Netflix has made headlines quite a few times in the last couple of months, but we’ve mostly talked about the company’s attempts to prevent password sharing and its new ad-based plan, which might or might not be as popular as it was expected.
Today’s headline is about the Netflix app, the gateway to the service’s library of entertainment and the first thing customers see before diving deep into their favorite TV shows and movies. This is why the app is getting updates all the time, some adding new features, while others simply improving already existing perks.
Early this week, a new update for the Netflix app dropped, although it’s limited to iOS. The good news is the update is supposedly making the app more fluid, as seen in the video embedded below. Also, former Netflix UI designer Janum Trivedi revealed some of the changes he worked on last year before leaving the company.
Here are some of the most significant changes included in this update, besides the under-the-hood improvements that make the app run more fluid than ever:
- New billboard layout responds as you move your device, with a subtle lighting effect
- Beautiful wallpaper gradients that are created on-the-fly from the art
- A new card transition that’s fully interruptible/interactive
- New launch/profile animations, haptics, and more
Meanwhile, Netflix’s new Basic plan with ads is available for customers in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and United Kingdom. Depending on how well the adoption among customers will go, we’ll probably see the new ad-based plan introduced in other territories.
Surprisingly, Netflix’s cheapest plan doesn’t work on Apple TV yet, regardless of location. Perhaps that will change in the future, but we currently have no explanation as to why it doesn’t work yet.