If you are anything like me, your PS4 or Xbox One isn’t just a gaming device. It is also your all points stop for entertainment in your living room–mainly Netlfix. Sure, I’m mostly spending my time replaying my third run of Persona 5, but I also like to put time aside to catch up on Disenchantment or watch some re-runs of Mad Men. And lately, get frustrated over the 30-second advertisements that are interrupting my binges.
Thankfully, there is a quick (and likely non-permanent) solution to get rid of these ads. And all it takes is about two minutes and a computer.
With many people threating to leave the service–an understandable notion, given that Netflix’s appeal is an ad-free experience–this change will likely be a godsend. And if anything, it just lets you min-max your next speed through of Castlevania’s second season when it comes out. You know, to avoid spoilers. Check out a quick, step-by-step guide on how to disable the ads below:
1. Get a computer and head to Netflix’s main page:
I know, I know. When is the last time you’ve picked up a computer to watch Netflix? With all of the program’s console and TV partnerships, I don’t think I’ve watched anything on my PC since college. However, that is going to be the quickest and easiest place to make these changes. So find your power cord, head to Netflix’s main page, and get ready to go ad-free.
2. Head over to your Account Settings:
Perhaps an easy step for anyone who has ever seen a profile menu before, but you want to head over to your Account Settings. To do this, click on your icon in the upper-right portion of the screen and select “Account” from the drop-down menu.
3. Find the Test Participation setting that you may have opted into:
Now that we are in the Account Settings menu, you are going to want to head close to the bottom to the “Settings” menu. In that, you will find “Test participation” nuzzled inbetween “Parental controls” and “Manage download devices.” This is nearly the end of your journey, so click that button.
4. Turn off Test Participation (and ads):
Last (but certainly not least) you want to make sure this field is set to “Off.” This is going to opt you out of that new annoying preview program where you are seeing ads in-between episodes.
While this solution is all well-and-good, it’s hard to ignore the fact that we are turning off the ads by opting out of a preview program. What does that mean? This may just be delaying the inevitable more than actually fixing the problem. Thankfully, it states that these are “potential changes”–not confirmed changes. And we can only hope that the blowback Netflix got over this has sent a message across.