The demand for online video subscriptions and streaming services is increasing by the day. In this online streaming revolution, we see many big names, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Hulu, offering original content and award-winning TV shows, movies, documentaries, and more. As the online streaming surge is increasing, password sharing has also become a norm. This leads to privacy concerns raised by other members sharing the same account.
In 2020, Netflix expanded parental control options and added new tools, including PINs to protect profiles, keep others from using your profiles to watch content, and access your personalized experiences and viewing history. Today, we found a bug that prevents users from accessing their downloads if they have set a PIN for their profiles.
In some cases, depending on which device you are using, you may not be asked to enter a Profile Lock PIN. If your device can’t be updated to require a PIN to access a locked profile, you will still need to enter your PIN when you want to enjoy your favorite content in that profile.
If you try to access your downloads to watch restricted content by entering the PIN, you’ll be told that the PIN is incorrect. This bug appears in the Downloads section whether you are connected to the internet or not. However, the same PIN works fine if you try to access online titles.
Regarding the Locked Profile Incorrect Password prompt, a Netflix agent told Neowin that there is “no instant resolution available for this.” The agent also stated:
As of now there is no specific time frame which I would be able to share when the issue will be resolved as the concern technical team would be investigating and trying to resolve the issue. However rest assured our team will resolve the issue as soon as possible.
However, there is a way you can still access your downloads in a locked profile if you want to stream offline, but this workaround still requires a brief internet connection. So, you cannot depend on it if you have a Locked Profile PIN set, and there's a chance you may not have internet access.
To access your downloads in a locked profile, you need to first start any online title and enter your PIN. Now that Netflix has verified the PIN online, it won't ask for it again for the current session. Once the show starts, you can go back to your downloads, disconnect the internet, and then start watching offline.
Currently, we do not know when the issue will be resolved, but the agent mentioned that the issue has been escalated to the “Advanced Technical Team.”
