The Netflix homepage is an assault on the senses. You can’t open the app without being pummelled with endless auto-play trailers for trashy rom-coms and true crime. Looking to wind down with a Thursday night movie? “THEODORE BUNDY IS SUSPECTED OF DOZENS OF SEX KILLINGS IN WASHINGTON STATE, IDAHO…”
Well that's all changed (not the Ted Bundy stuff. Spoiler alert: proper wrong’un).
Netflix has announced that subscribers can finally disable the homepage autoplay feature – a decision that will come as great relief to millions of users, not least Knives Out and Star Wars director Rian Johnson who recently tweeted: “current favorite console game: navigating Netflix without triggering autoplay promos.”
The company allowed users to turn off the episode autoplay feature a while back, but endless complaints from Netflix customers on social media have pushed them to go one step further.
So how do you do it? Good question. It’s pretty simple:
- Sign In to Netflix from a web browser.
- Select ‘Manage Profiles’ from the menu.
- Select the profile you’d like to update.
Easy. Check or uncheck the option to ‘Autoplay previews while browsing on all devices’.
The option to stop episode autoplay also sits in that section, meaning you can gain full control over your domain. Those Netflix binges will finally be on your terms and your terms alone, and you’ll no longer be faced with those existential ‘Are you still watching?” prompts.
Autoplay was originally intended to keep viewers glued to the app and away from their streaming rivals, and a Netflix spokesperson told the New York Times that the homepage feature was designed to make it, “faster and easier for our members to find titles tailored to their tastes.”
Needless to say, that didn't quite go to plan. What can we bully them into ditching next? The possibilities are endless.
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more delivered straight to your inbox.
Nick Pope is the Site Director of Esquire, overseeing digital strategy for the brand.
