Netflix mobile previews roll out today on iOS
Finding something good to watch on Netflix can be quite the chore. There's a lot of content – some of it good, some of it not so much – available through the service, which can lead to choice paralysis for those who log in without a clear idea of what they're looking for. Netflix is hoping to help make the decision easier with new mobile previews, which are rolling out today on iOS.
Mobile previews are best described as teaser trailers for the content on Netflix. Each one lasts for 30 seconds and is even formatted to play vertically, so if you're browsing on your phone, you can check out previews quickly without changing the orientation of your phone. They'll even have their own little section on Netflix's main menu, giving you a dedicated place to watch them.
Previews are intended to be viewed in multiples, with Netflix implementing a variety of touch controls that allow you to navigate between them quickly. If you find something you'd like to watch, you can begin playing the show or movie directly from the preview or add it to your list to watch later. If, on the other hand, you get a preview for something you aren't interested it, you can swipe or tap to advance to the next one.
Essentially, these are basically the mobile version of the video previews Netflix rolled out last year for those watching on TV. There's one important distinction, though, in that you actually need to initiate mobile previews yourself – these aren't trailers that auto-play as you hover over content listings. That's great news for those of us who are annoyed to no end by Netflix's auto-play previews on TV (and there seems to be a lot of us who are).
Like everything else on Netflix, the previews you see are tailored to your viewing habits, thereby increasing the chance that you'll find something you'd like to watch. Mobile previews are available beginning today for iOS users, with Netflix promising that the feature will make its way to Android soon. We'll let you know when it does, so stay tuned.