Our Long, National Nightmare Is Over: Here’s How to Turn off Autoplay on Netflix

It’s finally happened … or maybe the answer has been here all along and we were just too oblivious and foolish to see it, but at last, we know for sure and with utmost certainty how to defeat one of the banes of modern existence: autoplay previews on Netflix.

You know what I’m talking about: The clips of movies and shows that play automatically when you’re scrolling through Netflix. For someone like me who loves silence, it’s the worst thing, especially when the content isn’t even trailers, but actual clips from the film that potentially spoil things. I know it’s a way for Netflix to try to get people to engage with their content, but … for me, and millions of others, it’s just annoying.

So finally—FINALLY—Netflix has allowed us to turn off autoplay previews (and autoplay for the next episode, too, for those with an extreme autoplay aversion).

Some people find this feature helpful. Others not so much.

We’ve heard the feedback loud and clear — members can now control whether or not they see autoplay previews on Netflix. Here’s how: https://t.co/6V2TjEW6HD https://t.co/zbz4E8fVab

— Netflix US (@netflix) February 6, 2020

Here’s how to do it. In your account—and you have to do this logged into it on a computer and not on a phone or other mobile device—go to the manage profiles menu item and then for each profile, just unselect “Autoplay previews while browsing all on all devices.” Here’s what it looks like:

Tada!!!!

It’s that’s easy! Already, I’ve been able to peacefully browse and actually look at shows instead of playing the game where I try to read and then scroll fast enough that the autoplay won’t start. (And, Netflix, it’s adorable of you to think I haven’t already seen season eight of Arrow.)

So, what other improvements to Netflix can we get next? We’ve seen contrary takes one the rather judge-y “are you still watching?” prompt. Some of us like it when Netflix turns off when we fall asleep to Great British Bake Off, while others get a bit defensive because there’s nothing wrong with watching nine episodes of Supernatural in a row. What are you implying, Netflix?!

I guess it’s a bit sad that functional, non-annoying technology is something we’re celebrating, but we gotta take these wins where we can. Now, if Hulu and Amazon could just do something about … *gestures at their entire TV app experience.*

(via The Morning After)

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