Feature Improvement Request for Single Item Access

Feature Suggestions
1

Feature Improvements:

  1. Add support for built-in preset Restriction Profiles
  2. Add Multiple Item support for granting access

Add support for built-in preset Restriction Profiles:

It would be nice if the Single Item Access feature was updated to support granting access to Managed Accounts that are using one of Plex’s built-in preset Restriction Profiles in order to truly simplify granting access to things “a la carte”.

Plex 1 Note
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It’s been suggested to use Labels, but this is a more complicated way of managing and restricting access to child profiles. Adding labels are arbitrary, require a great deal of effort to be edited for a given number of media, and requires the use of an UNRESTRICTED profile.

“You can create arbitrary Labels when editing library content. When sharing, you can then choose to allow one or more Labels to have content matching those Labels shared.” -Plex

Easy:

  1. Locate title to share.
  2. Click Grant Access > Select User > Send.
  3. Repeat for each title you wish to share “a la carte”.

Complicated:

  1. Locate title to share.
  2. Edit the Title > click Sharing > Add Label… if known.
  3. If unknown, create a new arbitrary label or find the answer in some arbitrary location.
  4. Once found, return to step 2.
  5. Repeat for each title you wish to share “a la carte”.

Add Multiple Item support for granting access:

Currently when granting access to items, you cannot select more than one title and then grant access.

Thanks…

Plex's Grant Access fails to work for Managed Accounts for kids
2

I don’t understand your comments about Labels being arbitrary, or about needing to “find the answer”. Can you elaborate?

Typing a new Label in Plex will define it, and then it should be automatically suggested by Plex when editing other items.

Perhaps you are creating many Labels? Can you give some examples?

3

The topic of arbitrary was a direct quote from Plex, which is linked.

I don’t use Labels because I see no value in using them. Maybe others do, but they are not a solution for the reasons I’ve compared above nor describe below.

My request revolves around the simplicity of the two methods, which is why Plex needs to enhance their Single Item Access feature to truly enable Admins to share their content “a la carte” with Managed Accounts that are utilizing their built-in preset Restriction Profiles to manage content for children.

I assume that in 4-6 months from now when I go to share a title with one of my children, I’ll need to remember what label I need to use for Child 1, Child 2, Child 3, etc., or a combination thereof. I’m confident that my comparison shows that Method 1 is far easier than Method 2.

For example, my Teen will not have access to ALL rated R movies when they reach the age of 16. This is where I can easily Grant Access to them as I see fit. No need for Labels I have to manually edit for all of those Titles of interest… which can be easily achieved using the mobile app in just a couple of seconds.

No need to create and/or assign a label to content and/or User.

When my next child moves up from Older Kid to Teen, they will likely not have immediate access to all the same R rated titles I granted access to the first Teen. It’s really based on their maturity level.

And I only Grant Access when they express an interest in it; not preconfigured by manually editing tons of content in my library with Labels.

Method 1 is far simpler and effective than Method 2.

Another thing to consider is Removing Access to any of those given titles. I can easily see a list of all the titles I granted access in their profile and remove them “a la carte” without affecting the other Restricted Accounts.

If I was using Labels, I would need to remove the Lable from the Title or the User. By doing so, that would affect other Restricted Accounts who would be accessing content using those same labels. In other words, it’s an All or Nothing solution which is a horrible approach in my opinion.

4

The current system works well for me. It’s consistent and safe. It would be inconsistent and easy to make mistakes if Grant Access obeyed Restrictions when used for a Library but bypassed Restrictions for individual items.

I don’t share your complaints about managing labels, and I think they’re easier to manage than ad-hoc item access - I’m curious if we’re doing it differently. Can you give an example of how you used a specific label?

If Alice is allowed to view all G-rated content, as well as a few additional items, I would configure Alice’s user Restrictions like this:

No predefined Restriction Profile
Allow only ratings: G, TV-G
Allow only labels: PermitAlice

Then, add the PermitAlice label to the additional media she has permission to watch

After it has been used once, Plex will offer the PermitAlice label as a choice. It’s easy to add labels to multiple items. It’s easy to view which items have a label applied.

If both Alice and Bob have permission to view something, I add both PermitAlice and PermitBob labels to those media items.

If Alice no longer has permission to view something, I remove PermitAlice from that media item.

If Alice is eventually allowed to view all PG items, add that additional rating to her profile.

1 Like
5

Granting Access versus using Labels comes down to the level of attention required to achieve our needs; in other words: convenience.

Granting Access is far easier than labels for those “a la carte” requests that Plex claims is the reason for the Grant Access feature in the first place. However, this feature does not work for Restricted Accounts. This is the reason for my feature request.

I don’t think that a work around is a viable or suitable solution for a feature that’s already built in to Plex.

I understand that many people like labels to achieve their needs, but Labels is a different feature than Grant Access… and that’s the one that needs improvement.

@Volts, I’ve experimented with Labels in the manner you’ve described… but that doesn’t work for me. As it relates to my opening statement… it comes down to the level of attention required to achieve our needs.

Using Labels requires me to use Plex Media Server (located on my NAS) to both create a Label and then apply it to both the Media and the User.

For example, when my Teen asks if he can watch “The Terminator”; using my phone, I can simply pull up the movie and Grant Access… right there on the spot in a matter of seconds.

Using Labels requires me to:

  1. go to my laptop
  2. power it on,
  3. login to Windows
  4. log in to my Password Manager
  5. login to PMS… on NAS … and then…
  6. add a label to the movie…

Now, imagine those times when this request is over the phone when I’m not home.

To make it even more inconvenient, I need to identify what label I should be using. I’ll be damned if I’m going to remember all the labels.

Grant Access is far easier than labels… but unfortunately, I’m unable to use for my KIDS… which is the most often use of it, considering Adults tend to have access to everything when we Share a library with them.

One need only run through the steps required for each method… and I’d be hard pressed that anyone can honestly clam that: Open Plex on mobile device, pull up movie > Click More (those three dots) > Grant Access is somehow not easier than Labels to achieve the same results.

Not to mention… if Labels can supersede the Restriction Profile Content Rating limits, then there really is no reason why Grant Access can’t do the same thing.

Let’s look for ways to enhance Plex to meet our needs instead of rejecting them because they don’t tickle our fancy.

Every new feature that Plex has added over the years… at one point, was recommended by Users… and where other Users chimed in against it.

I always support new features that either expand or enhance Plex’s capabilities. Whether I think I’ll use them or not.

The Developers can determine if they are achievable or not…

6

We are in very strong agreement that this is painful from a phone today. I don’t disagree that it’s clumsy, or claim that Labels are obvious.

I disagree with the solution you propose, because Grant Access… shouldn’t override Restriction Profiles. Labels don’t supercede Restriction Profiles; they are part of the Restriction Profile system.

But I 1000% agree that it’s a real pain to manage media from a mobile device -

  • The mobile Plex app can’t edit even basic media metadata, much less Labels.
  • Plex Dash can edit only Posters.
  • The web app works from a phone, but there’s no mobile-friendly view. The desktop site is very clumsy on a phone.

I don’t think the complaint about remembering labels holds water. The label can be the name of your child.

Two more very bad workaround possibilities, which you should rightly hate:

  1. Stop using Restriction Profiles at all. Instead, create multiple Libraries for different content ratings. Grant Access… to the entire Libraries with appropriate content ratings. Then use Grant Access… for additional individual items in other Libraries.

  2. Keep using Restriction Profiles for most access. Also, give each kid a second managed user with no Restriction Profile. For that user, only Grant Access… to the few exception items.