Netflix is about to change how you browse on your phone. Starting at the end of April, the streaming giant will roll out a vertical video discovery feed inside its mobile app.
Think TikTok, but for movies and TV shows. Clips and trailers scroll vertically on your home screen, letting you tap into a title, add it to your watchlist, or share it with friends. That’s the experience Netflix has been quietly building toward.
Vertical Video Is the New Normal for Streaming Apps
Netflix didn’t invent this idea. Short-form vertical video has been reshaping how people consume content for years, and streaming services are finally catching up.
Tubi launched its own version, called Scenes, back in 2024. Then in January, Disney Plus announced it was adding vertical video to its mobile app too. So Netflix is joining a wave, not starting one.
Still, Netflix’s scale makes this rollout significant. The company first began testing vertical feeds in early 2025 as a way to improve how it recommends content to subscribers. Now it’s ready to make that a permanent part of the mobile experience.
What the New Mobile Experience Actually Looks Like
Netflix described the change in its first-quarter letter to shareholders. “We are launching an updated mobile experience at the end of the month that includes a vertical video discovery feed,” the letter reads. “This redesign will better reflect our expanding entertainment offering and make it easier for members to engage how and when they want.”
During a press preview event last year, Netflix executives gave a closer look at how the feature worked in beta. The vertical feed would show short clips and trailers directly on the app’s home screen. From there, subscribers could jump straight into watching, save a title to their list, or share it with someone.
But here’s the catch. It’s not yet confirmed whether all those features will be present when the update officially rolls out this month. Netflix hasn’t given a firm date beyond “end of April,” so some details may still be in flux.
Why Netflix Is Betting on Short-Form Discovery
The logic here makes a lot of sense. People spend enormous amounts of time swiping through TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Short, snappy video clips are simply how many viewers decide what to watch next.
Traditional horizontal grid layouts have always felt a bit passive. You scroll through rows of thumbnails and read titles. Vertical feeds flip that. You watch a 30-second clip and immediately know whether something grabs you.
For Netflix, that’s a smarter recommendation engine than any algorithm alone. Show someone a compelling scene, and they’re far more likely to hit play than they ever were staring at a static poster image.
It also fits how most people actually hold their phones. Portrait mode is the natural default. Designing around that just makes sense.
What to Expect When the Update Arrives
If you’re a Netflix subscriber on iOS or Android, keep an eye on your app updates toward the end of this month. The vertical feed will appear on your home screen as part of the broader mobile redesign.
Whether you love the TikTok-style format or find it a little overwhelming, it’s worth giving it a real try. Short clips can surface shows you’d never click on from a thumbnail alone. That’s genuinely useful if you’re stuck in a Netflix browsing spiral at 10pm on a Tuesday.
The streaming landscape is clearly moving in this direction. Netflix joining the vertical video era just means the trend is now fully mainstream.
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