Netflix is essentially positioning itself as the most convenient way to spend your time staring at your device, even if you’re not going to have a great Internet connection. — Photo by Matoo.Studio on Unsplash
On Jan 29, Netflix announced that it was bringing the ability to download an entire season of your favorite TV show with one tap to its iOS app. The feature means you no longer have to tap on each episode individually when you’re trying to load up your iPhone for a flight or trip.
It is worth mentioning that this feature is already available on Android. I asked Netflix what took so long to bring the feature to iPhones and iPads, but did not immediately receive a response. Whatever the reason, this is one of Netflix’s most-requested features, and it’s now available to everyone.
Last month, I wrote about Netflix’s recent price increase and its explanation that it allows the company to “re-invest to further improve Netflix”. I pointed out, at the time, that it didn’t necessarily seem to mean “improve Netflix content” since I think you can make a case that the golden age of Netflix shows was probably about eight or ten years ago.
Then again, maybe this feature is what they mean. If so, I’ll take it.
Actually, Netflix is genuinely good at building features that make the streaming experience better for users. One of the best examples I can think of is the fact that Netflix makes it easier than any other service to unsubscribe. There’s literally a giant “Cancel Membership” button on your account page that, when you click it, requires just a simple confirmation. There are no hoops to jump through and no dark patterns to try to force you to stay.
I’m not suggesting Netflix is perfect. You still have to scroll past rows of “recommendations” before you can get back to the “Continue Watching” row, which – as a general rule – should always be the first thing you see but is buried in every single app I can think of except Apple TV Plus.
Still, every company could learn something from Netflix’s commitment to making the experience of using its service better, and not in ways that just benefit Netflix. You see, Netflix seems to know the most important thing about building products, which is that you benefit most when people who give you money for your service actually enjoy using it. They stick around and continue paying for your service for a lot longer when you respect them and build features that consider what they really want.
On the one hand, it’s great that Netflix is improving the iOS and iPadOS experience to be on par with Android. At the same time, this is the kind of improvement that just makes sense when you consider the biggest problem the streaming giant faces is holding your attention.
In fact, Netflix has said that its biggest and closest competitor isn’t Disney Plus or Max or any of the other streaming services out there searching for a reason to exist. No, Netflix says its main competition is YouTube. By the way, do you know what app doesn’t let you download a playlist (or Mix) of videos? YouTube.
Netflix is essentially positioning itself as the most convenient way to spend your time staring at your device, even if you’re not going to have a great Internet connection. Just download an entire season of your favourite show and binge-watch it on a plane or wherever. The point is that Netflix just made it a lot easier to watch Netflix, which is the point. That might be its smartest idea yet. – Inc./Tribune News Service
