Netflix to launch redesigned mobile app with vertical video feed

Netflix is pushing its mobile app closer to the logic of social media, with a redesigned interface set to arrive at the end of April and a vertical video discovery feed built to keep users swiping. The move comes after a period of testing and iteration and underscores a broader bid to deepen engagement on phones, where Netflix is competing not just with streaming rivals but with the apps that dominate short-form attention.

In its first-quarter 2026 earnings letter, Netflix said, “This redesign will better reflect our expanding entertainment offering and make it easier for members to engage how and when they want.” The company said the updated mobile experience will arrive with vertical video at the end of the month, part of a wider effort to improve member engagement and monetization as it expands beyond traditional TV-style viewing.

The timing matters because Netflix is already under pressure to prove that its growth can come from more than one screen and more than one format. In the quarter, Netflix said its internal quality engagement metric hit an all-time high. Revenue rose 16% year over year to $12.25 billion, while operating income increased 18% to $4.0 billion. The company reaffirmed its 2026 revenue outlook of $50.7 billion to $51.7 billion and kept its operating margin target at 31.5%.

The vertical feed builds on work Netflix began last year, when it first tested a TikTok-style vertical feed on its iPhone app in May 2025 with short clips from shows and movies meant to make discovery easier. By January 2026, co-chief executive Greg Peters said Netflix had been testing vertical video features for about six months and planned to roll out a redesigned mobile user interface later in 2026. The new feed is designed to surface original series, films and podcasts more directly inside the app, bringing Netflix closer to the mechanics of TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.

That push extends beyond the app itself. Netflix said it is expanding into video podcasts, live events, AI tools for creators and a standalone gaming app for kids. It also highlighted the World Baseball Classic, saying the live stream of the Japan vs. Australia game became the most-watched title ever on Netflix in Japan. The company’s mobile redesign suggests it wants the same thing on phones that social platforms have long mastered: a feed that turns discovery into habit, and habit into time spent.