Amazon Prime Video Just Changed How Families Will Watch [Update]
For a number of years now, Amazon Prime Video has been attempting to go toe-to-toe with other big streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, but all this time, it's been missing a feature that the other two offer: user profiles. While Netflix and Hulu allow you to create profiles for each user in the household – in turn giving each user their own set of recommendations and watch lists – Amazon has not. It looks like that's all beginning to change.
As spotted by the folks over at NDTV, Amazon has started rolling out profiles for Prime Video. Prime subscribers can create up to six profiles per account; one is default primary profile, while the other five can be created for adults or children. As you'd expect, the company says that each profile will have its own set of recommendations, watch history, season progress, and a watch list that's based on the activity of that profile alone.
It's nice to see user profiles land on Prime Video after all this time, but this appears to be a gradual roll out. Amazon says that the feature is only available in "selected countries" for now, but doesn't say what those countries are.
I'm not seeing the option to create profiles on my own US Amazon account just yet, but if you live in a country where profiles are going live, here's how to set them up: on the Amazon website, head over to the Prime Video homepage and select the "Profile Picker." From there, select "Add New" to create a new profile and you're all set.
You can also set up profiles through the Prime Video app on mobile devices by tapping the "My Stuff" tab at the bottom of the page and then tapping "+" icon to add a new one. You can also manage your profiles through the My Stuff tab, which includes removing them. Profiles should be rolling out now, so if you're a Prime subscriber, keep an eye out for them.
Update: Amazon has clarified to me that the profile feature is only available in "India and other territories in Asia and Africa," which means no US functionality for now. We'll let you know when Amazon users in the US get this feature, which is launching around the world in waves, so stay tuned for more.