Set up Series Lock

What you will accomplish

Series Lock helps a group avoid moving to the next episode before everyone is ready. It keeps track of episode completion for the participants you choose and checks that progress when a participant starts an episode.

You can include profiles on your Odyssey account and accepted Odyssey friends. A friend joins using a profile on their own account. Each person still needs authorised access to the series through their own available source. Odyssey supplies no media, and a lock invitation does not supply provider access or media rights.

Before you start

Use a profile connected to your Odyssey account. Series Lock requires at least two selections in total, including your own profile. A second household profile or an accepted friend can be the other participant.

The series also needs an exact metadata match and a complete episode list. Metadata is the identifying information that connects the title to the correct series, seasons and episodes. If the title is incorrectly matched, fix that before creating the lock.

If you intend to enable Require profile PIN for Watch Anyway, set up a profile PIN for every selected household profile first. A friend accepting a protected lock also needs a PIN for the profile they choose.

Create the lock

1. Open the series information page. On iPhone, iPad or Mac (Catalyst), choose Lock Series. On Apple TV, open the ⋯ menu and choose Lock Series.
2. Choose a Mode: Separately for individual episode completion or Together for shared completion.
3. Decide whether to enable Require profile PIN for Watch Anyway.
4. Under Profiles on this account, select the participating profiles. Your active profile is already selected.
5. Under Friends on other Odyssey accounts, select accepted friends you want to invite.
6. Choose Lock Series and wait for the result. A disabled button usually means that fewer than two participants are selected or a request is still in progress.

The restricted profiles labelled Kids profiles can participate in household locks. Selecting one prevents adding friends from other accounts; their progress is not shared through that cross-account flow. These restriction controls do not change Odyssey’s 18+ access requirement.

Choose the right progress rule

In Separately, each participant finishes episodes on their own profile. Someone who is ahead waits until the others have completed the earlier episodes. Watching a later episode does not erase a gap earlier in the series.

In Together, an episode marked watched by one participant is treated as watched for all joined participants. Existing completion is considered when the lock is created, and joining a Together lock can also merge existing completion. Agree on your starting point before selecting this mode.

Series Lock tracks episode completion. It does not create a synchronised playback session. Use Watch Party when you want shared playback controls.

Worked example

Alex and Morgan are watching a six-episode drama on separate evenings. Alex creates a Separately lock and selects Morgan’s profile. Both finish episode one. Alex then finishes episode two while Morgan has not. When Alex tries episode three, the lock shows who is still being waited for.

Morgan completes episode two on the participating profile. Once that completion reaches the service, episode three becomes available within the shared pace. Merely opening episode two or starting it briefly is not the same as completing it.

Review, extend or remove the lock

Return to the series and choose Manage Series Lock. You can also open Settings → Profiles → Manage Family Profiles → My Series Locks. The management screen shows participants, their next episode, watched-ahead counts and invitations still awaiting acceptance.

The creator can use Refresh New Episodes from that series to add newly available episodes after the existing ordered list. This is useful when a new episode appears after you created the lock.

The creator sees Remove Lock; another eligible participant sees Leave Lock. Removing the lock ends its waiting rule. Leaving removes your participation. Neither action supplies or deletes the source media. You cannot edit the mode or participant selection in place in the version covered here. Review the group before creating the lock.

If something does not work

The series cannot be locked: check its metadata match and reload its episode list. The app rejects a partial or uncertain list instead of guessing an order.

A friend is missing: first confirm the friend request in Friends & Invitations. An outstanding friend request is different from an accepted friendship and a Series Lock invitation.

The lock cannot refresh: check the account connection and try again. Access is checked with the service before playback; an offline or failed check is not confirmation that the group has caught up.

A participant appears ahead: check the participating profile and existing watched history. Together and Separately intentionally treat completion differently.

Quick answers

Can I lock a series only for myself? The current creation flow requires at least two participants. See personal locks and PINs for the limits.

Can I override a wait? Watch Anyway can approve the requested episode. A protected lock asks for that profile’s PIN. It does not unlock the whole app session.