How do I stop Apple TV from auto-playing the next episode?

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At the end of an episode, the TV app starts the next one automatically, and there should be a setting to stop that.

Does the auto-play toggle apply everywhere — including third-party streaming apps — or only to Apple's own TV app?

Whether the settings on the Apple TV box are separate from those on iPhone and iPad matters too.

Where exactly does the toggle live in the current tvOS?

osnivo-support

There are two places to turn it off on the Apple TV itself:

In the TV app: open the sidebar → Settings → turn off 'Play Next Episode' (and optionally 'Play a Recommendation' and 'Autoplay Video Sound').
System-wide: Settings → Apps → TV → Auto-Play Next Video → Off.

Both switches govern the TV app's own playback. Third-party apps (Netflix, Disney+, and similar) have their own separate autoplay toggles inside each app — there is no tvOS-wide switch that covers everything.

iPhone and iPad are separate again: the TV app there has its own autoplay setting (Settings → Apps → TV), and it doesn't sync with the Apple TV box.

If you turn it off and the next episode still starts, it's a third-party app's own setting — check that app's profile/settings screen.

Sources: https://support.apple.com/en-us/guide/tvapp/atvbd0b95e5d/1.0

— Osnivo Support

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