As streaming platforms go, Hulu has a lot to offer, with curated TV shows and movies as well as live TV. Hulu is also fairly flexible when it comes to curating separate profiles, watching across multiple devices, and accessing content while traveling. If you’re a Hulu subscriber, these are the best hacks to maximize your streaming experience.
Curate your Hulu watch history to avoid cluttered suggestions
If you don’t like the content Hulu is suggesting for you, you have several options to curate your recommendations. “Disliking” a show or movie removes it from your Home view and You May Also Like entirely, so the only way you’ll see that content is if you search for it. You can dislike on the Details page if you’re watching on your TV or use the thumbs down on mobile or web. (The “Like” button will obviously influence your algorithm in the opposite way). If your “Continue Watching” queue is cluttered with shows you started but didn’t like enough to finish, you can remove them from your watch history as well as the My Stuff list. This, too, will allow content to remain searchable but not suggested in other areas of the app.
If PIN protection is enabled, users must enter a four-digit PIN when switching between profiles on a single account. This is intended as a parental control feature, since it’s available on non-Kids profiles and can keep children from accessing more mature content on an adult’s profile. However, you can also enable this feature to keep other users from seeing your viewing history and preferences or influencing your algorithm by watching their content under your profile (accidentally or on purpose). To set up a PIN, log into your account on Hulu’s website, select your profile, and go to Manage Profiles > Parental Controls. You’ll have to choose a PIN and enter your password to confirm the changes.
Another approach to protecting your profile and algorithm is to set up separate profiles for specific use cases, such as when you have guests or if you host watch parties for certain shows. This keeps content from influencing your recommendations and prevents other viewers from seeing what’s in your watch history or saved content (especially if there are things you want to keep private).
Change your subtitle settings to manage how they appear on your screen
If you find that subtitles and captions are too bold—or not visible enough—you can change the font, color, size, and style from the default so they enhance your viewing experience rather than detracting from it. Hulu allows you to adjust the color and opacity of the font, background, and window so you get the right contrast, and you can also select the specific font and font scaling. On your streaming device, go to Settings > Subtitles & Captions, then hit the back button on your remote to save your preferences. You can update these settings on mobile and desktop as well.
If you won’t be using your Hulu account for several weeks or months but don’t want to cancel your account entirely, you can pause billing so you’re not paying for time you’re not watching. This is a good option if you have extended travel planned or are waiting for new seasons of specific shows to drop. Pauses can last up to 12 weeks for monthly subscribers. Note that if you do cancel Hulu, you can simply resubscribe to regain access to your profile. You can request a pause and set the duration under Account > Your Subscription > Pause Your Subscription.
Use the expiring content badge to prioritize your watch list
If you have a long list of shows and films to watch but can’t decide what to start next, look for the “Expiring Soon” badge to see which titles are leaving the service in the next two weeks. Badges display the number of days remaining, so you can determine what to prioritize and whether it’s worth diving in based on how much time you have to finish before the expiration date. Go to “My Stuff” to monitor saved titles that are expiring soon.
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If you’ve been watching Hulu under an account shared with family or friends and need to switch to your own subscription, you can transfer your profile to keep your watch history and settings intact instead of starting from scratch. You can initiate a profile transfer on a TV-connected device. Note that account holders have to approve transfer requests within seven days, and once expired, transfer requests cannot be resubmitted—so be sure to let the primary user know that you’ve made the request.
Use Manage Devices to remove your account from hotel, Airbnb, or friends’ TVs
If you’ve shared your Hulu login information with friends or activated your account on devices you don’t own, you may want to regularly audit where your account is being used and remove any that don’t need access. This includes TVs in Airbnbs and hotels. If you stay logged in, unauthorized users may have access to your Hulu account and personal data. You can see activated devices (and their activation date) under Your Account > Watch Hulu on Your Devices > Manage Devices. Click Remove next to old or unrecognized devices.
Hulu has an offline mode that allows you to download shows and movies to watch when you don’t have a network connection. This is useful for traveling or when you know your wifi or cell service will be limited. Downloads are only available on supported iOS and Android devices, which means you may have to consider how much space your content takes up. You can select High for video quality if you want maximum resolution, but you may want to choose Standard if you are short on storage. This option is available under Downloads > Settings > Video Quality on iOS and Account > Settings > Downloads > Video Quality on Android. Note that once you click play on downloaded content, you have 48 hours to watch it before it expires—so don’t start it unless you are ready.
Log into Hulu on home wifi to prevent losing access to live TV while on the road
If you have a Hulu + Live TV subscription, you must designate a “Home” network, which determines the local channels included in your plan. You can update your location up to four times within a 12-month period, but this limitation is meant to prevent viewers outside a household from sharing a subscription. Hulu does allow you to stream live TV on mobile when you’re away from your home network (within the U.S.) as long as you access your account on that network every 30 days. If you travel often, check in with your mobile device frequently to avoid being locked out when you’re away. Note that you can still watch streaming content with no restrictions.
