Netflix is the most used streaming platform today, and despite growing competition from the likes of Amazon, Disney, and others, the service will likely hold on to its crown for many years to come. Now, despite being the best of the bunch, there are certain aspects of the platform that tends to grieve us.
For example, Netflix is known for delivering bad recommendations. We’re not sure what type of algorithm the platform is using, but it’s not good enough for folks who consume a lot of content. If you fall in that boat, then keep reading in order to learn some neat tips and tricks.
Tips to overcome annoying Netflix problems
There are features of Netflix that can be annoying. We talk about some of them to give some peace of mind & show you how to get around them.
- How to reset Netflix account to default
- How to delete “Continue Watching”
- Watch Netflix in higher resolution
- How to get better suggestions
- How to skip content intros
1] How to reset Netflix account to default
There might come a time when you feel the need to reset your account back to its default state. Doing this will erase the history of all the shows you’ve watched, so how do we get it done, then? The task is pretty simple, really.
OK, so the first step is to visit the Manage Profiles Page before anything else. If you are using the desktop app, just navigate to Profile icon > Manage Profiles.
From there, click on the profile you want to reset, then to finish off, select Delete Profile to get rid of it.
Doing this, as stated above, will remove all history associated with that profile.
Move forward by creating a new one and begin from scratch again.
2] How to delete “Continue Watching”
One of the most annoying things we’ve come across with Netflix over the years is the “Continue Watching” section. Each time folks have watched a show but didn’t get the chance to continue it, Netflix tends to bring it up again in the Continue Watching section.
Most of the time, users have no intention to continue watching these shows and would prefer not to be reminded of them on a regular basis.
The first step to getting rid of it all is to visit the Viewing Activity page.
If you’re using the app, go to Account > Expand profile > Viewing activity. This section will show everything you’ve ever watched on Netflix, and they are listed from newest to oldest.
You should see a No Symbol beside each show. Click on it to remove it from your history.
Do this for all and in no time the Continue Watching history will be cleared up until next time.
3] Watch Netflix in higher resolution
It should be common knowledge by now that Netflix has the option for folks to watch shows at higher resolution, but it all depends on the price plan you’ve chosen. If you’ve selected the higher tier, then the option is there to watch Netflix in 4K UHD, and also in HD if a 4K TV is not in your possession.
If you want to change the playback quality, go to Playback Settings via a supported web browser, or from the app, manually go to Account > Expand profile > Playback settings.
You should now see a section that says Data usage per screen. Click on it and select High or a lower point if you so wish.
For those who want to make sure they are getting the best quality and performance, please download the Netflix app from the Microsoft Store instead of streaming through a web browser.
4] How to get better Netflix suggestions
By now we all should know never to trust Netflix’s algorithm because it doesn’t work well enough to warrant praise. Sadly, there is no way to take control of the recommendations, but there are ways to try and make the algorithm work for you.
The best way to influence the recommendations is by making use of the rating feature. Just hover over a show you like, then click on the upvote icon that pops up after a short while. Do this for all your favorite shows and Netflix will make attempts to recommend content similar to the ones you upvoted.
5] How to skip content intros
Netflix has incorporated a feature that allows users to skip the intro of an episode in a series with just the click of a button. However, this is not available for everything, so if you fall in a position where you can’t skip the easy way, just count the length of the intro, then use the fast-forward button to move forward.
That’s it for the five tips. Take advantage of these and you will have an easier time using Netflix in the future.
