Netflix is making it easier for password-sharing users to set up their own accounts with a new tool that allows them to move their profile while keeping all of their customized recommendations, viewing history, My List, saved games and other preferences.
The “much requested” Profile Transfer feature rolls out to subscribers globally Monday. Users will be notified when Profile Transfer becomes available on their account.
Except for the United States and Korea, where members must enable the function in their preferences, the feature will be enabled automatically for all countries.
The streamer has partially blamed its loss of subscribers, which totals around 1.2 million in the first half of 2022, on those who share accounts with friends and relatives. The company estimates that about 100 million households participate in account sharing. Netflix plans to crack down on password-sharing next year and started exploring several ways to do so in Latin America earlier this year.
In March, Netflix developed a profile-transfer tool for users in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru that allowed them to take their profile data and transfer it to a new account. In that test, paid subscribers were offered an “add an extra member feature” that will allow them to add subsidiary accounts for up to two people outside of their household with their own profile, personalized recommendations, login and password.
The streamer said in a statement that the tool is a “valuable feature for members who are starting new accounts during times of change.”
In August, Netflix launched a separate test for an “add a home” function in Argentina, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras at a lower cost than a standard subscription.