Netflix Launches Vertical Videos on the Mobile App. Here’s How It Works

Netflix has given its mobile app a fresh redesign, adding vertical video and an updated home screen geared toward viewers who regularly stream while away from their TV screens. On Thursday, the streaming service unveiled a new look for the home page and introduced Clips, the interactive vertical video feature with a TikTok feel aimed at helping you find new things to watch. Subscribers in the US and select countries will see changes begin today, with global rollout happening throughout the summer.

CNET had a chance to preview Clips and the mobile app revamp ahead of its launch. When you open Netflix on your phone, you’ll notice that the top of the home page has been reorganized. You’ll now see a tab for Podcasts and New & Hot has been moved up from its former place at the bottom of the screen. 

You can access the newly launched Clips in two different ways: A section in the middle of the home page is dedicated to the feature, and a button located at the bottom of the home page allows you to click to instantly start scrolling the vertical video lineup. What’s in it? You’ll see snippets of Netflix-recommended TV shows, movies and behind-the-scenes bits, like interviews (pulled from Netflix’s own stash of marketing and social media content), and you can choose to share a clip with friends and family, add a title to your watch list or tap the avatar to learn more about it. 

The more you use the feature, the more it becomes personalized to your entertainment tastes, showing you recommendations based on what you’re interested in most. Netflix said two members who are fans of the same content or title (ahem, KPop Demon Hunters) can have two different vertical video experiences — completely different clips for the same content. It depends on you, and eventually, it may look something like your TikTok For You page.

In the coming months, Clips will offer the ability to rewind, fast-forward and pause, along with the option to view short highlights from podcasts and live events. The streamer also plans to build on the feature by testing out themed collections, so you can swipe yourself into clips for various genres, Tudum content and more. 

Netflix previously toyed with vertical video feeds in 2018 with previews and again in 2020 with short comedy clips using a vertical scroll. Last year, when the company floated the idea that it was testing a vertical feed in the mobile app, people wanted to know what it was for. While creating and tweaking its Clips function, the company gleaned input from its members with the goal of making exploration of its catalog more fun.