It's now hard to remember a time when Netflix, and the other streaming services that have followed in its wake, weren't totally ubiquitous. There's no doubt that Netflix has made life easier for all of us, meaning that we can all stay at home and stream movies and TV shows to our heart's content, and there's been some great original content over the last new years.
However, there is one aspect of it which has always frustrated and exasperated users at home. What am I talking about? I'm talking about those annoying autoplay previews (which always seem to be laden with spoilers) which play automatically as you scroll.
Someone removed Joe's voiceovers from Netflix's 'You' and the results are super creepy:
If (like me) you've always hated this feature with a passion, then I have some really good news for you: Netflix has finally caved into popular demand and is going to give its users the option to turn the autoplay feature off.
According to this recent update from Netflix, to turn the autoplay function on or off, all you need to do is sign in to Netflix from a web browser, select 'Manage Profiles' from the menu, and pick the profile you want to update. Check or uncheck the option to 'Autoplay' the next episode in a series on all devices.
However, Netflix's update notes: "There may be a delay before the setting takes effect. You can force an update by switching to another profile, then switching back in order to reload your profile with the updated setting."
Take a look at this new Netflix-themed Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor:Way back in 2018, when Netflix launched its "recommendations" in-between episodes, they justified the controversial inclusion of autoplaying ads by claiming that autoplaying previews meant that its users actually spent less time browsing once they were instituted. However, it is good that they've listened to their audience, and given us all the choice to shut them off for good. Hooray!