FAQ
Getting started
Do I need an account to use Play/Pause?
No. The app opens straight into browsing — you can search movies and shows, open full detail pages, and see cast and streaming availability without signing in or paying anything. An account is only needed to save things: watchlists, watch history, ratings, and stats are tied to your account so they follow you between devices.
How do I sign in?
Email and password, Sign in with Apple, or Sign in with Google. If you use email and password, you will be asked to verify your address before your data syncs.
Which devices are supported?
Play/Pause is an iPhone app and requires iOS 17 or later. There is no iPad, Mac, Android, or web version today.
Subscription
What does Play/Pause cost?
Play/Pause Pro is $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year, and starts with a 7-day free trial. Browsing and searching are free and do not require a subscription.
What does the subscription unlock?
Saving and tracking: watchlists, watched history, ratings, stats, unlimited search, and TV Time import. Without a subscription you get five searches per day and full browsing.
How do I cancel?
Subscriptions are billed through your Apple Account, so you cancel in iOS Settings under your name, then Subscriptions. You can also reach the same screen from Play/Pause under Settings. Cancel at least 24 hours before a period ends to avoid the next renewal.
I already subscribed but a new device says I have not.
Tap Restore Purchases on the subscription screen. Your subscription is tied to your Apple Account rather than your Play/Pause login, so restoring re-links it.
Tracking
What is the Watching tab?
It shows the next unwatched episode that has actually aired for each show you are following, with your progress. Checking an episode off moves the show to its next episode, and there is a short undo window in case you tap by mistake.
What does pausing a show do?
Pausing sets a series aside without deleting anything. It leaves your Watching list and Watchlist so it stops cluttering them, and it waits for you under Library, then Paused Shows. Resume it any time and your progress is exactly where you left it.
What does "Watching On" do?
It lets you record which streaming service you are using for a title. The provider logo then appears on that show's rows in Watching and Watchlist, so you do not have to remember where a series lives. On a shared watchlist everyone sees the same choice. If no providers are listed for your region, the option reads "Not available".
There are two ways to pick the next episode. What is the difference?
Under Settings, Next Episode chooses between two behaviours. Earliest Unwatched always sends you to the oldest episode you have not seen, so gaps get filled first. After Latest Watched continues from whatever you watched most recently, and only falls back to earlier gaps once you reach the end.
How does episode tracking work for TV?
TV history is tracked per episode rather than per show, so partially watched seasons stay accurate. Movies are tracked as whole titles, and only show a rating slider once you have marked them watched.
Watchlists
What is the difference between personal and shared watchlists?
Everyone has a Personal Watchlist that is yours alone. You can also create additional personal lists, or shared lists that other people can join. You can rename or clear your Personal Watchlist, or turn it into a shared one.
How do shared watchlists work?
Invite people by email address or generate a single-use code. A shared list holds up to five members, and membership is invitation-only — there are no public profiles, no follower lists, and no discovery feed. Anyone in the list can add and remove titles.
Why did a title disappear from my watchlist?
Watched movies, fully watched shows, and paused shows are hidden so the list stays actionable. Watched movies are in History, and paused shows are under Library, then Paused Shows.
Importing from TV Time
Can I bring my TV Time history over?
Yes. Request your data export from TV Time, then in Play/Pause go to Settings and choose either the export .zip or the unzipped folder. Play/Pause runs a dry run first, tells you what it can and cannot match, and only writes anything once you confirm.
What gets imported?
Watched episodes, movie history, ratings, and your lists. Each source list becomes a personal watchlist with the same name. Anything that cannot be matched to a title is listed so you can map it yourself.
How long does an import take?
A large export can take several minutes because every title has to be matched. The screen shows progress and can be cancelled; anything already written is kept, and running the import again will not create duplicates.
Privacy and your data
Is my viewing history public?
No. Play/Pause has no social feed, no public profiles, and no followers. The only thing anyone else can see is a shared watchlist you explicitly invited them to.
Where does the movie and TV information come from?
From The Movie Database (TMDB). Requests go through our own server, so no TMDB key ships inside the app and your identity is never sent to TMDB. Play/Pause is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
Can I get a copy of my data?
Yes. Settings has a JSON export of your profile, watch history, ratings, and watchlists.
How do I delete my account?
Settings, then Delete Account. You will be asked to confirm who you are first, then your watch history, ratings, watchlists, and account are removed. If you owned a shared watchlist that other people are still using, it is handed to another member rather than deleted underneath them. Deleting your account does not cancel an Apple subscription — cancel that in iOS Settings.
Something is wrong
A show or movie is missing, or its details look wrong.
Catalogue information comes from TMDB, so corrections made there flow through to Play/Pause. If something is missing entirely, it is usually missing from TMDB too.
I need help with something else.
Email support@playpause.app. The support page lists the details worth including so we can help faster.