Apple is bringing profiles to the Apple TV app on iPhone and iPad with iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2. The feature lets different people use separate viewing settings, while parents can restrict what children are allowed to watch without changing the content available in their own profile.

Profiles were previously introduced for the Apple TV app on Apple TV hardware with tvOS 26.2. The latest software updates extend that setup to the mobile versions of the app, making the feature available when watching on an iPhone or iPad.

How Apple TV profiles work on iPhone and iPad

Users can create and manage profiles from the account settings section of the Apple TV app. That same area can be used to switch between profiles when more than one person shares the device.

Setting up a profile requires only a name, a profile rating, and information indicating whether the profile belongs to a child. The feature is therefore designed as a relatively simple way to separate viewing preferences and content access on a shared device.

Child profiles include content restrictions

When a child profile is created, the Apple TV app applies a PG rating limit by default. Apple also provides a customization option for parents who want more specific controls.

Through that option, parents can select age ratings for television shows and movies that are suitable for the child. This provides more granular control than using the default setting alone, while keeping the restrictions tied to the child’s profile.

Why Apple TV profiles matter for families

The feature is particularly useful when a parent gives an iPhone or iPad to a child for watching television or movies. The child can use a profile with age-appropriate limits, while the parent’s own profile retains its separate viewing access and settings.

That separation avoids the need to repeatedly adjust restrictions on a shared account. It also means a child’s viewing limits do not affect what the parent sees when signed into their own Apple TV profile.

Apple’s expansion of profiles makes the Apple TV app more consistent across its platforms. Profiles first arrived on Apple TV with tvOS 26.2, and iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2 now bring the same general account-switching and child-control approach to Apple’s mobile devices.