If You're Wondering Why Netflix Looks Like TikTok Now, This Is Why

Netflix has announced a big redesign for its mobile app, unveiling a new "Clips" feature that will remind users of TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and every other social media app that offers a feed of short-form vertical videos that users can keep scrolling for entertainment purposes. Netflix isn't looking to replace TikTok with the new Clips feature, but it is competing for users' attention in those moments when quick social media scrolling might scratch an itch that the regular mobile Netflix experience can't. Netflix addressed that point at the start of the press release announcing the new feature: "Whether you're on your lunch break, commuting, or waiting for your next flight, Netflix on your phone is always with you." The new Clips feature is an "exciting first step towards evolving mobile for members," according to Netflix.

Netflix also put the mobile app redesign on par with last year's redesign of the Netflix TV app, an experience that some users criticized at launch. However, Netflix thinks "the same focus on simplicity and delight" is going to work for the mobile experience, at least for content discovery. The purpose of the vertical video feed in the new Clips section is to help users find new content to watch, and it may have some value. Rather than endless scrolling in the regular Netflix app, on mobile, PC, or desktop, a highly personalized feed of clips may be more helpful.

Importantly, the Clips section will not offer users endless scrolling like TikTok and Instagram do. That's something Netflix addressed in the press release, suggesting a limited number of videos will appear at any time in the Clips section.

The new mobile experience will be available beginning April 30, 2026, in several markets, including the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, and South Africa. Users in those markets may need to update the Netflix mobile app to start seeing the vertical video feed. The rest of the world will get access to Clips in the coming months. Initially, the Clips section will show videos from movies, TV shows, and specials. Netflix said that videos from podcasts and live programming will be available later. Also, specific Collections based on genres may be featured in the Clips section (as seen in the image below).

As for the personalization features, Netflix said that the vertical videos that will appear in the Clips section will be based on the user's preferences. This suggests that the Clips feed will be different for all users, rather than showing the same reel of trailer-like clips. There's no indication that the Clips section will feature ads, but considering Netflix's focus on personalization, that might happen in the future. "Our vision is to make our mobile experience as entertaining as what you watch, delivering increasingly personalized, immersive experiences for any mood or moment," Netflix's Chief Product and Technology Officer Elizabeth Stone said in a statement. "This is just the beginning."

Since the Clips feature competes with TikTok vertical videos and other social media apps for user attention, it'll also have a somewhat similar interface, with buttons placed on the right side of the vertical video, including buttons for adding titles to the user's list and discovering new content. A Share feature is also available, letting users send clips from their favorite shows to friends and followers. It's unclear how the followers feature would work, however.

Longtime Netflix users and investors may not find the Clips feature surprising. Netflix explored vertical videos in the past, such as with the Fast Laughs feature. The company also launched a Netflix Moments feature in 2024 that allowed users to highlight specific scenes from Netflix shows and share them with friends. More importantly, the company started testing a TikTok-style vertical feed in the Netflix mobile app in May 2025. In January 2026, Greg Peters mentioned the pilot, hinting that Netflix was already seeing it as a success, and that plans for more vertical video content were in the works. In mid-April, Netflix said in a letter to shareholders that the updated mobile experience, including a vertical video feed feature, would be launched by the end of the month.

The focus on vertical video is limited to the Clips section, which aims to boost content discovery. That means subscribers will still have to consume long-form Netflix content in landscape mode on their mobile devices, not portrait mode. The vertical video format is restricted to the Clips feature.