- Streaming pulls from the Netflix app to newer Google TV devices
- Now you can’t stream anything on an ad-supported Netflix plan
- The change occurred without warning and has not been explained.
Netflix has decided to disable one of the most useful features available in its Android and iOS apps, without warning: you can now no longer wirelessly stream videos from Netflix on your phone to newer Google TV devices, such as Google TV Streamer and Chromecast with Google TV.
You can still cast from the Netflix app to older Chromecast devices (those without a remote, like the Google Nest Hub), but only if you pay for a more expensive Netflix tier. One significant change is that you now can’t stream anything on the ad-supported plan.
If you’re at home and have the Netflix app on your TV or streaming device, that won’t be a big problem. However, it is something that travelers regularly rely on (in hotels, for example) and is also useful when visiting friends and family.
I’ve often used Google’s simple streaming technology to watch Netflix on my phone when looking after friends’ houses, pets, and kids; It means not having to jump through hoops to log in on another TV. It’s also very useful when staying at places like Airbnb, but apparently it’s not useful enough for Netflix to want to keep it.
It’s for our own good
[RANT] Netflix no longer has streaming support. Now you have to use the app directly on the transmitter without your phone. from r/Chromecast
According to The Verge, there has been no explanation as to why this useful feature has been mostly abandoned, not even on the official support page. It matches what Netflix did with Apple AirPlay in 2019, saying it helps the streaming service ensure a certain “viewing quality standard” is met.
According to an angry user on Reddit, Netflix is again saying that this will improve the customer experience, presumably because apps installed on an actual TV or streaming dongle are supposedly more reliable and don’t require wireless streaming.
It’s not the first (nor the last) time in the tech world that a measure that’s bad for users is apparently sold as actually good for users. From third-party Reddit apps to Instagram with Reels, we’re regularly told that what’s best for tech companies is also best for us.
By ditching Google’s streaming technology (as well as AirPlay), Netflix will now know more about the hardware you’re using, giving you more control over what devices you’re watching and where you’re connected, without any outside interference.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to receive news, reviews and opinions from our experts in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
