"For years, the ritual was simple: Check into your hotel room, connect your phone to the Wi-Fi, and tap a single button to beam the latest season of Stranger Things directly to the TV. It was a relatively frictionless way to bypass clunky hotel interfaces and avoid typing complex passwords into a laggy screen with a plastic remote. But as of this week, that convenience is largely history."
"The rationale behind the move appears to be a forced migration toward native apps, which offer Netflix more control over the user interface, data collection, and ad delivery. While the company has not issued a press release explaining the strategic shift, one customer service representative allegedly told one Reddit user the decision was made "to improve the customer experience" and "if the device has its own remote, you can't cast." Netflix did not immediately respond to Fortune 's request for comment."
Netflix removed the ability to cast content from mobile apps to most modern TVs and streaming devices, forcing users to access Netflix through native TV or dongle apps and use the on-screen remote. The change ends a common convenience of using phones as controllers in hotels and elsewhere and redirects viewers to device-specific Netflix apps. The move appears aimed at increasing control over the user interface, data collection, and ad delivery. Customer service reportedly characterized the change as improving the customer experience. The restriction aligns with Netflix's broader tightening of access, including 2023 paid-sharing rules tied to a primary TV's internet connection.
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]