The best way to watch Netflix is using its official apps, regardless of the operating system, unless you’re a Mac owner in which case you’re stuck with a browser or experimenting with third-party apps. But if you were hoping for Netflix to just port its iPad app to Mac now that macOS Catalina is available and Apple’s Catalyst tech is available to developers, you’ll have to think again. For the moment, that’s not happening, although it might have to do more with Apple than Netflix.
An extensive Bloomberg report earlier this week explained the various issues iOS developers have with porting their iPad apps to the Mac via Catalyst.
Apple’s dream is to have developers code an app once and then launch it on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. In practice, however, that’s not so easy, which explains why you’re not witnessing a flurry of updates from iOS apps telling you those apps are available on Mac as well. Some developers have had to postpone their macOS launches to further iron out wrinkles. Others had to inform buyers that a macOS version would require a separate purchase, even if they’ve already bought the app from the App Store on an iPad or iPhone. Then there are user interface issues that might need fixing, given that several iPad apps that were imagined for a touch-only experience need to be adapted for a mouse and keyboard.
These issues will be ironed out as Catalyst matures, and the work of developers will surely be cut in half in the future. Apple obviously wants to bring more apps to the Mac, especially the ones that are popular on iPhone and iPad. Once that happens, Netflix might move its iPad app to macOS as well. In the meantime, the streaming giant has confirmed to Bloomberg it has no plans to bring its popular iPad app to the Mac. Netflix has standalone apps for iOS (iPhone and iPad), Android, and Windows 10.
If you do want to watch Netflix inside an app on your Mac, you’ll have to resort to a third-party solution, and it so happens that we’ve discovered a great option. It’s called Clicker for Mac and it’ll completely change the way you watch Netflix, packing a bunch of features that are not even available in the official Netflix app, like the ability to resume playback as soon as you open the app and to automatically skip intros or jump to the next episode.
