How To Lock Apps On Samsung Smart Tv

If you own a Samsung Smart TV and looking for a way to lock apps or the Web Browser with a lock code, this tutorial is just for you. Besides, we'll also see how we can block TV channels on Samsung TV. We'll take a look at all possible ways to set up parental controls. As parents, we all want to make sure that our kids don't encounter inappropriate content while watching TV, YouTube, internet apps, or using the Web Browser. There is no way to lock the Samsung TV itself but we can at least put a child lock to stop children from accessing unwanted content.

Locking Apps on Samsung Smart TV

Samsung TV comes with a host of pre-installed apps including Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, Vudu, and so on. All such video streaming apps serve different types of content many of which are not suitable for kids. While there is a way to delete pre-installed apps on your Samsung TV, you should consider locking them instead. If you do not want your kids to access or view mature content, you can lock apps on your Samsung TV with a lock code.

Note: Instead of locking apps on your TV, you should also check the parental controls available in apps like Netflix, YouTube, Vudu, Hulu, Prime Video, etc. As for YouTube, you can also try the YouTube Kids app that is available for Samsung TV via the Samsung App Store.

Whether you want to lock YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, or any other app on your Smart TV, you can do that using the steps described below.

Press the Home button your TV remote, navigate to Apps, and open it.

Samsung TV apps
In the apps section on your Samsung TV, highlight the Settings (cogwheel) icon at the upper-right corner and click it.

Samsung TV Apps settings
You'll now see the list of all pre-installed and other apps that you downloaded yourself. Navigate the app you want to lock.
Highlight the Lock/Unlock button and click it.

Lock/Unlock option for TV apps
You'll be prompted to enter the lock code of your Samsung TV. If you haven't yet changed the PIN of your TV yet, you can use '0000' (the default PIN) to lock and unlock the apps. It's strongly recommended to change the default PIN of your TV by going to Settings > General > System Manager > Change PIN.
Once an app is locked, you'll see a lock icon on the app banner. Below, you can see that I locked YouTube on my Samsung Smart TV.

YouTube app locked on Samsung TV

That's it! You have successfully locked an app on your Samsung TV. You can use the same steps to lock more apps.

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Lock Web Browser on Samsung Smart TV

All Samsung Smart TVs come with a Web Browser. This app is not listed in the Apps section of the TV. However, it doesn't mean that you can't lock the Web Browser on your Samsung Smart TV.

Press the WWW button on your Samsung TV remote to launch the Web Browser.
Highlight the ≡ (hamburger) icon located at the top-right corner of the screen using the directional pad on the remote and click it to open the Internet Options.
Select the Settings option and click it.
On the Settings page of the Web Browser, navigate to Parental Control and click it.
Under the Parental Lock head, select Use. and set your PIN.
Now click on the Set PIN button and enter your PIN.

Parental control settings in Web Browser
Finally, select the Done option.

You have successfully secured the Web Browser on your Samsung TV with a password.

Lock Channels on Samsung Smart TV

Out of the hundreds of channels available on our TV, there may be some that broadcast shows and movies that are not age-appropriate. As parents, it's our duty to keep our children away from any content that is not good for them. We can restrict kids from accessing certain TV channels by locking them either via Samsung TV settings or via the STB (Set-top box).

Method 1: Samsung TV Settings

The steps to block over-the-air content or channels on Samsung TVs may differ depending on the model.

On 2017 Models of Samsung TV

Press the Menu button on your TV remote.
Navigate to Broadcasting > Edit Channel.
Select the Channel that you wish to remove and click the Delete option.

The channel will be deleted temporarily and you can restore it later whenever you want.

On Samsung TV 2018 Models

If you have a 2018 model of Samsung Smart TV, you can lock TV channels by navigating to one of the following paths:

Screen Menu > Broadcasting > Channel Lock
Menu > Live TV > Channel List > All Channels > Edit > Lock

You'll also need to go to the Edit Channel screen to select the TV channels you want to lock with a password.

On Samsung TV 2019+ Models

Note: This method requires an aerial cable connection of the digital TV antenna. Also, you need to select TV by going to Source otherwise the Broadcasting settings will be greyed out and you won't be able to change them. In case you are wondering why the picture size settings are greyed out on your TV, you should read my article on the topic as well.

Press the Home button on the smart remote.
Open TV Settings, navigate to Broadcasting, and click it.
Select the Programme Rating Lock option and click it.
You'll be prompted to enter your TV PIN.
Having entered the PIN, you can select the age rating.
In my case, I selected 12 because my kid's age is 10. In some countries, the rating system for channels, shows, and movies may differ. Make your rating category selection accordingly.
Now, it's time to enable channel lock as well. To do so, highlight the Apply Channel Lock option and click it.

Lock channels on Samsung TV
You'll have to enter your PIN again to turn on the channel lock.

Once you have locked the channels, your kid will have to enter the PIN to view a locked channel so keep it secret.

Method 2: Set-top Box

In case you use a Set-top box, you won't be able to lock the channels on your Samsung TV via the Settings because the Broadcasting function remains greyed out for STB users. In that case, you can use the parental settings to lock channels on your TV.

Note: I am a Sky TV user so the steps described below may vary if your provider differs.

Press the Settings button on the STB remote.
Select the Parental Control option and enter your current PIN.

Parental control option
You can use options like Lock Channels and Lock Genres to clock individual channels, specific genres, or rating based categories you don't want your children to view.

Thus we saw how we can lock apps, enable parental lock in Web Browser, and block TV channels on Samsung Smart TV. In case you have any questions or you need any help, don't hesitate to leave a comment below.

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