YouTube to let you lock your profile on shared TVs
YouTube's new account lock keeps your shared TV profile private, and your phone is the key
If someone in your house keeps hijacking your YouTube recommendations with three hours of true crime videos, you finally have a fix that doesn't involve hiding the remote.
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan announced this week that account lock is rolling out globally, letting you protect your individual profile on a shared TV with a four-digit code.
Once it is created, no other individual holding the remote control will be able to access your profile, go through your subscriptions, or even change your suggested videos.
The process to create one can be done in the left-hand side navigation bar in the TV app under Settings. It should be noted that the lock-in process is device-specific, so if you have two devices in your house with YouTube installed, then you will need to set the locks individually on each device.
This is the actual part where it comes in handy because you no longer need to enter the four-digit code using the bulky remote each time.
Simply press your profile, which is locked, switch over to the YouTube app on your phone, and get the unlocking prompt immediately. Once the notification function is enabled, you will be notified right away.
In case you forget your password, you can simply choose the "Forgot code?" option on the TV screen and then use your Google Account information to unlock the screen and set up the password again.
However, please remember that you should not use it as an actual password for any purpose, as YouTube is clear about the fact that this is just a privacy screen.
