If you enjoy workouts on your Peloton bike, you might be wondering whether it’s possible to catch up on your favorite Netflix or Hulu shows at the same time. Streaming TV is a favorite distraction for people on exercise equipment, and Peloton has advanced screen technology that should theoretically allow people to watch TV and use the Peloton at the same time.

Watching TV is possible on Peloton, but streaming television apps such as Netflix are unavailable on the bike. The only way to watch TV on the Peloton bike is to use the Peloton’s web browser to access television websites. However, this can lead to software glitches in the Peloton’s screen.

If you want to get your Netflix on and your Peloton bike workout in at the same time, you’ll need to use a technical loophole to get access to it and other streaming TV services. Read on to learn more about watching TV on the Peloton screen and how to manage it.

TV Apps Aren’t Available on Peloton

What’s more, Peloton goes out of its way to discourage users from modifying or hacking their bikes in any way, as it falls under the “improper use” section of Peloton’s user agreement. (Source: The Verge)

However, this vaguely-worded section of Peloton’s user agreement hasn’t stopped Peloton users from customizing their bikes with a variety of third-party accessories such as screen swivels, and it hasn’t stopped them from trying to access their favorite shows through Peloton’s screen either.

Why Doesn’t Peloton Allow Streaming TV Services?

It should be noted that Peloton has financial motivations for disallowing users to stream other entertainment services on the Peloton screen. Without access to alternative entertainment during their rides, Peloton users are forced to pay a forty-dollar-a-month subscription for Peloton-endorsed fitness videos to watch instead. (Source: Business Insider)

Peloton knows that if users are given the choice between paying for a monthly subscription to get yelled at by personal trainers and using their Netflix account that they already pay for to entertain themselves while riding, many users will take the TV binge. So don’t be surprised if you don’t see native Netflix compatibility coming to Peloton any time soon.

Using the Peloton Web Browser to Watch TV

For those Peloton riders who would rather catch up on their favorite TV show than put up with a personal trainer, luckily there are ways to get around Peloton’s streaming TV embargo. The easiest one is to use the Peloton’s built-in web browser to access streaming TV services directly through the website search engine rather than hitting an app button.

Risks of Watching TV on Peloton

Using the web browser to watch Netflix or Hulu on Peloton seems like a quick fix. However, forcing the Peloton screen to run a streaming video it wasn’t designed for is risky. In some cases, trying to stream television on your Peloton can cause the screen to glitch out.

The good news is that even if your screen does develop a glitch from using the streaming TV web browser loophole, most problems can be solved by doing a quick factory reset on your Peloton screen. This will put the screen back to default settings and should fix any graphical glitches.

It has the added advantage of not affecting your Peloton account. All you have to do is sign back in once your Peloton’s screen is back up and running.

Here’s how to perform a factory reset on your Peloton bike if trying to access streaming TV services on it causes a graphical glitch in the screen (Source: Peloton Support):

  • Turn the screen off. Power down the Peloton screen by holding down the Power button on the top of the screen and selecting the Shutdown option when it shows up on the screen.To perform a reset, press down on the Volume Up button and the Power button at the same time until the Peloton logo shows up on the screen, then release the buttons. This will initiate Peloton’s Recovery Mode.Using the volume buttons to toggle up and down in the recovery mode menu, select Wipe Data/Factory Reset and select it with the Power button.Confirm your choice to delete your user data and reboot the system. At this point, the Peloton can be restarted in factory-fresh condition.To add your user data back onto the Peloton, sign in to your Peloton account. All of your relevant user data should be uploaded automatically back to your Peloton screen.

This factory reset is the biggest fix you’ll probably be forced to try when working around Peloton’s lack of streaming TV compatibility.

Thankfully, it’s easy enough to solve any graphical glitches most of the time without losing any of your user data or causing permanent software problems.

Watching TV on Peloton Requires a Loophole

Even though Peloton doesn’t officially support streaming TV services to watch while you ride, you can still get access to your favorite shows if you’re willing to go against Peloton’s instructions about making technical modifications to the bike that it wasn’t designed to handle.

If you’re outside of your warranty scope, you might want to be cautious when it comes to hacking the Peloton’s systems. Chances are this hack won’t cause any problems with your Peloton that a quick reset of the screen won’t fix.