Johannesburg - Netflix’s recommendation system tries its best to be all-seeing in an eager attempt to show you what you want to see.
Or, at least whatever will keep you sitting in front of the app for another episode (how about another finale of a Netflix Original that’s been dropped after two seasons?)
That’s great when you’re waiting for the new episode of your favourite show or looking for something to scratch the same itch as that True Crime binge, but there are plenty of times that an over-zealous recommender can be annoying.
Maybe your watch history was clogged up with cartoons after a babysitting weekend. Or maybe you and that ex who still uses your account don’t see eye to eye on film taste (perhaps the upcoming account sharing fines will be a good excuse to kick them off)
So now Netflix is trying desperately to feed you old kids shows, tiring comedy specials or even more flicks with Ryan Gosling in a broody role. You’ve combed the settings menu, stared at your watch history, and come up stumped. Are you condemned to a feed of fantasy book adaptations?
Luckily not. There is indeed a way to hide watched items from the recommender system, though it’s not surprising if you had trouble finding it. You can only access the feature from a web browser.
This isn’t the only Netflix feature strangely unavailable on different devices. The ‘Remove from Continue Watching’ button can be found on the web browser, but only some mobile apps and some TV apps. You’ll be able to find it on Android or iOS but will be out of luck if you use Apple TV.
To hide shows and movies from your viewing history, you’ll have to access your ‘Account’ page on a web browser. Navigate to your ‘Viewing Activity’ via ‘Profile & Parental Controls’. You’ll be able to click a hide icon next to the item you want to remove, and mercifully you’ll also have the option to hide all episodes of a series.
You can even hide your entire watch history and start from scratch if you’d like. Also bear in mind that this feature is unavailable for a Netflix Kids profile, which makes sense for parental peace of mind.
IOL Tech