Netflix's obnoxious 'still watching' prompt may soon be a thing of the past

If there's anything more annoying than Netflix's habit of canceling shows after only a couple of seasons, it's the "Still watching?" prompt that seems to appear every couple of episodes. The prompt requires users to select a button to resume the content, helping ensure that shows aren't streaming to an empty room. The only problem? This disrupts the viewing experience for those who are binge-watching the latest season of their favorite show.

It's difficult to entirely hate the still-watching prompt — it does, after all, prevent you from messing up your viewing history too severely by endlessly streaming a show while away, an issue with competing app Hulu. However, the prompt is annoying when you've buckled down for a long day of viewing, which is where a new compromise may come in handy.

Netflix told The Verge that it is testing a new feature that will give users the option of disabling the still-watching prompt, meaning they can benefit from it when it's ideal and avoid the disruption during times when they know they'll be watching several episodes in a row.

Based on users who have seen the feature under this test, the prompt can be turned off directly from the prompt screen the first time it appears. In addition to being asked whether they're still watching, users will also have the option of clicking a second option to continue playing the show without further prompts.

It's unclear when this feature will eventually roll out to all users, but it seems inevitable that it will become a standard feature given the demand for this type of option. The news comes alongside the official rollout of the New & Popular menu that some Netflix users have been seeing since April, as well as the addition of a new row that shows content that will be released in the more distant future.