Netflix adds the screen lock on the Android app to give users the ability to not inadvertently forward the movie or TV series
It’s one of the most annoying things that can happen while watching streaming content, after connection loss and buffering: we’re talking about unintentional touches on the device’s screen that, very often, make the content skip forward or backward or pause it. Netflix is trying to solve this problem.
With the simplest solution: the screen lock. The idea is easy but the implementation a little less so, let’s just hope it’s effective. Soon, then, when we touch the screen of the phone or tablet while we are watching a movie or TV series we will no longer have annoyances, because nothing serious will happen. Netflix has in fact provided a specific unlocking mode, due not so much to a choice related to the user interface as to the real possibilities of action for an app running on a smartphone. At least in theory, in fact, no app can really lock a screen: it would be very dangerous and would open the door to viruses (especially ransomware) of all kinds. Here, then, is how the screen lock will be on Netflix.
Screen Lock on Netflix: how it works
Not being able to completely block user input, Netflix has provided that with the screen lock enabled, at each tap on the display, unintentional or not, an icon appears in the lower central part of the display. If the user accidentally taps on the screen he can ignore it, if he touched the screen voluntarily to interact with the app he can instead swipe on that icon and unlock the display. The new feature is currently only available on the Andorid version of the Netflix app and is apparently handled completely server-side. This means that there’s no need to update the app: the feature will “arrive” on its own in the coming days to those who don’t already have it. This also means, most likely, that there will be something similar on the iOS app soon.
Netflix: other recent news
The screen lock is just the latest news for Netflix that, in recent days, has also released other new features. The most important is certainly the one to block accounts with a PIN and remove from the catalog titles not suitable for children. This is an enhancement of the family filter, which allows parents to accurately choose what their children can or cannot watch.