GoKawiilNetflix has once again made a controversial change to its Apple TV app. In recent weeks, the company has stopped using the native tvOS 26 video player in favor of a custom player similar to the one it uses on other TV platforms.
In practice, this makes the most common interactions more cumbersome and blocks users from using platform-specific Apple TV features.
Netflix’s Apple TV app is now very bad
The change began rolling out a few weeks ago, and user frustration is mounting. On Reddit, there’s a growing thread of Netflix subscribers saying they are canceling their subscription because of this change to the Apple TV app.
In a separate thread on Reddit, one user explains the cumbersome process of simply rewinding or fast-forwarding by 10 seconds:
Did Netflix mess up the app? There are two extra clicks for a simple 10s rewind or fast forward. Instead of it going back 10s in one click, now it pauses and brings up the frame selector, and then you have to click again. Did they not do any research or usability testing before releasing this?
The change also means you lose access to full payback controls using the Apple TV Remote app on your iPhone. You can’t enable Enhance Dialogue from the video player. That clever Apple TV feature that automatically enables subtitles when you rewind? Gone.
One of my most-used tvOS video player features is the ability to tap the Siri Remote to see when what I’m currently watching will end. It’s great for trying to decide whether you have time for one more episode before bed. That feature is gone in Netflix as part of this change.
FlatpanelsHD has a great roundup of all the features on Apple TV that rely on an app using the native video player.
Netflix hasn’t given any public indication of why it made this change. According to “sources within the company” cited by Vulture, Netflix’s motivation was consistency across platforms. Netflix largely uses a custom video player across all of its platforms, so the Apple TV was an exception until now.
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