Glasky household presents

Welcome to Plex

A guide in five acts · runtime 4 min

This is your guide to watching movies and shows on Plex. Keep it handy for the first week or two. After that you won't need it.

$0 · no subscription, no ads library grows over time hiccups = my end, text me
I
Act one
What is this, exactly?

Think of Plex as a private Netflix. Instead of coming from a big company, everything streams from a computer at my house. I collect the movies and shows, and Plex is the app that plays them on your TV or phone.

→It costs you nothing: no subscription, no ads.
→The library grows over time, new stuff shows up as I add it.
→Since it all comes from one computer in one house, it can occasionally hiccup. When it does, the fix is almost always on my end, so just let me know.
II
Act two
Getting signed in

Your account is already set up, so you never need to sign up for anything. You just need the Plex app and the login I gave you.

Scene 1 · Apple TV or smart TV
1Open the app store on the TV and search for Plex. It's free. Install it and open it.
2The TV will show a short code and ask you to visit plex.tv/link.
3On your phone, open a web browser, go to plex.tv/link, sign in with your Plex email and password, and type in the code from the TV.
4The TV signs itself in a few seconds later.
Scene 2 · iPhone or iPad
1Install the Plex app from the App Store.
2Open it and sign in with the same email and password.
3If it asks you to pay or "unlock" the app, don't. You can skip past that screen. Watching this library is free.
The app you're looking for
Black square, amber chevron, named "Plex". Free on every app store.
III
Act three
Finding something to watch
→The home screen shows rows like Continue Watching, recently added movies, and recently added shows. Scrolling those rows is usually all you need.
→To browse everything, look for Movies or TV Shows in the menu on the left.
→There's a search (magnifying glass) if you know what you want.
IV
Act four
Two audiences, two profiles

Profiles work like they do on Netflix. When the app opens, you pick who's watching. Your profile sees the whole library, including plenty of things made for grown ups. It keeps your own watch history and your own spot in every show.

The Kids profile is a safe sandbox. It only shows kid friendly titles that were hand selected, so you don't need to worry about a kid stumbling onto a horror movie because it isn't there. Nothing a kid does in there can break anything, so feel free to hand over the remote.

One habit worth building

Check which profile is active before you press play with kids in the room.

Switching takes two clicks from the profile icon.

What's in the kids section

The kids library is sorted into collections by age, so you don't have to guess what fits:

Calm & Kind
The gentlest stuff, for the littlest viewers.
First Adventures
Classic family movies, light and easy.
Bolder Stories
For kids ready for a little more excitement.
For Older Kids
PG-13 territory, best for tweens and up.

Nothing more adult than PG-13. Even the PG-13 are filtered for language and sexual content.

V
Act five
When something goes wrong

Short version: you cannot break Plex. If anything acts up, text me. Here's what the common hiccups look like:

●spinning wheelVideo pauses to buffer. Give it a minute, or press pause for 30 seconds and resume. If it keeps happening all evening, let me know.
●unable to connectOr an empty library. The server is probably asleep or restarting. Nothing on your end is wrong. Text me and try again later.
●title "unavailable"That title is being reorganized behind the scenes. Mention it to me and it'll come back.
●no sound / wrong languageWhile a video plays, there's a settings icon where you can pick the audio track (swipe down on Apple TV). Or just text me the title and I'll sort it.
●something's missingThis is the fun one. I take requests. Ask, and it usually shows up within a day or two.
The one rule
Be kind. Don't rewind. Text me.

If you're ever stuck for more than a couple of minutes, just text me. This is my hobby, I like fixing it, and nine times out of ten it's a 30 second fix on my end.

Fin.
Now go make popcorn