile has its own settings for all installed apps, that way it would actually have the intended effect of switching profiles within Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube etc
Every once in a while I try to switch between me and my dad’s profile and other than the Apple TV app (which we don’t use because we don’t have a subscription) they all keep using the same user and profile
Literally none of the big streaming services to my knowledge are using the Profiles API, zero
They should scrap the API entirely and turn profiles into users so that every profile has its own settings for all installed apps, that way it would actually have the intended effect of switching profiles within Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube etc
We've had the technology for user accounts with individual settings for over half a century. Apple even based macOS on the technology that invented it. But they seem resistant to using it properly on anything else.