Netflix today has updated its iOS app with a handful of new features and enhancements. The update bumps the app to version 8.0 and includes auto-play support for iPhone users, 3D Touch support, and iPad Pro display optimization.
First off, the update brings what Netflix calls the “post-play experience” to iPhone users. This is the screen you see when you finish watching a TV or movie with recommendations for what to watch next and, if it’s a series, the support for auto-playing the next episode.
Furthermore, the app now supports 3D Touch in the form of peek and pop. When you’re browsing the Netflix catalog, you can now use 3D Touch to get a quick glimpse at the description of a TV series or movie, as well as to play the content, view more details, add/remove it from your list, or share it. Unfortunately, the app icon doesn’t gain any 3D Touch quick actions with today’s update. It’d be nice if there were 3D Touch quick actions on the app icon to allow you to instantly jump to the TV show you watched most recently, for instance.
Finally, today’s Netflix for iOS update optimizes the app’s interface for the 12.9-inch display of the iPad Pro. While there aren’t any specific design changes for the iPad Pro, the content is now the correct resolution and is no longer enlarged.
The latest version of Netflix is available on the App Store now and the full change log is below:
What’s New in Version 8.0.0
- Post-Play experience (episode auto-play/recommendations) now on iPhone
- iPad Pro optimized layout
- 3D Touch support
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Still no picture in picture support.
Which amazes me. It can’t be that hard to implement, since many many smaller companies have done so months ago.
So why aren’t Netflix and YouTube providing something that’s actually useful for their users. Tubex is awesome for YouTube videos with PiP. They need something similar for Netflix (although I’m not sure I’d trust a third party with my sign in info for a site I pay for).
Unfortunately, I don’t see this happening any time soon. Netflix is really tight about DRM and protection of their content. Ever tried taking a screenshot of a Netflix show in OS X? PiP could possibly open this up for unauthorised capture (or so they think). It’s not a technical issue, they just won’t do it.
As for YouTube, they just need to get their heads out of their arses and finally allow background playing.
Updated design of playback controls is nice. But still no picture-in-picture, sadly. The only thing I really want.
I sort of get why YouTube resists PIP, since they were long planning and now have a premium-tier, wanted to keep a form of background play for subscribers as a premium feature. And maybe iOS doesn’t support allowing PIP only for certain types of users, so YouTube isn’t supporting it for anybody (yet).
But Netflix really has no good excuse. There’s no free tier of Netflix, and its hard to imagine that content licensing or technology is the problem, since many other similar services, especially HBO and Hulu, already support PIP.
The crazy thing is, you actually CAN play Netflix audio in the background, even when the device is locked! Just hit the home button while a Netflix video is playing, then quickly swipe up into Control Center and hit play (it may take several repeated taps between play and pause)… and presto, you can listen to Netflix while doing other stuff, or with your phone locked in your pocket. If you go back to the app to watch video, it will usually pause and require another tap on “play”.
Maybe the fact they still seem to use a Silverlight based player – OMG I even have some difficulties to write this :P. I will give your tip a try: having the audio is a start :)
Awesome. Now they need to update it for the AppleTV 4 and make it less terrible.
Absolutely agree. If you only had an Apple TV, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Netflix has a tiny catalogue. There is really no provision for exploring the available content at all.