Netflix is working on a completely new design for its smartphone app.
If it doesn't feel that long since the last major overhaul to the Netflix app on your phone ...that's probably because it isn't. Netflix rolled out a completely new design to iPhone owners back in early 2023 with fluid new animations, dynamic backgrounds that change based on the title you're currently browsing, and more.
But following the dramatic shake-up to its design on Smart TVs, Netflix is gearing up for another refresh. The changes will roll out at some point over the next year.
The streamer announced the plans during its most recent earnings call.
Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters said the iPhone and Android redesign will borrow some of the changes already seen on its big screen efforts, like useful labels to spotlight what makes each title relevant for you, such as “Emmy Award Winner” or “#1 in UK TV Shows.”
But the upcoming mobile app redesign will introduce some changes that you won't see on the big screen.
Netflix is turning to the likes of Instagram and TikTok for inspiration, bringing vertical video to the feed. The Californian company has already tested vertical video clips from some of its biggest shows and movies.
Netflix says the new design will be rolling out worldwide this year, but there's no confirmation of exactly what this new design will look like
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With its recent push into podcasts — a medium that often creates viral vertical videos — we'd expect to see Netflix attempt to mimic these moments within its own app. After all, you're more likely to seek out a new podcast if you've already stumbled across a particularly funny, shocking, or interesting clip from a recent episode when scrolling through your feed in the Netflix app.
The reshuffle is partly due to who Netflix sees as its main competitors. While you might think the streamer would only compare itself to the likes of Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, or ITVX... that's not what Netflix believes. In fact, the brand sees Instagram as one of the biggest threats looming on the horizon.
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Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said: “The TV landscape has never been more competitive than it is today. There’s never been more competition for creators, for consumer attention, for advertising and subscription dollars.
"The competitive lines around TV consumption are already blurring as a number of services put their content on both the linear channels and the streaming services at the same time, and more platforms are making their way into the TV in your living room."
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos attends the 79th BAFTA Awards at the Royal Festival Hall, in London
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The 61-year-old executive elaborated in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter: "TV is not what we grew up on. TV is now just about everything. The Oscars and the NFL are on YouTube. Networks are simulcasting the Super Bowl on linear TV and streaming. Amazon owns MGM, Apple is competing for Emmys and Oscars, and Instagram is coming next."
If Netflix really believes that Instagram is one of its biggest new challengers, we'd expect to see a lot more social media-like features coming to its new app so that it's not only something that you load up to watch an episode of Stranger Things or Bridgerton on the train home, but something you can quickly check during the day.
But it's all speculation at this point. Little is known about the final form that Netflix's redesign will take.
The company hasn't shared any screenshots of the new look, and co-CEO Greg Peters says it will continue to "iterate, test, evolve, and improve our offering" even after the redesign starts to roll out. He added, "We're gonna roll this out later in 2026. And just like our TV UI, it then becomes a starting point."
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