Netflix on Thursday announced that it is bringing mobile previews to iOS, with Android to follow. Gadgets 360 had first reported about this feature over a month ago, and it is now available for users. This way, you can take a look at previews and decide if you want to watch a show.
When you're browsing Netflix on your iPhone, you will see a section marked previews, which also stands out because it has circular thumbnails instead of the usual rectangles, and tapping on these will start playing the previews. Interestingly, the mobile previews are designed for vertical viewing, cut from existing trailers to fit the screen while holding your phone in portrait mode. When the feature was first shown to Gadgets 360, Todd Yellin, Vice President Product at Netflix explained that this is because most people browse Netflix in portrait mode, turning the phone to landscape only when it's time to watch a show or movie.
Last year, Netflix had added video previews to the television interface, and at the time, the company said it hadn't added the feature for mobile phones because it doesn't fit the context. Now, taking a cue from "stories" on social media apps, Netflix has found a way to make previews work on mobile as well.
The previews are shown as a slideshow, and if you see something you like, you can either play it right away, or add it to your watchlist right from the same screen. And if the trailer isn't interesting, you can swipe over to the next one. Each preview is only about 30 seconds long so it isn't a major time commitment anyway.
As of now, the feature is only available for iPhone users - however, Android phones will follow soon, according to Netflix.
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