Netflix spruces up iPad app to be more tablet-friendly

By Adam Rosenberg March 4, 2011

Those who fired up the Netflix app on their iPad yesterday might have noticed something new. Really, a lot of somethings new. A total redesign even, and a welcome one since the app has been unchanged since it launched alongside the Apple tablet last year.

Previously, the Netflix app for iPad was essentially a scaled-back reproduction of the service’s website. There were a couple of swipe-friendly browse features, but it was very obviously meant to be used with a mouse.

Case in point: instead of hovering a pointer over a Watch Instantly item’s “Play” button to make the “Add to Instant Queue” button appear, users instead had to navigate directly into the movie/TV show-specific page and add it from there. Not a dealbreaker, but it was a cumbersome interface that was really best-suited for accessing your Instant Queue and playing content off of it or simply searching out specific items.

The interface has now been completely redesigned. No update download is required either; simply load up your app and you’ll see the new look. It’s clear right away that the redesigned Netflix app is more well-suited for use with a tablet interface. A dock at the bottom of the screen breaks up the content into four categories: Home, Genres, Search and Instant Queue. Most of that is pretty self-explanatory. “Home” is where you’ll find your official Netflix recommendations and new arrivals, with buttons in each category for diving deeper into a fuller list of recs.

Just one thing is missing in the new redesign. Previously, users could update their DVD queue — you know, the “core” Netflix business of mailing you DVDs to watch based on the list that you build — directly from the app. This is no longer the case. Is that so terrible though? You can still browse over to the official website and tweak the list. While there, you’ll also get a reminder of just how lousy the old interface was.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Mobile

There’s a big problem with the iPhone’s Photos app

The Apple iPhone 15 Plus's gallery app.

While my primary device these days continues to be my iPhone 15 Pro, I’ve dabbled with plenty of Android phones since I’ve been here at Digital Trends. One of my favorite brands of phone has been the Google Pixel because of its strong suite of photo-editing tools and good camera hardware.

Google first added the Magic Eraser capability with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, which is a tool I love using. Then, with the Pixel 8 series, Google added the Magic Editor, which uses generative AI to make edits that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. There are also tools like Photo Unblur, which is great for old photographs and enhancing images that were captured with low-quality sensors.

Mobile

How to use iMessage on an Android phone or tablet

iMessage on an iPhone 14 Pro Max, plus iMessage on an Android phone using the Beeper app.

One of the big draws of iPhone and Mac is the iMessage software. This texting app makes it easy to stay connected to friends and family, and many users point to it as a key reason they stay within the Apple ecosystem – venture off to Android, and you'll be stuck with third-party apps or standard text chats.

However, that's not actually the case anymore. While Apple's iMessage software is exclusive to iOS and you won't find it in the Google Play Store, a new app called Beeper lets you access the iMessage platform. The universal chat app works with a variety of texting software beyond iMessage, making it a one-stop-shop for all your communication needs.

Mobile

10 iPhone productivity apps you need to download right now

iPhone 14 Pro showing the Moon always-on screen, held in a man's hand.

If you're anything like us, your Apple iPhone is a beast with multiple uses. It can go from an email-firing machine to a dedicated Netflix device in seconds and then into playing video games just as fast. But just because it can do all of those things doesn't mean it couldn't stand a little fine-tuning when it comes to optimizing it for productivity.

"Productivity" can mean a lot of things, whether it's sending emails, making tweaks to documents and spreadsheets, or just planning for your day ahead. Whatever being productive means to you, there are apps that will make it easier. Here are 10 iPhone productivity apps you need to download today.
Todoist
The best to-do app