Netflix Won't Offer Apple Vision Pro App at Launch

[Realityck]

Imagine you owned a company that spent $18 billion a year creating original content for your viewers, and Apple wants to take 30% of your revenue just for supplying the device your customers are viewing it on. You think Netflix are getting customers because of Apple, or is it the other way around?

Thats a fascinating way to look at why Netflix doesn't cater to Apple. Most customers have multiple ways to watch content, on their computers, tablets, phones, TVs. It isn't necessary that Apple is really any different than anyone else that provides a platform for watching Netflix. On the flip side Apple benefits by associating with Netflix for attracting customers as it was one of the reasons you might buy an Apple device so you can view streaming hosts content. You might laugh at that but it was why Apple values any partner or large company that helps them to sell their devices.

 

[rubberfish]

Who actually wants to watch shows / movies on a headset?

If on TV, you can pause, do something, get water, rest room, etc and unpause.
And don't forget, on TV, you can watch with others..

who wants to take this off every time they have to do something while watching a show / movie and put it back on over and over?

Very inconvenient device..

To be fair. It is an AR device so you don't have to take it off to get water or go to the bathroom. You can see your surroundings.

 

[svish]

Don't think it is an issue. Plenty of content will be available to watch on day 1.

 

[munpip214]

There any way to watch DLNA videos or Plex at launch that you're aware of?

You can connect your Plex server to Infuse and it will direct play the files

 

[@Brett]

Netflix does not care about its members. It will eventually price everyone off. I don’t watch it anywhere near as much as I used to and once the gifts cards have run out. That’s it for me. Made sense during Covid but there are much better things to do than sit around watching stuff all the time.

 

[genovelle]

Netflix seems pretty lackluster when it comes to their streaming apps, so this isn’t surprising. Not sure you’d want to run their iPad app as it only supports 1080p. Meanwhile their existing VR app (on Meta Quest) only supports 480p (!) and hasn’t really been updated since 2015 - when it was written by John Carmack, not Netflix.

Wow! That means they are avoiding being displayed side by side with other streaming services on the Vision Pro. They can’t compete on quality and need to minimize their exposure.

 

[Abobrek]

There is that OTHER- perhaps still secret (shhhhhh, don't tell anyone)- benefit of summoning a gigantic screen anywhere you happen to be and watching any 2D movie or show on it that you can stream or have synced to your other Apple devices (via Airplay).

For example, instead of watching a big movie on a phone or iPad or laptop screen in the cramped quarters of row 11 on the plane, you could wash away the plane and the passengers heads & seats right in front of you (row 10) and watch the movie on a giant screen. To me, this seems more desirable than holding up a puny iPhone, my puny iPad Mini or even a 16" MB screen instead, which I see LOTS of people doing on many flights in the last few years. But maybe that's just me.

Apparently, even the poor souls jammed into the crampiest of cramped quarters on Spirit could summon a 100" screen for a movie or show, to try to improve upon that spectacular flying experience.

*Flight has to be less than ~2.5 hours or a charging port must be available in your seat. Apple Vision Pro wearer may experience annoying tapping from other people sitting next to them as they may need to get up and use the restroom.

How exactly to you actually intend on traveling with an Apple Vision Pro? A GIANT carrying case? A bag or backpack basically JUST for an Apple Vision Pro and all of the accessories/battery packs? Seems pretty silly just to have a larger screen to watch a movie or show.

Also, how cumbersome it will be to switch battery packs. Take the headset off, look for the new battery pack, put the headset back on, and have to go through the power on process, then find the app, then find the movie.

But then again…here you are preaching. Praise be to Apple!

 

[jonnysods]

Is there a documented explanation anywhere of the reasoning behind Netflix’s staunch reluctance to fully participate with Apple products?

Thinking this seems to be an extension of Netflix’s attitude toward full integration with tvOS 😕

Maybe its the app store commission thing I think they went through a while back (my memory is foggy)

 

[WingingIt]

*Flight has to be less than ~2.5 hours or a charging port must be available in your seat. Apple Vision Pro wearer may experience annoying tapping from other people sitting next to them as they may need to get up and use the restroom.

How exactly to you actually intend on traveling with an Apple Vision Pro? A GIANT carrying case? A bag or backpack basically JUST for an Apple Vision Pro and all of the accessories/battery packs? Seems pretty silly just to have a larger screen to watch a movie or show.

Also, how cumbersome it will be to switch battery packs. Take the headset off, look for the new battery pack, put the headset back on, and have to go through the power on process, then find the app, then find the movie.

But then again…here you are preaching. Praise be to Apple!

1. You bring the maximum TSA allowed battery bank with you. I already do this so no change to my existing packing from this. It remains to be seen how long this gives you in terms of Vision Pro use but I’d guess ~5 hours, which is better than no hours! I’d have my iPad as well as another option for very long haul flights. I’d probably do some reading on the iPad, some watching TV/movies on the Vision Pro. I wouldn’t want to watch 5 hours+ of content on super long flights anyway, I like to watch some content and do some reading.
2. Annoying tapping? You are easily annoyed! 😂 I already get tapping on my shoulder if I’m wearing AirPods Pro in noise cancellation mode if someone needs to get up, so no change here either.
3. I bring a 20L Osprey underseat bag with me on all flights and there’ll be plenty of room for my Vision Pro in that. So again, no change.
4. Cumbersome to switch battery packs? I reckon you’re looking at 1 minute max to do that. Again, if that’s too annoying for you then you are easily annoyed!

And finally - again, use on flights is only one use case when travelling. I recently went on a one month long work trip. Sure, the Vision Pro would have been nice on the plane, but it would have been even better those 30 nights in a hotel.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

*Flight has to be less than ~2.5 hours or a charging port must be available in your seat. Apple Vision Pro wearer may experience annoying tapping from other people sitting next to them as they may need to get up and use the restroom.

Or, do what I did with Powerbook G4s 2-hour battery life and buy a spare battery or two. I cannot grasp how people can't seem to think that buying additional batteries is possible. But this comes up over and over again... even though anyone who needs more battery for an iPhone can readily buy battery cases from countless sources. Or is that a shocking consideration, completely unknown and/or impossible for everyone too?

How exactly to you actually intend on traveling with an Apple Vision Pro? A GIANT carrying case? A bag or backpack basically JUST for an Apple Vision Pro and all of the accessories/battery packs? Seems pretty silly just to have a larger screen to watch a movie or show.

This thing is relatively tiny. Go look at the pictures. Cloth straps may wrap around one's head making it seem like it is "whole human head" size, but when off, they'll collapse down to inside the physical size and shape of the front piece. I'm guessing this will only need a bit more space in a bag than good headphones. Airplanes are typically loaded with people wearing headphones who have also carried on laptops, tablets, phones, dongles and other accessories... all in one smallish bag that fits under the seat in front of them. I foresee no problem here.

Doubts anyone??? Go get a simple adult pool or ski mask of similar shape and consider how big it is. Could you fit that into a typical bag to tuck under the airplane seat? I've been on planes with people who have live animals tucked in a bag under the seat. This is not close to strapping a whole poodle to one's face.

Also, how cumbersome it will be to switch battery packs. Take the headset off, look for the new battery pack, put the headset back on, and have to go through the power on process, then find the app, then find the movie.

Probably as hard as it was with Powerbook G4. There is no great search for battery packs- I'll know where they are in the bag. Slipping the headset off and on will likely be no more difficult than pulling out the laptop, opening it, then later closing it and putting it away. No screws involved. No glue. Much more like headphones for the eyes. Abundant users of headphones on planes seem to have no trouble finding them, slipping them on & off, putting them away when done with them. My own set has a removable/replaceable battery. If the battery conks mid-flight, I easily find the replacement and quickly switch it. Then back to listening to music again. No monumental burdens.

But then again…here you are preaching. Praise be to Apple!

Yes, I lean positive on this product. Obviously you do not. And that's fine. In other threads, I happily take the negative about various Apple things because I view all through a consumer (not shareholder or fanboy-type) lens. Apple does some good and great things. Apple does some bad and terrible things. I lean positive on this product but I have no interest in "the precious" (iPhone) nor another consumer favorite (the Watch). However, just because I own neither of those doesn't move me to jump into every thread about them, ridiculing why anyone else might be interested in them. Why waste time in threads about products that are uninteresting... or downright stupid/useless/"nobody will/should want"/etc? And yet here you are- again- only faulting a stranger's views of what an unreleased product MAY be able to do vs. adding anything tangible to the conversation beyond basically "I see nothing here... so no one else should too."

Don't like it? Don't buy it. I'm not you though. I might find that I like it and may very well buy it.

And if I have to go on some great, onerous journey or through some lengthy checklist to find a spare battery when the first one runs down... or need a U-Haul truck or train to accommodate the transport of this Elephant- or maybe Brontosaurus- from one place to another, that's my business... and won't affect you in the least.

 

[Steve121178]

This kind of user hostile behavioir is why I cancelled Netflix.

I use the TV app on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac to organize my watch list for virtually every streaming service and none of Netflix's shows appear there so I ended up rarely watching Netflix – so I cancelled.

Netflix is to the TV app what GM is to CarPlay. Both are shooting themselves in the foot in sabotaging the most valuable buyer demographic.

Hostile behaviour? Just use the Netflix app on your Apple devices & the Netflix Smart TV app like everyone else does. Most of my Netflix viewing is on my iMac via the web browser & obviously works just fine. No hostility. So simple.

 

[jcmc]

While you can understand why, with their long-running antipathy towards Apple, Netflix might be unwilling to be seen to devote time and money on their product for an unproven platform with a limited user base, this seems a deliberate snub they are going out of their way to perform.

Every other media consumption app will be there at launch in basic iPad app form or better, so they will be the only holdouts. And for the first few months the device will have exposure levels that bear no reflection to the installed base, free publicity that Netflix are choosing to eschew. Imagine screenshots of a user sitting on his sofa with a 90 inch screen in front of him and the splashscreen for Stranger Things.

Why would you not want to be associated with that, especially for absolutely no cost.

 

[Verified Whiskey]

To give some perspective. Apple “says” it is easy but it is only easy if you don’t do anything custom and limit yourself to only Apple design elements and do everything the Apple way only. Something almost no one does and even more so the bigger the companies get.

The other thing you run into is testing time and full testing. I can promise you that something is always found on those test that is broken and then is a huge pain to fix or debug. Also often times those ported apps don’t look that great. It just doesn’t have the right feel and no one is happy. It then gets negative reviews over it. Easiest way to prevent this is say no to it. Said app was design for a different device and its UX is for that other device.

I have been bit by Apple “easy” more than once and the amount of time to fix it was not anywhere close to Apple’s estimates.

So no not always easy and safe route is blocking it until the resources are available to test and fix any issues along with considering updating the UX for that different device.

Yeah, that makes sense. Thank you for the insight.

But what happens when those “resources” are never materialized? What happens then? For instance, my son wanted to play Minecraft on his Mac. At launch, he was able to play the iPad version on the Mac no problem. Microsoft then pulled it once Apple allowed that. There was nothing wrong with the app, it worked perfectly. Even allowed keyboard and mouse support.

There were many others that did this. The main reason I personally think that devs do this is so separate the purchases. You need to purchase our Mac optimized version! We don’t want you just buying our app ONCE, we need you to buy it on all our platforms!

 

[1129846]

I think the people going on about flying and its limitation there are funny. Reality is most people flying a lot would never take a Vision Pro at all simple because it is a little when you add in its case and takes up way to much room in their limited travel gear.

People who travel a lot for work will want to go with carry on only so a small suit case and a backpack. In that you need one’s laptop so that is going and then iPad as it is small slim ans can be slipped in with the laptop. iPad has a lot of other double up functions that the Vision Pro just can not do.

Hence not a place to consider it useful. The movie use of Vision Pro honestly going to be pretty low compared to other things.

 

[Realityck]

Hostile behaviour? Just use the Netflix app on your Apple devices & the Netflix Smart TV app like everyone else does. Most of my Netflix viewing is on my iMac via the web browser & obviously works just fine. No hostility. So simple.

I can't recall when Netflix web method or apps have been problematic. Using a browser is playing it very safe and should always be a alternative in case a ported iPadOS like app on VisionOS isn't ready for prime time.

 

[Realityck]

Wow! That means they are avoiding being displayed side by side with other streaming services on the Vision Pro. They can’t compete on quality and need to minimize their exposure.

IMHO Netflix picture/sound quality is about as good as current streaming offerings gets. If you don't like their current content offerings so be it, use another service, but this last month they have a lot of WB/DC superhero movies streaming as an example. Compared to price people pay for those mostly worthless older content broadcast bundles with cable or premium options it's cheap.

 

[JeanApple2010]

Netflix has no plans to release an app for Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Instead, the streaming service will be accessible through Safari and other web browsers on the headset.

"Our members will be able to enjoy Netflix on the web browser on the Vision Pro, similar to how our members can enjoy Netflix on Macs," a Netflix spokesperson told Gurman.

In a July 2023 edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman said Netflix would "still let its iPad app run on the headset unmodified," but he now says the streaming service will not offer an app of any kind on the Vision Pro at launch. Apple makes it easy for developers to port their iPadOS apps to visionOS, with over one million apps to be available on the Vision Pro's App Store at launch, but Netflix has evidently opted out.

Apple recently announced various video and sports apps that will be available on the Vision Pro at launch, including Disney+, Discovery+, Max, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, Peacock, ESPN, MLB, NBA, and more. There is also MLS Season Pass in the Apple TV app.

Vision Pro pre-orders begin Friday in the U.S., and the headset launches February 2.

Article Link: Netflix Won't Offer Apple Vision Pro App at Launch

I think this is pretty huge, I, my wife and kids do watch Netflix and if we ever spent that much on a new device it should be able to play from all major streaming services.

 

[Realityck]

I think this is pretty huge, I, my wife and kids do watch Netflix and if we ever spent that much on a new device it should be able to play from all major streaming services.

You can't take everything that Mark Gurman reports as gospel. It could be that Netflix has to be convinced that there is a benefit to making an app for AVP and what its takes to get it optimized compared to using a browser. Everyone on Mac or Windows doesn't use an app, they use the web browser for Netflix.

 

[jz0309]

To be fair, it’s understandable they don’t immediately jump on any new platform, hype or technology. That’s not workable.

This would attract close to zero new customers while being very expensive to develop a new app for a new environment no one has any experience with. Not to mention switching all their content to 3D.

yea, Disney, Paramount, etc are all really stupid compared to Netflix ...
and no, they would not have do anything to content ...

 

[jz0309]

I think the people going on about flying and its limitation there are funny. Reality is most people flying a lot would never take a Vision Pro at all simple because it is a little when you add in its case and takes up way to much room in their limited travel gear.

People who travel a lot for work will want to go with carry on only so a small suit case and a backpack. In that you need one’s laptop so that is going and then iPad as it is small slim ans can be slipped in with the laptop. iPad has a lot of other double up functions that the Vision Pro just can not do.

Hence not a place to consider it useful. The movie use of Vision Pro honestly going to be pretty low compared to other things.

sure, whatever works for you, and sure, entitled to your opinion you are ...
I am sure that some people will bring and use their VPro on their flight ...

 

[1129846]

sure, whatever works for you, and sure, entitled to your opinion you are ...
I am sure that some people will bring and use their VPro on their flight ...

Some will but for heavy travelers a vast major of them would never consider it even if they owned it. It becomes as item that eats up to much space.
Also of the few buyers of the vision pro the honest answer most will never see an airplane if ever.
So saying buying it for flying and using flying as the argument for it is needed is pointless.

 

[deepspacecowboy]

Some will but for heavy travelers a vast major of them would never consider it even if they owned it. It becomes as item that eats up to much space.
Also of the few buyers of the vision pro the honest answer most will never see an airplane if ever.
So saying buying it for flying and using flying as the argument for it is needed is pointless.

I tend to agree. Plus, if VR headsets were so popular on planes, wouldn't we be seeing a lot of Meta headsets? File this in the "fantasy use case" bin, like most of what people say on here.

 

[coolfactor]

Not surprised. They have been known to not work with Apple. Spatial Audio isn't available on Netflix and Netflix movies and shows do not show up in the Apple TV app.

Missed opportunity. You would think they'd choose to compete rather than not show up at the game. Their loss. I stopped watching Netflix 6 months ago.

 

[jz0309]

Some will but for heavy travelers a vast major of them would never consider it even if they owned it. It becomes as item that eats up to much space.
Also of the few buyers of the vision pro the honest answer most will never see an airplane if ever.
So saying buying it for flying and using flying as the argument for it is needed is pointless.

did I say that? Quote me please ...
I don't really care what reason people have to buy the VPro, anyone can do with their $$$ as they please, but I am absolutely convinced that some people will bring them on flights and use them

 

[coolfactor]

I tend to agree. Plus, if VR headsets were so popular on planes, wouldn't we be seeing a lot of Meta headsets? File this in the "fantasy use case" bin, like most of what people say on here.

I saw someone wearing a VR headset on the ferry once, and my immediate gut feeling was one of awkwardness. "That person is cut off from the world."

I'm totally for the Vision Pro, but headsets in public spaces just feels wrong.