Video & streaming app
Netflix
Subscription streaming for films, series and games, shared within one household.
Netflix streams films, series, documentaries and games for a monthly fee. You watch on a smart TV, a streaming stick, a games console, a phone or a computer, and each person in the household gets a profile with their own watch history and recommendations. Many titles are Netflix’s own productions, released only on the service.
Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph founded Netflix in 1997 as a DVD-by-post rental service, and it began streaming in January 2007. An account is meant for one household. Watching on your own phone or laptop while you travel is fine, but a TV in another home runs into the household check, and Netflix’s answer is to add that person as a paid extra member.
01Is Netflix free?
Netflix is a monthly subscription with no free plan. Plans differ in how many screens can watch at once, the picture quality and how many devices can hold downloads. In some countries a cheaper plan with ads is offered. Someone who lives elsewhere can be added as a paid extra member on some plans.
02How to start using Netflix
- 1
Sign up at netflix.com, choose a plan and add a payment method.
- 2
Create a profile for each person in your household, so everyone gets their own recommendations and history. Kids profiles show only age-appropriate titles.
- 3
Install the Netflix app on your TV, phone or tablet, or watch in a web browser, and sign in.
- 4
On a phone or tablet, download episodes before a journey with the download button beside each one.
- 5
Under Account, set a profile lock if you want a PIN on your own profile.
03Is Netflix safe?
Who is signed in
Under Account, Manage access and devices, you can see every device signed in to your account and sign any of them out.
Fake billing emails
A common scam says your payment failed and links to a fake sign-in page. Open the Netflix app or type netflix.com yourself to check instead.
Watching away from home
An account is for one household. Watching on your own phone or laptop while travelling is fine; a TV in another home may be asked to verify or join as an extra member.
