Netflix Redesigns TV Apps With Side Bar Interface Housing My List, Search, and More - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Netflix Redesigns TV Apps With Side Bar Interface Housing My List, Search, and More

by

Netflix today revealed a new design for its "TV experiences," or TV-based apps, that aims to make it easier to find TV shows and movies on the service.

In addition to the rows with various themes, Netflix subscribers watching on a TV will now see a sidebar on the left side of the app that expands when they scroll over to it. This UI has Search, Home, Series, Movies, My List, and New hubs, making it far simpler to jump directly to specific sections of Netflix you want to get to without having to scroll around looking for them.

netflix new interface
Otherwise, browsing around Netflix on a TV app appears to be largely the same, with video previews that automatically play once you've stopped on a show or movie. Netflix's director of product innovation Stephen Garcia said that the new update came out of "extensive research" into how its users browse for content.

While this may feel like an obvious update to some, validating that this TV experience was better for our members took extensive research, testing and technology improvements. Along those lines, we will continuously learn from our members and evolve the TV experience so that it gets even more simple, fun and easy to find the stories that make Netflix great.

In our testing of this new interface, we saw that that this simpler design helped members find something great to watch.

The company didn't directly confirm which platforms this update will arrive on, but it typically uses "TV experiences" as an all-encompassing reference to apps on streaming boxes, game consoles, smart TVs, and anywhere else Netflix is viewed on a TV set. This should mean that fourth-generation and fifth-generation Apple TV users will see the update alongside other platforms, with a rollout that begins worldwide today.

Tag: Netflix

Top Rated Comments

104 months ago
About time! Now, just PLEASE add an option to turn off the auto play previews!
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
m0sher Avatar
104 months ago
I love Netflix yet no option to mark a movie or TV show as ‘watched’ without having to actually watch it, if you already did and would like it to reflect your personal watched history on a particular show.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thisisnotmyname Avatar
104 months ago
This will be helpful. Netflix' seemingly random placement of "My List" and "Continue Watching" is a big annoyance. Sometimes one or the other will be up top, sometimes I have to move through new and trending first. Randomness is exactly what you want in a user experience right? RIGHT?
[doublepost=1531939134][/doublepost]
About time! Now, just PLEASE add an option to turn off the auto play previews!
and THIS!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmilo Avatar
104 months ago
I could not agree more. It’s so annoying playing the very first ep of a show you already finished binging by mistake and having the unfinished bar of a show you indeed finished waiting in your play list. Sends my OCD through the roof. I want a watched button badly
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
104 months ago
About time! Now, just PLEASE add an option to turn off the auto play previews!
I've stopped using Netflix altogether due to the auto-previews, I've completely switched to Amazon. Infuriating.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
104 months ago
I have yet to see this myself, but I actually preferred the ATV3 menus to the pre-update ATV4 menus. It was annoying to have to scroll up and down to find where it put "My List" this time. This new layout appears to fix that issue.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple TV Thumb 3

Everything Coming in the 2026 Apple TV 4K

Wednesday July 8, 2026 4:51 pm PDT by
The Apple TV 4K hasn't been updated since 2022, and it's due for a refresh. An update is planned for 2026, but Apple is likely going to wait to launch it after Siri AI launches in iOS 27. Design Apple TV design updates don't happen often, and that's not changing. The next Apple TV is going to have the same squircle shape as the current model, and it'll continue to be made from a black...
iphone 16 teal

'Siri AI' Lawsuit Update: Apple to Pay Owners of These iPhone Models

Thursday July 9, 2026 7:08 am PDT by
In May, Apple agreed to pay $250 million to settle a U.S. class action lawsuit over Siri AI's delayed launch, and eligible iPhone users could receive up to a $95 payout. This week, the California court overseeing the case held a hearing regarding preliminary approval of the settlement, but the judge has not yet issued a ruling. It will likely be at least a few more months before eligible...
iCloud iPhone 17 Pro

Apple Says These iOS 27 Features Require $9.99/Month Subscription

Wednesday July 8, 2026 6:24 am PDT by
iOS 27 includes new Apple Intelligence features for compatible cameras in Apple's Home app, but only if you have an iCloud+ plan with at least 2TB of storage. This limitation effectively means that the new features are only available with a minimum $9.99/month subscription, even though the centerpiece of the subscription is the 2TB of storage. The features include AI descriptions for...