If you offer your site via branded apps on iOS and tvOS, your customers are not required to register for an account to watch videos on an Apple device. By skipping registration, they can view videos anonymously but will have the option to convert to a full account at any time. Importantly, these users will not have an email address. They can instead be identified by a Support ID.
In this article
- What should my users do to skip registration?
- What features require registration?
- How can unregistered user convert their account?
- How do unregistered users impact site analytics and reporting?
- How do I support users who have skipped registration?
What should my users do to skip registration?
If your customer does not want to register for an account, they can select Skip in the upper right corner of the screen when prompted.
What features require registration?
By skipping registration, your customers won't be able to do the following unless they convert their account:
- Stream subscribed content across multiple devices that are not logged into the same iCloud account
- Add items to “My List”
- Download videos
- Some account settings
How can unregistered user convert their account?
Within the iOS and tvOS app, your customer may be prompted to “upgrade” their account when attempting to access features that require registration. To convert their account, they need to follow these steps:
- Go to Account Settings and select Create your account.
- Input an email address and password to create a new account.
- Any purchases they made will be transferred to the new account.
⚠️Note: It is not currently possible to merge an existing account with an anonymous account (for example, if someone signed up via the web, but then skipped registration on an Apple device). If your customer already has an account with active purchases, they should choose to log in. Alternatively, they can create a new account to convert their anonymous purchases and delete the existing account.
How do unregistered users impact site analytics and reporting?
Unregistered users are still registered in your dashboard and all analytics reports. What you may notice is an unconventional email address appearing for some users; it will end in "@anonymous.vhx.com.”
An email address like this indicates the customer on your site did not register for an account. Note that this is a false email address, and cannot receive emails. The data associated with it will otherwise mirror a “normal” user account.
How do I support users who have skipped registration?
Users who use the Optional Registration feature will skip the step of inputting an email address. This means that they will not be able to be contacted via email for marketing or support purposes.
If a user who has skipped registration requests support, they can be looked up in the Seller Admin via a Support ID.
Users can find their Support ID by going to Account on their Apple device.
