Amazon Prime Video introduces user profile options for shared accounts

Amazon finally joins the likes of Netflix and Disney Plus, adding new functionality that allows you to create a number of user profiles for your Amazon Prime Video account.

It’s the age of streaming, and if we’re honest most of us use or have used other people’s logins and passwords to access different platforms. The sharing of passwords became so popular that in 2013 Netflix finally just accepted it and gave users the option to create individual profiles for each person using that account.

While it may seem counterintuitive to allow more people to access the platform without having to pay, Netflix and other streaming services quickly realised that having multiple users linked to one account increased the lifespan of that account exponentially. You wouldn’t just be cancelling your subscription but that of your boyfriend, best friend, mum and younger sibling. This has helped keep subscriber numbers up and a steady stream of revenue coming in.

The latest major streaming platform to face this reality is Amazon Prime, who have just rolled out user profiles worldwide. This means that if you’re currently sharing access to a friend or relative’s Amazon Prime account you’ll be able to receive your own individual recommendations and set up your own watchlist.

You can subscribe to Amazon Prime on either a monthly or annual basis.

How to set up an Amazon Prime Video user profile

It’s fairly easy to set up an Amazon Prime Video user profile from the Amazon home page:

1. Click on ‘Prime Video’ in the top bar
2. Then click the drop-down menu in the top right (next to the account holder’s name)
3. You should now see an account list — select the option ‘Add new’
4. Enter a name for the user profile
5. Select if it’s a kid’s account (this has restricted content for those 12 and under)

Unfortunately, there isn’t much visual personalisation in the way of colours or avatars as we see on Netflix and Disney Plus, which is a shame but not especially vital.

You can create up to six profiles connected to a single Prime account, each with their own watchlists, recommendations and viewing history. So you can binge The Marvelous Mrs Maisel without constantly receiving your dad’s recommendations to watch the next episode of The Grand Tour.