You can disable those annoying auto-playing Netflix previews: Here's how
What's the story
Netflix, the biggest and perhaps the most entertaining OTT platform, is getting a much-desired change - the ability to control auto-playing of videos. The feature has annoyed millions of people since the early days of Netflix, and now, there is a dedicated option to turn it off for good. Here's how to use it on Netflix for Android and iOS.
Feature
Auto-playing videos to give preview of movies, shows
For the last five years, Netflix has been treating its users with auto-playing clips on the home page. Basically, as and when a user scrolling through the home page stops on a particular movie/show, a short clip of that content starts playing on its own. The capability, Netflix argues, gives its audience a quick preview of what a movie/show has on offer.
Flak
However, these previews annoyed a lot of people
While the feature sounds helpful, a number of Netflix users were disgruntled by having to deal with plenty of automatically-playing previews, including those of movies/shows they never really wanted to watch in the first place. This, over the last few years, led many to call out the company on Twitter, asking for a way to disable auto-playing previews for good.
Solution
Now, Netflix has heard those complaints
After years' worth of complaints, Netflix has finally answered the calls and introduced the way to disable auto-playing video previews - a new option in Netflix settings. It is accessible from the desktop website of the platform and can be used to disable previews for all (or select few) profiles active on a Netflix account and all devices running that account.
Twitter Post
Here's the official announcement
Some people find this feature helpful. Others not so much.
— Netflix US (@netflix) February 6, 2020
We’ve heard the feedback loud and clear — members can now control whether or not they see autoplay previews on Netflix. Here's how: https://t.co/6V2TjEW6HD https://t.co/zbz4E8fVab
Steps
How to use the new option?
In order to use the new option, head over to netflix.com on your PC and sign in to your account. Then, select 'Manage Profiles' from the profile-selection menu and click on the profile you want to manage. Here, you will see all profile-specific settings, including one named "Autoplay previews while browsing on all devices." Just uncheck it and previews will stop playing from thereon.
Information
Option might take some time to roll out
While we were able to use the new option in India, it might take a few days to reach all Netflix users worldwide. So, if the option isn't available yet, try switching to another profile and back or look for the feature after some time.