Thereโs no denying 2020 has been a standout year for Netflix. With Covid-19 keeping a large portion of the worldโs population indoors, people had nowhere else to turn other than towards their television sets.
In fact, the coronavirus has been such profitable business for Netflix that their stock price plummeted when Pfizer announced that a vaccine was showing promising signs, suggesting that post-pandemic viewership would pale in comparison to their early year figures.
Nevertheless, Netflix has proceeded to roll out several new features this year to try and make the user experience better than ever. So, if youโve got a subscription and you havenโt already spotted them for yourself, maybe itโs time to give a few of them a try!
Change the playback speed
Netflix now allows phone and tablet users to change the speed of the show they are watching with their new playback controls. Users on mobile devices can now tailor their viewing experience by choosing from the following playback speeds: 0.5x, 0.75x, 1.25x, or 1.5x
This is a nice added feature that has been around for some time on other streaming services such as YouTube and has finally made its way to Netflix. This is great for people who want to reduce the amount of time they spend watching TV shows, as you reduce viewing time by up to 25% if you watch content at the highest speed.
With that said, this new feature hasnโt arrived without its fair share of controversy. Hollywood directors Judd Apatow and Brad Bird publicly condoned the move, proclaiming that โdistributors donโt get to change the way the content is presented.โ
Remove titles from your โContinue Watchingโ row
Weโre all guilty of watching a show or two that we would rather our significant half didnโt find out about. Whether youโve been sneakily binge-watching โKeeping Up With The Kardashiansโ or the entire collection of โGlee,โ you can now hide what youโve been watching by deleting them from your โContinue Watchingโ row.
All you have to do is head to this page, where you can select an option to hide from your viewing history. Now you can watch all of your guilty pleasures until your heartโs content.
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Randomize your viewing with the โShuffleโ feature
If youโre the kind of person that spends more time deciding what to watch than you actually spend watching, this feature is designed for you!
Netflix has recently rolled out a โShuffle Playโ option that is designed to help kill the indecision most people suffer from when theyโre greeted with the homepage. After all, there is a ton of great content on Netflix, so how can you possibly choose what to watch?
However, the shuffle feature isnโt completely randomized, as it is programmed to play a title that they believe youโll be interested in, such as shows or movies similar to the one youโve already watched, titles in genres you frequently view, or titles youโve saved to your lists. Still, itโs a great way to save yourself time and try some new series that you perhaps wouldnโt have given a chance to. Who knows what hidden gem you might unearth?
Get rid of your Netflixโ leechesโ
Are you the person in your group of friends that pays for Netflix while everyone else has somehow ended up with your password? Or, do you keep logging in to your account to find movies and tv shows that have already been viewed that youโve never seen before? If so, youโve probably got a few โNetflix leechesโ hanging on to your account trying to score a free subscription on your behalf.
While some people are cool with it and donโt mind a few freeloaders, others can get pretty upset over it, especially when the Netflix algorithm starts throwing out bizarre shows that โyou might likeโ based on things you havenโt even watched.
Well, now thereโs a way to resolve the situation. All you have to do is log in to your Netflix account and head over to โMy Account > Sign out of all devicesโ to get rid of all those pesky piggy-backers in one fell swoop.
Bonus tip: Watch US Netflix from another country
If you werenโt already aware, Netflix has a different catalog of titles for each country it is operating in. This means you might not be able to access your favorite TV shows while away on a work trip or a family vacation; you need to try this trick.
If youโre a US citizen and want to watch US Netflix from another country, all you have to do is find a VPN that works well with Netflix and select a server located in the United States. Once youโve connected, the next time you log into your account, it will be as if youโre viewing from the comfort of your own home.
This is also a great trick for when your Netflix has become a little stale from binge-watching, or you feel like you have run out of things to watch. To freshen up your library simply choose another country on your VPN and take a look at what they have to offer that your current Netflix doesnโt.
At the time of writing, the USA and Canada have the largest selection of titles (5879). However, they also have the lowest average IMDb score of 6.95. Where Azerbaijan, Portugal, Georgia, Ukraine, and Russia are all tied for the top spot with a rating of 7.13, albeit with a considerably smaller selection.
So next time youโre looking for a new series, why not try out the latest Portuguese drama or Russian comedy series? Who knows, it could be your new favorite show!
Netta Siach Lindenfeld