If you're an avid Netflix viewer, you can expect quite a few new features to land on your screen soon.
Netflix Chief Tech Officer Elizabeth Stone has announced a slew of new updates at Tech Disrupt 2025, ranging from a real-time vote during live shows and an interactive refresh to the main menu. Netflix has increasingly turned to live events to expand its audience, a move that forced the BBC to confirm that subscribers do need to be covered by a TV licence.
Some of these features have already been tested among small numbers, too, whereas others are still in the development phase. Here are five updates you'll be seeing on your screens as they roll out gradually to everyone.
1. You can vote on what's happening on-screen in real time
Netflix will launch a new feature that lets you vote for your favourite contestant in the talent competition show Star Search in real-time. Rather than sending a text message or calling a number to place your vote, like the early days of The X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing, you'll be able to do everything with a remote.
"If you’re sitting at home watching ‘Star Search’ on your TV, you’ll be able to either on the TV or your mobile phone actually put in a vote that advances or doesn’t advance some of the contestants on the show," Ms Stone said.
However, you'll have a limited time to vote, meaning if you're not watching the show live, then you may miss out on being able to cast your ballot.
You'll soon be able to play games in your living room on the TV screen, using the Netflix app
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2. You'll be able to play "living room party games"
During the talk at Tech Disrupt, it was announced that you'll soon be able to play games with your family and friends directly on your TV. Ms Stone used the game Boggle as an example, which is a word-finding game where you compete to find as many words as possible in a grid of letter cubes within a time limit.
You can expect five interactive games to come to Netflix before the end of this year:
- LEGO® Party!
- Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends
- Tetris Time Warp
- Pictionary: Game Night
- Boggle Party
If you weren't aware, you can already play Netflix games exclusively on your phone using the app. They can be played remotely or in person with friends.
Follow these instructions to access the existing games on your mobile:
- Once you open the Netflix app, navigate to the Games tab at the bottom of your screen.
- Select a game you want to play and tap Get Game. You'll then be directed to download the game on your device's app store.
- Once downloaded, launch the game and sign in with your Netflix account
- After you've accessed the game, you can invite and join your friends in multiplayer matches
Some of the existing multiplayer games include Asphalt Xtreme, Exploding Kittens, and Heads Up.
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You'll need to have the Netflix app downloaded to your phone to play any mobile multiplayer games
| GETTY3. You can access more vertical videos
Netflix is actively researching ways to introduce more vertical videos on the platform, specifically on mobile devices. This would allow you to scroll through clips of memorable moments or lines from original Netflix shows, documentaries, and movies without committing to watching a full show.
Ms Stone confirmed this won't pull in content from users in the way that TikTok and Instagram do on their platforms. She said, "We really want to be focused there, versus trying to be all things at every moment."
It was hinted that Spotify could play a role in this adoption, but no specific details were revealed. Spotify and Netflix recently signed a deal to bring in video feeds for popular podcasts on the platform.
4. There's a refreshed Kids' profile
The Kids' profile is getting a major revamp to help make the homepage and navigation more user-friendly.
There will be a new navigation bar titled My Netflix, which will give you recommendations based on what was viewed previously. You'll also be able to enjoy new themed experiences. For example, for Halloween, you might find a section that has holiday-themed content.
You'll soon have a more interactive homepage and kids' profiles with new animations and special effects expected to be added
| NETFLIX PRESS OFFICE5. Netflix will have a new immersive homepage
Netflix's main homepage is also expected to experience a refresh.
You can expect to see more animation and special effects directly on the homescreen. There is no confirmed timeline for when these updates will officially be available. From Netflix's previous updates, though, they've been known to be released on a rolling basis.
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