It’s easy to see why people might think Apple and Netflix are disagreeing, since Netflix recently changed its Apple TV app to use its own video player instead of the standard Apple one. The Streamable called this a step backward, and we tend to agree – it takes away some convenient features and makes it harder to rewind content for Apple TV users.
According to tech blog FlatPanelsHD, several features have been removed, such as easy rewinding and fast-forwarding using side buttons, timeline scrubbing with circular motions, options to customize how subtitles look, Apple’s dialogue enhancement feature, and a double-tap function to quickly see a title’s end time. Several accessibility features were also removed.
Why did Netflix decide to stop offering a dedicated Apple TV player experience? Insiders suggest it might be about keeping things consistent. Netflix recently updated its homepage and the Apple TV player was one of the last platforms with a unique video player. It’s possible they were simply looking to simplify maintenance and reduce the effort of supporting different platforms. The rollout of ad-supported plans could also play a role. Delivering and tracking those ads effectively is now a priority, and a standardized player might make that easier. Alternatively, there could be other, less obvious reasons for the change, which led to complaints from Apple TV users online.
It’s common for companies’ business aims to clash with their technical limitations. For example, Disney+ (like other streaming services with ads) uses its own video player on Apple TV. Even after many years, Netflix doesn’t allow its content to appear in searches across all apps on Apple TV. While frustrating for some users, these kinds of issues seem like minor annoyances. However, for Apple and Netflix, they’re simply standard business practices.
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2026-04-10 22:58