YouTube is rolling out a new privacy feature called account lock that stops anyone else on a shared TV from opening your profile. Google describes it plainly on its own support page: “Account lock keeps your YouTube account private on a shared TV by requiring a 4-digit code that you set for that specific device.” The code is set per device, so a code on your living room TV won’t apply anywhere else.
How to turn on account lock
The setup lives inside the YouTube app on your TV. Open your account from the left navigation menu, then select the small settings icon that appears directly under your account name. Follow the on-screen prompts to create your 4-digit code. Once it’s set, anyone who wants to switch into your profile on that TV needs the code first.
Forgetting the code doesn’t lock you out permanently. Selecting “Forgot code?” on the lock screen and signing back in with your Google account credentials turns account lock off for that device. It can then be set up again from scratch.
Where it’s rolling out, and what it doesn’t do
Google says the feature is rolling out broadly. It covers most smart TVs, streaming devices, and game consoles worldwide, rather than one country or platform first. It also works from outside the living room: the YouTube mobile app can unlock a locked TV account without needing the remote at all.
Google is careful to note account lock isn’t a full security layer. Per its own support documentation, it does not replace an account password and does not authenticate any Google products. It only restricts who can switch into your profile on that specific television.
The same TV app update also touches the “Who’s Watching” screen, which automatically lists every member of your Google Family Group as a signed-out profile. Anyone wanting to use one of those profiles still has to sign in with their own credentials. Each TV also has its own opt-out setting to stop displaying family members there at all.
Source: YouTube Help, via Android Police
