Since tvOS 26.2, profiles on the Apple TV have been further expanded. Apple has overhauled the options for users to personalize their Apple TV experience. Users can now create profiles without an Apple Account, and parents have the option to create a special kids profile.
Adding profiles specifically for children automatically limits the content of the Apple TV app. Games and music are also limited based on this age, and children do not have the opportunity to view adult apps.
Profiles for Apple TV
With tvOS 26.2, it’s now easier to use profiles on an Apple TV. You can add multiple users even if they aren’t connected to family members’ Apple accounts. Profiles are now central to the user experience, and you can easily choose a profile when starting up the Apple TV.
What makes a profile useful? When switching to a profile, various things change, such as recommendations, viewing history and personal library in the Apple TV app. The Music app gives you access to your music library, and the Games app shows your Apple Arcade progress.
Practical matters also change: synced AirPods automatically link to your profile, the system language can be set per user, and if you have an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch that uses the same account, certain settings and preferences will sync.
Create profiles on an Apple TV
From tvOS 26.2 onwards, as a user you can easily create an extra profile on your Apple TV. You have the choice to link this to your Apple account, or you can create a ‘regular’ profile without a link. This can be useful if you have people in your household who do not own Apple devices.
- Open the Institutionsapp on your Apple TV
- Go to ‘Profiles and accounts‘
- Select ‘Add new profile‘
- Choose ‘Create profile‘
Of course you can also immediately choose ‘Log in with Apple Account‘ to link your personal account to the profile.
You can then link a name to the profile and set a profile photo so that it is easily recognizable. You can choose from a wide range of emojis with colored backgrounds. Uploading your own photo is not possible, but this provides plenty of flexibility.
Create child profile
By following the steps above you can also create a child profile. While setting up the profile you can answer the question ‘Is this a child profile‘reply with’Yes‘.
You will then see an age proposal (default: AL rating). You have two options:
- Accept the standard: The profile is set to AL rating, which means that only content suitable for all ages is shown and parental controls are activated.
- To adjust: You can choose specific age ratings for films and series.
When you choose one of these settings, Apple’s TV app automatically filters all content in the Apple TV app based on this rating. This includes content from integrated partners such as Disney+, HBO Max and other services that have linked their content catalogs to the TV app.
Adjust or delete profiles
- Open ‘Institutions‘ on the Apple TV
- Go to ‘Profiles and accounts‘
- Select a desired profile
- Adjust or delete the profile
Kids mode does not work in all apps
If you have set up a child profile, this mode is specifically aimed at the Apple TV app. Other apps (YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, etc.) still show their full content by default. This means that you have to set parental controls for each individual app separately or take additional protection measures. Apple therefore advises parents to enable standard parental controls in addition to Kids Mode, which allows you to hide specific apps or place restrictions on purchases.
However, games in the Games app and music in the application of the same name are filtered based on age. Children with this profile cannot view ‘adult’ apps in the App Store either. As for the Apple TV app itself, the system completely hides all adult content. You won’t see any Store or Library sections with content above the set age rating, so kids can browse apps independently without the risk of inappropriate content.
In addition, it is important to mention that Apple has released an API that allows app developers since tvOS 15 to link their apps to profiles and customize the content accordingly. It remains to be seen when this integration will actually be implemented in apps.