On streaming platforms like YouTube or other apps like VLC, users are able to manage the playback speed of their videos. They can slow the video down or they can speed it up. The good news concerning Netflix users is that if you were expecting to get this kind of controls, you’ll be happy to hear that it is now happening.
If you watch Netflix on Android, the company has recently confirmed that they are rolling out support for playback speed controls. This will let users speed up videos by 1.25x or 1.5x, or slow down videos by 0.5x or 0.75x. However, it seems that these settings will not be saved and users will need to manually speed up or slow down their videos with every video watched.
Netflix actually started testing out this feature back in 2019 and despite it seeming like a somewhat banal feature to have, some creators have actually spoken up against it. For example actor, Aaron Paul and director Braid Bird and Judd Apatow were some of those who were against it. According to Apatow’s tweet, he felt that content distributors should not get the ability to change the way content is being presented.
In an announcement Netflix published by The Verge, a company spokesperson was quoted as stating, “We’ve also been mindful of the interests of some creators. It’s why we have capped the reach of playback speeds and require members to vary the pace each time they watch something new — versus fixing their settings based on the last pace they have used previously.” For iPhone users, Netflix stated they will start experimenting with the feature on its iOS app and also the web version, so anticipate support for these platforms later.
