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How to Restrict Apple TV Content and Purchases

Passcode for Apple TV Restrictions

published by Chand Bellur
April 2, 2014 at 7:06 p.m. PST

By default, Apple TV will allow anyone with access to the remote to purchase or watch any content. If children or roommates use your Apple TV, setting up Restrictions will prevent unauthorized iTunes purchases and access to mature content.

This article covers the 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TV models. If you own an Apple TV 4, please read “Apple TV 4: Restrictions and Parental Controls”.

Apple TV is an easy-to-use device. The ability to purchase content by pressing a few buttons on the remote makes it much easier to use. Imagine if you have to type in your Apple ID every time you purchase something on Apple TV? Unfortunately, this also makes it easy for anyone who lives in your house to buy content on your Apple TV, using your Apple ID account. Furthermore, young children can access just about anything on Apple TV. If other people have access to your Apple TV, setting up Restrictions is essential. Restrictions will allow you to set up a simple 4-digit passcode to authorize purchases and access mature content. It is also possible to hide content for sale, displaying only content that you own and disabling all purchases.

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Apple TV’s Restrictions work, but they need some improvement. There are a few edge-cases that leave much room for improvement.

How to Turn on Restrictions

By default, Apple TV’s Restrictions are turned off. This makes it much easier to use. If you live alone or trust the people you live with, it is easier to just leave restrictions off. Turning Restrictions on will prevent any unauthorized iTunes purchases and prevent young children from watching mature content.

From the main menu, click on Settings > General > Restrictions. Next, turn on Restrictions. When you do this for the first time, you will be required to enter and confirm a 4-digit passcode. Make sure to remember this passcode. If you forget it, you will need to reset all Apple TV settings to turn off Restrictions.

Now that you have enabled Restrictions, it is possible to refine access to purchasing and content. First, let’s take a look at how to restrict purchasing.

How to Restrict Purchases on Apple TV

There are two ways to restrict purchases on Apple TV — hide them or ask for a passcode. Hiding purchasable content might be a good idea if you have young children. It may prevent pestering and begging to buy movies and TV shows. It’s also a good idea if you have installed an Apple TV in your company’s conference room. Restricting purchases can be an inconvenience, as you have to enter a passcode or turn off or adjust Restrictions to make a purchase. Keep in mind, you can always buy content on another device. Even if you restrict purchasing on your Apple TV, you can buy content on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or computer. As long as you buy it with the same Apple ID, it will be available on your Apple TV.

To hide procurable content, first go to the Restrictions menu (Settings > General > Restrictions). Next, select Purchase and Rental. If you are asked to input your passcode, do so now. Click the center select button on the remote to toggle “ask”, “hide”, or “allow”. “Ask” will prompt the user for the passcode whenever a purchase is made. “Hide” will only show purchased content. Content available for sale will not be displayed. “Allow” will enable anyone to buy content on your Apple TV. This is the default mode when Restrictions are turned off. While this is convenient, it also allows anyone with access to your remote to make purchases. Even if no one else has access to your Apple TV, purchase restrictions might be a good idea. It is possible to accidentally purchase content. By default, Apple TV asks for confirmation, but it’s easy to accidentally confirm a purchase. It is unlikely that you will enter a passcode unintentionally.

How to Restrict Access to Mature Content on Apple TV

If you have young, impressionable children, you might want to prevent them from accessing mature content. Fortunately, Apple TV’s Restrictions makes this easy. From the Restrictions menu, first make sure that “Ratings For” shows your correct locale. If this is incorrect, select the country you live in. This is usually configured when you set up your Apple TV for the first time. Next, set the appropriate restrictions for Movies, TV shows, and Podcasts. For Movies and TV shows, the restrictions are based on locale-specific ratings. In the U.S., for example, we have Movie ratings like R, PG, PG-17, etc. Set the appropriate ratings. If, for example, you set movies to PG and you want to watch an R-rated movie, you will be required to enter the passcode. Restrictions don’t completely block access to mature content. You simply have to enter the passcode.

Mature podcasts are only rated as explicit. They do not have a fine-grained rating system. The only options for podcasts are “ask” and “allow”. Ask will require a passcode for explicit podcasts.

These restrictions go beyond Apple’s content. If you enable Restrictions on mature content, you will need to enter a passcode to access any content channel with adult content. When you launch Netflix, for example, you will need to enter the passcode. Some Apple TV channels have their own internal settings for mature content. Vevo, for example, has a setting to enable explicit content. Others have parental controls on their websites.

Making changes on the service’s website will usually reflect changes on the same account used on Apple TV. Netflix, for example, has parental controls on their website. If you set parental controls on the Netflix website, they will be enforced on Apple TV, however it is not integrated with Apple’s parental controls. If you set up Apple TV’s Restrictions, your Apple TV will require a passcode to open Netflix, even if you have set parental controls on the Netflix website.

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Apple TV’s restrictions are not fine-grained when it comes to third-party channels, such as Netflix. For example, if you set up Apple TV’s Restrictions to only allow G-rated movies, it will prompt for a passcode when starting Netflix. Once Netflix is open, any movie can be played. The concerned parent really needs to implement both parental controls until Apple has improved integration of Restrictions with third-party channels.

Other Restrictions

There are a few other restrictions that may not be as useful in the typical household. Access to AirPlay functionality can be controlled with Restrictions. One can set the accessibility of AirPlay settings to “show”, “ask”, or “hide”.

If your Apple TV is in the conference room at work, it is also possible to restrict Conference Room Display to “allow” and “ask”. Setting it to “ask” will prompt users for a passcode to use Conference Room Display features. Conference Room Display allows anyone to beam content using AirPlay, without authenticating under Home Sharing (which requires your Apple ID). It’s a great way to allow multiple people to use AirPlay on an Apple TV, without having to share the same Apple ID or login under different Apple IDs. Beyond the conference room, it is a handy feature for the dorm room or for those who share a home with other tennants.

Apple TV Restrictions Need Improvement

Apple TV’s Restrictions clearly need some refinement. Although Apple is taking their set-top box more seriously, Apple TV is still a hobby in many ways. Restrictions really need to be improved to integrate with third-party channels. Furthermore, there are some edge-cases, which I consider to be defects, that need to be fixed. For example, if you set up Restrictions and allow any kind of movie or TV show, Apple TV will still ask for a passcode to access Netflix. This causes unwanted annoyance if the user just wants to restrict accidental purchases. These are not huge problems and they will likely be fixed in upcoming releases. I can’t complain too much about Apple TV. It is inexpensive and the upgrades and improvements have exceeded my expectations. The Restrictions do work, but in some ways they are cumbersome and unrefined.

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