If you are used to sharing a computer with more members of your household, you may use several users so that each one has it personalized to their liking. With an Apple TV this is also possible, although not in all of them or in any version of the system. In this article we will discuss the requirements and how to create new users on an Apple TV.
Necessary requirements
Unfortunately not all Apple TV devices have this capability, it will have to be only Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K. This is because they are the only devices that can have a version that is equal to or later than tvOS 13 , a system in which this functionality was added. In any case, we recommend always keeping the device updated to its latest available version, for which you must go to Settings> System> Software updates and check if there is a more recent version of tvOS.
What is the use of having multiple users on Apple TV?
This option is tremendously useful if you are several people at home, even more if there are children among them. Having the multi-user option will allow each one to have their user fully personalized as if it were a different Apple TV. Of course, you must log in with different Apple IDs and Game Center, although this can also be an advantage when it comes to accessing content adapted to the person, such as Apple Music or Apple TV + recommendations. You can also customize the interface in such a way that everyone can have the applications arranged to their liking.
How to configure multi-user
In order to have multiple users on an Apple TV, it is necessary to follow these steps, in addition to meeting the requirements shown in previous sections.
- Open Settings.
- Go to Users and Accounts.
- Click on “Add new user”.
- Choose whether you want to log in with the iPhone or manually.
- If you chose the iPhone option, everything will be more automatic and you will only have to follow the steps indicated on the screen and those marked by the iPhone itself.
- With the manual option, you must enter your Apple ID username and password, which, as we previously indicated, must be different from other users.
- Click on “Login”.
Switch between tvOS users
Once the user account is created, it will be extremely easy to switch between users. To do this, just open the Control Center , which is accessed by pressing the upper right button of the Siri Remote (the remote control of the Apple TV). The users will appear in the upper part of this window, all you have to do is move the cursor over one of them and click on it.
Set up another user for the Home app
This option is available in tvOS 14 and later versions and it will mainly serve so that users with access to the Home app can also manage HomeKit accessories from this device. To do this, you may have to send them an invitation from the iPhone app. If they are not added to the Home app, you must follow these steps:
- Open the Home app on the iPhone.
- Click on “Home”.
- Click on “Invite” and enter the user’s Apple ID.
If the user is already added to the Home app, they can be invited to Apple TV by clicking on “Show me on Apple TV” within the respective iOS application. For the guest user to have access if they did not already have it, they must do the following:
- Open the Home app on the iPhone.
- Go to Home Settings.
- Click on “OK” and then click on “OK” and finally on “Ok”.
How to delete tvOS users
There is a very old phrase that says that everything that can be created can also be destroyed. It also happens with tvOS users, although perhaps the drama of that phrase is greater than that of doing this action. To proceed with the elimination of a user, it will be as simple as following these steps:
- Open Settings.
- Now go to Users and accounts.
- Click on “Current user”.
- Select the user you want to remove and click on “Remove user from Apple TV.”
- If you also want to revoke access to the Home app, deactivate the “Show me on Apple TV” option.
It should be noted that to perform this action of deleting a user you can do it from any account, regardless of whether it is the one you want to delete.