At home, I instruct my child to use the YouTube app on our smart TV via a personal profile. This profile is filtered to display only age-appropriate content. My child is disciplined, so my account isn't used without permission; however, for those who want to prevent unauthorized access to a personal profile, Google has finally introduced a locking feature.
Profiles can now be locked using a 4-digit PIN. Once locked, they cannot be accessed without authorization. Each time the profile is used, the PIN must be entered manually or the profile unlocked via a smartphone.
You can use this feature by following the steps below:
Open the YouTube app on your TV and select the account from the left-hand menu.
Select "Settings" under the account.
Follow the on-screen instructions to enable "Account Lock" and set a 4-digit code.
To unlock, use the YouTube app on your phone; you will receive an unlock prompt or notification to access the profile.
If you forget the PIN, there is a reset option that requires re-entering your password. Although the feature has been announced, we had not yet received it on the YouTube apps for Google TV, Tizen, or Apple TV at home at the time of writing.
