How to disable being included in tests and previews on Netflix

Martin Brinkmann
Mar 20, 2018
Music and Video
|
3

The online streaming service Netflix changes things constantly on the site and monitors carefully what users do and don't do when they interact with the service.

You may have noticed that Netflix uses A-B tests to determine the effectiveness of covers or other element on the site, but did you know that Netflix customers may be included in beta tests and experiments on the site automatically?

Inclusion in tests and previews may not be a bad thing, at least not for all users; if you like to have access to new features as soon as possible, then that is certainly the right option for you even though there is no guarantee that your account will be picked for any of them.

Netflix notes that participating customers help the company improve the experience on Netflix and access new features before anyone else.

Participate in tests to help improve the Netflix experience and see potential changes before they are available to all members.

Netflix does not reveal to customers whether they are part of an experiment or not at the time. You may notice differences if your account is signed up for an experiment, but there is no confirmation for any of that.

It is unclear if all Netflix users take part in tests automatically; when I checked whether the test participation setting on Netflix was turned on for my account I noticed that it was and that I did not opt-in to that by myself.

netflix test participation

Here is a quick guide on finding out if your account is set up for participation in tests and previews. Some Netflix customers may join the program if they have not been added to it automatically, others may want to leave it if they prefer the standard experience instead.

Note: Test participation is linked to the account and not to user accounts. The change is valid for all accounts if you disable or enable the feature.

If you are on a computer and use a web browser to access Netflix:

  1. Load https://www.netflix.com/DoNotTest in the browser's address bar.
  2. You may enable (on) or disable (off) test participation on the page that opens.

You may use the option above even if you watch Netflix on a TV or mobile device. Since the setting is linked to the account, it carries over to any device you use Netflix on.

Some applications or TVs may not provide access to the full list of Settings. The Windows application, for example, opens the Netflix account page in the default browser when you select Settings > Account Details.

It offers no option to join or leave the test participation program of Netflix.

Now You: Do you have a Netflix subscription?

Related articles

Summary
How to disable being included in tests and previews on Netflix
Article Name
How to disable being included in tests and previews on Netflix
Description
You may have noticed that Netflix uses A-B tests to determine the effectiveness of covers or other element on the site, but did you know that Netflix customers may be included in beta tests and experiments on the site automatically?
Author
Publisher
Ghacks Technology News
Logo
Advertisement

Tutorials & Tips


Previous Post: «
Next Post: «

Comments

  1. Anonymous said on August 1, 2010 at 12:43 pm
    Reply

    Why not make use of the mplayer.conf?

  2. Mike J said on August 1, 2010 at 2:58 pm
    Reply

    Huh, I have never even seen this “font cache” pane; videos play at once for me, using VLC & XP SP3.

    1. Martin said on August 1, 2010 at 3:39 pm
      Reply

      Mike, in theory this should have only been displayed once to you, at the very first video that you played with VLC. The time this window is displayed depends largely on the number of fonts in your font directory.

      1. Mike J said on August 2, 2010 at 2:30 pm
        Reply

        huh, I lucked out for a change?? Amazing!!
        Apparently VLC keeps this info through version updates, but I didn’t see this message after a fresh OS install about 8 weeks ago, & a new VLC.

  3. myo said on August 1, 2010 at 5:52 pm
    Reply

    yes, yes, i have the same problem. sometimes, VLC crashes when it is playing .mov file.

  4. Kishore said on August 13, 2010 at 2:55 pm
    Reply

    Error:
    Buidling font Cache pop-up

    Solution:

    Open VLC player.

    On Menu Bar:

    Tools
    Preferences

    (at bottom – left side)
    Show settings — ALL

    Open: Video
    Click: Subtitles/OSD (This is now highlited, not opened)
    Text rendering module – change this to “Dummy font renderer function”

    Save
    Exit

    Re-open – done.
    Progam will no longer look outside self for fonts

    Source – WorthyTricks.co.cc

    1. Martin said on August 13, 2010 at 3:10 pm
      Reply

      Great tip, thanks a lot Kishore.

  5. javier said on August 14, 2010 at 1:50 pm
    Reply

    @Kishore, I’ll try your tips, but does this mean it will no longer show subtitles either?
    I do use subtitles, but the fontcache dialog box pops up (almost) everytime I play a file.

    Could this be related to the fonts I have installed? Or if I add/remove fonts to my system?

    I’ll try to do a fresh install also, if your tips does no work. I’ll post back here later…

    /thanks
    /j

  6. Kishore said on August 15, 2010 at 12:38 pm
    Reply

    @ Javier, The trick i posted will show up subtitles too. If not,

  7. Kishore said on August 15, 2010 at 12:39 pm
    Reply

    @ Javier, The trick i posted will show up subtitles too. If not,Dont worry, VLC is currently sorting out this issue and the next version will be out soon.

    No probs @ Martin !! Its my pleasure

  8. Ted said on October 22, 2010 at 3:57 am
    Reply

    Try running LC with administrator privileges. That seemed to fix it for me

  9. Evan said on December 8, 2013 at 1:48 am
    Reply

    I am using SMplayer 0.8.6 (64-bit) (Portable Edition) on Windows 7 x64. Even with the -nofontconfig parameter in place SMplayer still scans the fonts. Also, I have enabled normal subtitles and it is still scanning fonts before playing a video. Also, it does this every time the player opens a video after a system restart (only the fist video played).

  10. Mike Williams said on September 6, 2023 at 1:26 pm
    Reply

    Does that mean that only instrumental versions of songs will be available for non-paying users?

Leave a Reply

Check the box to consent to your data being stored in line with the guidelines set out in our privacy policy

We love comments and welcome thoughtful and civilized discussion. Rudeness and personal attacks will not be tolerated. Please stay on-topic.
Please note that your comment may not appear immediately after you post it.