Netflix’s UI Overhaul Traps You Into Binging Forever

Netflix needs to stop you from canceling your subscription every time you finish the few shows you care about. Soon, your TV and streaming app will sport a whole new look with redesigned menus, but behind the UI overhaul is a revamped algorithm that will know much more about your watching habits and show you more content Netflix thinks you want to see. In other words, the TikTok-ification of Netflix is coming, and there’s no escaping it.

Last year, Netflix offered Gizmodo an early peek into the coming redesign. Subscribers will finally get to experience the full overhaul in the “coming weeks and months.” The change you’ll notice right away is that the main menu has moved to a long bar along the top of the app. This is where you’ll be searching for your next binge session. It’s also where you can quickly select shows, movies, and playable games between mobile and TV. You can access this new menu or search any time by hitting the back button on your remote.

The most important tweak to the Netflix app’s UI might be a new use of the “Home” tab versus the “My Netflix” tab. The latter is where you’ll find content added to your “My List,” reminders for upcoming content, and your “Continue Watching” carousel. The “Home” tab is where you’ll find all the content Netflix wants you to watch, whether it’s upcoming live content like last year’s Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight or other upcoming shows the streamer thinks you’ll care about.

The end goal of the new Netflix UI is to enhance personalized recommendations—really keep you glued to Netflix content. Netflix CTO Elizabeth Stone said the new algorithm will adapt to you even as you browse for something else to watch, as opposed to basing recommendations on your profile or past viewing habits. For example, if you just finished the final season of You and searched for more serial killer content, Netflix will try to surface more similar content. This could appear as categories you’ll see when browsing with names as esoteric as “love, lust, and lies.” Netflix calls these “responsive recommendations.” Essentially, it collates information it knows about you and your environment to keep you watching past the point you would normally grow bored.

There’s an aspect that makes sense to Netflix’s revitalized algorithm. We’ve all been in the situation where Netflix could no longer show any interesting content on its front page. At the same time, the more personalized algorithm could create a feedback loop where watching a few episodes of You inundates you with more serial killer content you weren’t looking for. Recommendations may also take into account the time of day, so a late-night Netflix and chill may offer different content than when you search for a dumb movie to distract from midday chores.

This deeper personalization may eventually include ads. Eunice Kim, Netflix’s chief product officer, didn’t make any concrete statements about future plans but said the new look offers “flexibility to evolve the home page in the future” and “we believe the improvement will drive outcomes for advertisers as well.”

The new look is meant to keep you hooked, and part of that is by labeling more content with easy-to-digest factoids. For instance, users will now see more “callouts” for content that’s popular or is an “Emmy Award winner.” The mobile app is also receiving a few additions. The first is a vertical, TikTok-like feed that will show you short clips of content that Netflix believes you may want to watch or share with friends. Netflix is also using AI models from OpenAI in its search tab, which will let users enter a vague prompt like “Um, I don’t know, something dark and funny but not too funny.” Both features are rolling out as “tests,” and the AI search will be opt-in (starting on iPhones first).

Netflix, like all streaming services, is concerned about churn. In streaming circles, it’s described as the rate subscribers leave their memberships behind. Business Insider reported, based on data from analytics company Antenna, that Netflix’s churn rate is usually lower than other services. The streaming giant has been doing well financially, reporting in April its subscription revenue was up year-over-year. Still, Netflix needs to keep it that way so it doesn’t suffer another 2022 subscriber loss snafu. Oftentimes, users sign up for one season of a show they care about, then cancel their subscription once it’s finished. More personalized recommendations, where the service starts to learn an uncomfortable amount about your viewing habits, is the main way Netflix intends to keep users from dropping their sub. Like TikTok and Instagram, the algorithmic feed is king. Will it work for Netflix, too?