Daring Fireball
Netflix Wrecked Their tvOS Video Player
https://daringfireball.net/linked/2026/03/28/netflix-wrecked-their-tvos-video-player
Netflix Wrecked Their tvOS Video Player

Link to: https://www.pocket-lint.com/netflix-just-made-their-app-worse-and-theres-no-way-to-fix-it/

Daring Fireball
Mar 28 at 3:58pmDF Tootbot
Show threadTodd Heberlein (social)1d ago

@daringfireball Netflix's lack of integration with the Apple TV app (e.g., Netflix content never shows up on the "Continue Watching" list) means I rarely think about/watch Netflix anymore.

The price hike and design changes may be the 1-2 punch that ends my long-time Netflix subscription.

Show threadEdward Munn1d ago
@daringfireball I got the update today. The playback control is so jarring.
Show threadJameson1d ago
@daringfireball
“The video playback interface in a streaming app is the most essential thing a streaming app does”
So much so that I’d argue no tvOS app should pass App Store review if it uses a non-standard video player without giving the user a chance to opt out and revert to the standard one. YouTube’s is a disaster.
Show threadMartin the paranoid android1d ago
@daringfireball @gruber typo in quote and captions* #dftypo
Show threadmaijau1d ago
@daringfireball I agree that the app is wrecked but not because of the video player interface. I couldn’t care less. I rarely do more than start/pause. However the navigation to switch profiles or browse and find content is horrible.
Show threadbgoodwin1d ago
@daringfireball And the author counted wrong. What once required a single button press, now needs *three*, not two. One to bring up the frame selector, another to to go back, and then a third to unpause. For something I, for one, do many times a day, now that all modern audio production has gone muffle-mouthed.
Show threadMichael Schmitt1d ago
@daringfireball I've had an Apple TV now for 3 months, and still find that fast forward & rewind are trouble in /every/ app. Big thumbs down for overloading one control to be FF, REW, Skip next, previous, frame advance, and every other media control except play and pause. And it doesn't help that FF behaves differently in every app.
Show threadSt. Chris1d ago

@daringfireball @gruber
“Yes, you are” made my day.

(I’m not the Reddit user, but you nailed that.)

Show threadJohn Gruber1d ago
@FormerlyStC I went back and forth on whether I should have done what I did (actual words), or if I should have spelled it “yesyouare”. Glad you enjoyed it!
Show threadSt. Chris1d ago
@gruber Would have been fun either way, but this stays in your own voice, it’s still beautifully compact, and it adds just a hint of Police Squad. There are many ways to express that thought; this is perfect.
Show threadRob Bhalla1d ago
@daringfireball @gruber We downgraded to the 1080p plan and didn’t notice the difference (75” TV, maybe 3 metres away?). Also had the advantage that we can subscribe/unsubscribe at will using the App Store (we’re currently unsubscribed). No HDR though, but I often find that quite jarring.
Show threadMathias af Jochnick21h ago
@daringfireball ditch netflix
Show threadnot that coachmike13h ago
@daringfireball Where's the well-deserved hate for the tvOS Youtube and YoutubeTV apps?
I was stupefied when I got YTTV to watch NFL while traveling in January and had to put up with this triple-click to jump around.
And same with Youtube. On the flipside, that led me to buy @CharlieMonroe's Downie app. Yes - more hassle to get the video, but watching e.g., car repair videos with lots of "wait - what did they do there?", exponentially better playback experience.