Auto-playing trailers for Netflix shows will now be available on their mobile app too.
There's no escaping Netflix's dreaded, noisy auto-play trailers, following the streaming service's roll out of the feature to its mobile app.
Its product innovation director Cameron Johnson said the feature will help users find something great to watch even faster.
“Mobile previews present members with a fun, simple, and easy way to learn about all the new content on Netflix. One of the best ways to know if you’ll like a new series or movie is to watch a quick trailer,” he said, in a press statement.
The previews are set at about 30 seconds long and presented in a vertical format, so users don't need to turn their phones to watch it.
“The previews are shown like a slideshow, so if you see something you like, you can tap play or add to your list. If not, you can swipe or tap the screen to advance to the next preview,” he said, drawing some parallels with swipe-centric dating apps.
Johnson said years of testing made it clear that video previews help users browse less and discover new content more quickly, and are designed to load quickly while being personalised to users' specific tastes.
Being mobile, users watching without headphones in public can now also be judged for their poor taste in shows.
The feature is currently available only on iOS, though it will be introduced soon to Android.
Netflix introduced the feature to TV viewers last year, to some negative response by users annoyed by the unwelcome and often loud trailers which were essentially forced in-house video advertisements.
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