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Netflix on iPhone is about to get a lot better

Published Feb 24th, 2016 6:25PM EST
Netflix iPhone Android Updates
Image: gigaom.com

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Netflix is not done improving its service. After expanding its reach to over 130 more markets, and after completing its full transition to the cloud, the company is looking to improve the mobile experience of its users, starting with the iPhone.

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Netflix revealed at MWC 2016 that customers who’re using iPhones and iPads to stream movies and TV shows will get an improved experience starting Wednesday, Business Insider reports. The update includes the ability to auto-play the next episode of a show, and a “more fluid” design. The idea is, apparently, to “make things really, really stupid simple,” according to Netflix vice president of product innovation Chris Jaffe.

Android users will also get the same features, but an unspecified date later this year.

Also later this year, Netflix will let iPhone and Android users manually mark their mobile data usage preferences for watching Netflix. The app will allow HD streaming but also lower bit-rate videos, part of a data-saving mode.

Finally, the smartphone or tablet will be used to provide a second screen experience to those users who watch Netflix on a big screen.

Netflix is also rolling out one interesting feature to help it convince the user to stay in the app, and that’s autoplay video trailers. The company told Business Insider it has about 90 seconds to convince users to watch something before they give up, so autoplay trailers might help.

The solution could also help out with content discovery, one of the main problems of Netflix users.

A movie trailer will only begin if you hover over a title for a few seconds, and you won’t get the full trailer experience from TV or the Internet. Instead, Netflix will offer you a shorter version of the trailer so that you can quickly move to a different title.

The service is reportedly in testing, and should be available to all Netflix users at some point in the near future.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.