Us kids know how hard it is to buy gifts for parents. It’s either a case of they don’t want anything or they’ve already gone out and bought the product you had your eye on without telling you. Especially tech-savvy dads. But there are some oft-forgotte…
Streaming is a curious beast. One minute you’ll be enjoying the ’80s vibe of Stranger Thingsand the next you’ll be struggling to pick something from that overwhelming catalog. Sometimes, though, you’ll stumble on something that you’d normally never choose — a Netflix suggestion from a friend or a recent addition that had escaped your glance as you navigated Amazon Prime Video’s curated menus.
However, once you’ve watched that movie or TV show and moved on, it may drop back into relative obscurity, reducing your chances of remembering and paying that recommendation forward many months later. You may also have watched something, hated it and want to make sure it doesn’t impact future recommendations. Luckily, many streaming services keep a running list of the things you’ve watched (if they haven’t been removed from the catalog due to licensing agreements). Here’s how to find them.
Netflix
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Finding your viewing history on Netflix is a simple affair. Visit Netflix.com, ensure you’re logged in and then hover over your profile name. Select Your Account from the menu. Now, scroll down to the bottom and select Viewing Activity. You should now be presented with a list of everything you’ve streamed on your account.
While you’re there, you can decide how your history impacts Netflix recommendations. Clicking the X next to a title will ensure it’s deleted from your Recently Watched or Continue Watching row, but it will also ensure that Netflix doesn’t use a moment of streaming weakness against you. Once it has been removed, it won’t appear in your list until you watch it again.
Apple TV+
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Apple’s catalog of streaming originals might not be as broad as, say, Netflix or Disney+, but the iPhone-maker has a very comprehensive movie and TV store that can help fill the gaps.
If you’re looking to see what you’ve recently watched on either Apple TV+ or inside Apple’s TV app generally, the company does provide a way to see your viewing history, but it’s hidden away right at the bottom of the TV app itself.
Simply open the TV app on a Mac or iOS device and keep scrolling to the very bottom of the Watch Now tab. There, you’ll see a small selection of your most recently viewed content. Select the ‘See All’ link to view everything you’ve ever watched on Apple TV (this may also include movies and TV shows from third-party apps you have installed on your Apple TV streamer.)
Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t offer a dedicated ‘Recently Watched’ section in the TV+ web UI, opting instead for an ‘Up Next’ section. You can, however, clear what you have watched by heading to Settings and selecting Clear Play History. Alternatively, click here.
You can also remove individual movies and TV episodes from your Recently Watched list by long-pressing on the thumbnail of the content you wish to remove and selecting ‘Remove from Recently Watched.’ Perfect, if you’ve viewed something you told your significant other you’d wait for them to watch together.
Disney+
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Disney+ may now be over two years old, but it’s not quite yet caught up with the likes of Netflix and Amazon when it comes to features. Sadly, that means you can’t currently see your viewing history on Disney+.
Like many of its rivals, Disney does offer a Continue Watching section, which may help surface movies or TV shows that you may have stopped viewing just as the credits began to roll.
If it’s something you feel very strongly about, you can head to the Disney+ website and hit the Give Feedback button at the bottom to, very politely, request that they add the feature.
Hulu
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If you’re a Disney+ subscriber in the US, there’s a chance that you may have signed up for the Disney Bundle to get subscriptions to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for a discounted price. Unlike Disney+, however, Hulu does allow you to properly maintain your watch history both inside its apps and on the web.
It may not be immediately obvious, but Hulu keeps your viewing history inside the Keep Watching section, from which you can browse the movies and TV shows you’ve already streamed. To make things confusing, you cannot see the individual episodes of a show you’ve already watched in the Keep Watching section, so you’ll need to select the Details page of a particular series and add it to My Stuff. This will also let you see how many unwatched episodes you’ve got left to stream.
To remove content, navigate to the Keep Watching page and click on the X to purge it from your watch history. On mobile, tap the three dots on the thumbnail of the selected show or movie and hit Remove from Watch History.
HBO Max
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As it stands, HBO Max doesn’t offer a way to see everything you’ve watched. It does, however, automatically add movies and TV series that you haven’t finished watching to its Continue Watching row on the home screen of the service.
To remove a movie or show from your Continue Watching listing in your app or on the web, tap on your profile icon, then Continue Watching, and then Edit. Then, simply tap the X next to an individual item or Clear All to remove everything. When you’re finished, hit Done.
Amazon Prime Video
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Unlike Netflix, Amazon doesn’t make it easy to see what you’ve previously watched. In fact, it buries its listing inside a number of links that you wouldn’t otherwise check.
If you want to go the manual route, ensure you’re logged in on the Amazon website and click the Your Account link on the top bar. On the resulting page, scroll down to Personalization and click Improve Your Recommendations. Now, on the left menu, click Videos You’ve Watched.
Here, you can rate a TV show or movie so that Amazon can better understand your likes and dislikes or exclude that listing entirely. If you’ve found that both Netflix and Amazon have done a poor job of matching content to your interests, this is a good way to provide it with more insight.
Peacock
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Peacock doesn’t currently provide a way to see everything you’ve streamed on its service. It does, however, offer a Continue Watching section that will list all of the movies and TV shows that you have started but may not have completely finished.
Paramount+
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Paramount+ also doesn’t currently provide a way to see everything you’ve watched. There is a Keep Watching section, though, that lists all of the movies and TV shows that you have started but may not have completely finished.
As the European Commission continues to look into whether Apple has abused its market dominance by restricting mobile payments on iOS devices, Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager today confirmed that it has formally charged the iPhone maker, which could result in a hefty fine if it is upheld.
In a statement, Vestager said that the Commission had “indications that Apple restricted third-party access to key technology necessary to develop rival mobile wallet solutions on Apple’s devices,” adding that the company “may have restricted competition, to the benefit of its own solution.”
Developers, the Commission argues in its Statement of Objections, have been barred from “accessing the necessary hardware and software” to create their own NFC payment services on Apple devices. Contactless payments are popular across Europe, but Apple Pay remains the only contactless option for in-store payments on iPhone and iPad.
“Apple Pay is only one of many options available to European consumers for making payments, and has ensured equal access to NFC while setting industry-leading standards for privacy and security,” Apple said in a statement. “We will continue to engage with the Commission to ensure European consumers have access to the payment option of their choice in a safe and secure environment.
The Commission opened a dual review into both Apple’s in-app and NFC payment systems in June 2020, noting that the company’s choice could stifle competition and therefore reduce consumer choice. The Commission says that today’s announcement relates only to the “NFC input by third-party developers of mobile wallets for payments in stores” and not online restrictions against or “refusals of access to Apple Pay” for competing services.
Apple has previously said that it limits third-party access to contactless payments in order to boost security. It claims that its own technology prevents fraudulent payments by using a secure chip inside the iPhone antenna.
A Statement of Objections provides Apple with a list of exceptions that it argues go against EU antitrust rules. The company will now be invited to reply to the issues raised and request a meeting with officials, which means it could be some time before an official decision is reached.
Over the past few days, Amazon has begun slashing the price of its own gadgets as part of a wider Mother’s Day sale. Yesterday, we saw the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 15 fall back to all-time lows, and today it’s the turn of the retailer’s popular Kindle e-readers, which are now offering savings of up to 41 percent.
Leading the way is the Kindle Paperwhite, which is typically priced at $140, but has fallen back to an all-time low of $105 in this particular sale. The standard Kindle is also down to $55, just $5 off its lowest ever price.
The fifth-gen Paperwhite, which was refreshed for the first time in three years this past September, has a larger screen than the previous model at 6.8 inches (compared to the six-inch display on its predecessor). Amazon says the 300 ppi screen looks like real paper and its glare-free screen enables “easy reading” in all conditions, even direct sunlight. Not only is it compact, but it has a waterproof design that will ensure it remains operational when splashed. There’s also support for USB-C fast charging.
If you’re looking for something a bit more premium, the Kindle Oasis is on sale too. The 8GB model, which typically costs $250, is currently available for $200. The e-reader has previously been as low as $175, so it’s not currently near its all-time low, but still offers $50 off its usual price. The Oasis features a 300 ppi display, though the screen is slightly larger than the Paperwhite at seven inches. It has physical page turn buttons, an IPX8 waterproof rating and a color-adjustable front light.
It may also be a good time to encourage your child’s love of reading. Amazon is selling the Kindle Paperwhite Kids for $120, or a full $40 below the usual price. The standard Kindle Kids is also on sale for today at $65 with a decent $45 (or 41 percent) discount. They both come with a two-year “worry-free guarantee,” a protective cover and a 12-month Kids+ subscription with access to thousands of books.
Apple’s latest iPad mini has been on sale for a little under a year, but we’ve seen numerous price reductions on the (almost) pocketable slate. Having hovered around the $459 price point in recent times, Amazon has now discounted the 64GB iPad Mini further, bringing it down to a new all-time low of $400. That’s $99 off the original price or a savings of 20 percent.
If you’re looking for a bit more storage, Amazon has also reduced the 256GB model, which now costs $540. That means you’ll save $109 or 17 percent compared to the retailer’s list price.
The 2021 iPad mini received a score of 89 in our review, gaining marks for its “all-screen” design without the home button its predecessors have. It has a Liquid Retina 326ppi panel with a 2,266 x 1,488 resolution. The tablet’s edges are flat, and also sports a TouchID-capable power button, dropping the Lightning port for USB-C charging.
The slate features a new 12-megapixel ultra-wide front camera with Center Stage support, which like Facebook’s Portal devices will automatically pan and zoom to keep you at the center of the screen during video calls.
Thanks to the A15 Bionic chip powering the tablet, it was also able to handle we threw at it. It typically lasts up to 12 hours between charges and it also supports the second-gen Apple Pencil so you can use it for doodling or note-taking while on the go.
