Users Are Upset With The Newest Update For Apple TV's Netflix App - Here's Why

Following a redesign of its app released last year, Netflix's latest Apple TV update is a letdown for users, as the company decided to make a major change to its video player controls. As noted by Reddit users, the company is no longer using tvOS' native experience, which lets users quickly go back and re-watch a scene that they didn't hear well while temporarily enabling subtitles, in addition to other perks of using Apple's UI, just like many other streaming services have embraced.

While Netflix didn't explain why it decided to ditch Apple's tvOS UI, it's possible that doing so doesn't let Netflix have deeper control of how its users consume their content on the app, meaning that they likely can't collect important data involved with tracking users' habits.

Still, this is not the only issue Netflix users have been experiencing, as this update has also rendered multiple functions useless when trying to control programs using the iPhone's remote app. For instance, users say the "Skip Intro" and "Skip Ahead/Back" buttons are no longer usable with Netflix, and the show progress bar, which was previously available through the Now Playing widget on iPhone and Apple Watch, is also now gone.

This change of Apple TV UI is not the only issue currently plaguing Netflix users, as in March 2026, Netflix increased the price on all its subscription plans in the U.S. For example, the Standard plan with ads now costs $8.99/month, while Standard without ads costs $19.99/month. The Premium tier, which includes 4K content, costs a whooping $26.99/month. Netflix raised each subscription a couple of dollars, while increasing extra member pricing from $6.99 for the ad-based version and $8.99 for ad-free, to $7.99 and $9.99, respectively.

Even with this latest of many price hikes since the pandemic, the company isn't offering any new perks to customers, keeping all the device and resolution limits the same for each plan. In an age where almost every TV sold is 4K resolution, it's getting a bit ridiculous to see Netflix (as well as several other major streamers) still lock 4K behind an additional paywall.

Besides that, if you're using a PlayStation 3 or other device made before 2015 to stream movies and shows, you probably can't access Netflix on these devices anymore, meaning that the company is now limiting access to decade old devices, while making Apple TV users' experience worse, and charging more without new benefits.

The Apple TV is a product that's still worth having in 2026 if you're into Apple's ecosystem. Still, Netflix always had a weird relationship with Apple's set-top-box and the proper Apple TV app. For example, on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Mac, you can access the Apple TV app and check the shows you're following from HBO Max, Disney+, and others.

This experience makes it easier for users to manage the shows they're watching currently, while also getting suggestions for things they enjoy from these connected platforms. However, Netflix never climbed aboard with that. In early 2025, Netflix briefly offered support for the Apple TV app, which a few hours later got removed, and a PR person eventually told The Verge it was just a mistake and the company rolled back to how things were.

It seems the main likely reason why Netflix has never offered this integration is because Apple would have access to how many users click on the company's TV shows and movies, which is sensitive data it doesn't want to share with others. They also want to keep users within the Netflix app, not have them easily able to switch over to something on a competing service after finishing a program.