Connect with us

Entertainment

Best Netflix hacks including secret codes and editing your viewing history

Netflix Streaming App On A Smartphone
Netflix has become a key part of most families’ routines (Picture: Getty Images)

We all like to think we have mastered the art of Netflix-binging.

But, there are numerous hacks to enhance your viewing experience that aren’t widely known!

For instance, did you know you can edit your viewing history and customise the subtitles?

If the answer is ‘no’, here are some nifty little tricks to get the best out of your subscription.

Use secret codes to find ‘lost’ movies and shows

As all dedicated binge-watchers will know, Netflix has a vast library of content and it is very easy to spend hours (or days) browsing through it.

While Netflix offers some generic categories like ‘Action’ and ‘Anime’to help out, they don’t filter out the results accurately enough.

A collage of the latest Netflix shows
There are secret category codes on the streaming platform (Picture: Getty Images)

That’s when the secret codes for niche categories comes in handy.

Here are some really intriguing codes:

  • Alien Sci-Fi based on Books – 973
  • Animal Tales – 5507
  • BBC TV Shows – 3308
  • British Comedies – 1009
  • British Movies – 10757
  • Career & Finance – 2560
  • Cardio & Aerobics Workouts – 711
  • Cooking Instruction – 2853
  • Dramas based on real-life – 3653
  • Faith & Spirituality – 26835

You can access them by adding these codes to the end of this URL: http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/

The method only on browsers, so you’ll have to explore the secret code categories from other devices before picking a movie and searching for that specific title within the Netflix app.

Edit your viewing history to get rid of embarrassing titles

We all have certain guilty pleasures when it comes to entertainment.

Yours might be watching A Christmas Prince in Spring or catching up on SpongeBob SquarePants on Sunday mornings.

Whatever it is, there’s an easy way to avoid future embarrassment; to delete the movie or show from your viewing history.

To do so, log on to Netflix, go into your account settings, and within the Profile and Parental Controls section, you will find Viewing Activity.

From there, you can hide all the shows and movies you don’t want your family members or significant other to see.

Stop Netflix from asking you ‘Are you still watching?’

We have all experienced the ‘Are you still watching?’ message and felt slightly judged by Netflix in the past.

To bring an end to Netflix judging you, you can add a Google Chrome extension called ‘Never Ending Netflix’.

The extension will prevent the message from popping up and ruining your marathons.

Netflix
Homepage of Netflix, a popular media streaming website.

Customise your subtitles

Why settle for generic subtitles, when you can customise your own!

Netflix allows its users to change their subtitles’ font, size, colour and background.

All you need to do to pick your preferences is to head over to your account settings, select your account, and go into ‘Subtitle Appearance’.

Be the first one to try out new Netflix features

The technology team at Netflix are always searching for new ways to improve their service.

As a part of their research, they carry out user experiments on subscribers that have opted in.

If you would like to try out the latest features before all your friends, you can head over to your account settings and click on ‘Test Participation’.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video

Watch Netflix for free without an account

Don’t want the monthly commitment of a subscription, but want to watch quality content?

You’ll be happy to hear that Netflix has a ‘Watch Free’ option full of some of their originals.

The selection changes from time to time, but some of the shows you can currently watch at the time of writing include Grace and Frankie, Love is Blind, Stranger Things and Our Planet.

To access it, you can head over to Netflix watch free page.


MORE : What to catch this week: Netflix’s surreal take on the dating genre in The One is this week’s unmissable TV


MORE : Netflix testing a way to stop you sharing passwords with friends and family

Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Share your views in the comments below.