Personalisation in BBC iPlayer

Personalisation means we can do things like:

  • Recommend programmes we think you’ll like
  • Remember how far through a programme you are
  • Let you pick up where you left off on any different device
  • Give you notifications about things you enjoy

At the moment, it isn't possible to change the icon/profile picture on your account.

How do I turn off personalisation?

You can turn off personalisation in your BBC account settings. For more information on how to do this, visit BBC account help.

Bear in mind, it may take a little while for any changes you make to come into effect. But you can speed things up by signing out of your BBC account and signing back in again.

Under 13 years of age?

If you’re under 13, personalisation will be turned off by default. To turn it on, you’ll need to link your BBC account with a parent or guardian's account and get their permission. And the same goes if you want to turn it back off again. Head to the What are child permissions? page on the Using the BBC website to find out more.

How does turning off personalisation affect BBC iPlayer?

  • You won’t get personalised recommendations
  • You won’t be able to pause shows and later pick up where you left off across different devices (eg. pausing on your laptop and resuming on your mobile)
  • Data about how you use the BBC will be anonymous
  • You’ll still be able to ‘Add’ programmes to your Watchlist, but we won’t use this to personalise things for you

What other effects does turning off personalisation have?

Turning off personalisation will affect various parts of the BBC website outside of BBC iPlayer. You can find out more about personalisation on the About your personalisation settings page of the Using the BBC website.