If you enjoy your series and movies on mobile, Netflix playback speed will be changeable on Android devices. Despite protests from directors and actors, this feature is here to stay.
After testing at the end of 2019, Netflix announced that it will allow changing the playback speed of series and movies on mobile. As with YouTube, users will be able to choose to play any program of their choice faster or slower.
Available speeds will be 0.5x, 0.75x, 1.25x and 1.5x. This feature will be activated from tomorrow to Android users. Its deployment will be gradual, so it is possible that it will arrive in your country in a few days or weeks.
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The new Netflix playback speed change comes after a series of criticisms by actors and filmmakers. During his testing phase, in October 2019, Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) said that Netflix was taking control of everyone else’s art and destroying it.
Another who spoke out against it was Peyton Reed, director of Ant-Man, who said it was a terrible idea and that all directors would fight it.
Despite criticism, Netflix continued to test the new feature on mobile devices and stated that it would not necessarily become a permanent option. The Netflix playback speed setting is optional and must be activated by subscribers in advance. At the conclusion of the movie or series, the speed will return to its normal state.
According to The Verge, Netflix will also automatically adjust the audio pitch at the fastest and slowest speeds. The company claims they consider the concerns of some creators and have limited the range in playback speed.
Changing the playback speed is a highly requested option on Netflix
The opinion of the users usually outweighs the allegations of the actors or directors. According to Keela Robison, vice president of innovation at Netflix, the new feature has been in high demand by subscribers for years. Others who praise the measure are the National Federation of the Blind and the National Association of the Deaf in the United States.
Although the new Netflix playback speed change affects the director’s or actors’ vision of how their work should be consumed, the reality is that not all users can enjoy series or movies at normal speed. Hearing impaired people could adjust the speed to read the subtitles slower. The same goes for those who want to see a movie or documentary faster.
At the end of the day users define the future of the platform and if they do not have options they will end up migrating to the competition.
