Netflix may not play well with Google TV for some reason, but the company is putting tons of resources into its Android app. The service got variable playback speeds and a screen lock feature this year, and now it looks like we’re only playing audio in the background. It can help you save some precious mobile data or leave your phone in your pocket while you keep track of your favorite series.
Above: Video on. Below: Video out.
The feature was first noticed in an app teardown by our friends at XDA Developers in October, but it wasn’t functional at the time. Now it’s about the first few subscribers as part of a server-side rollout. When you join the change, you see a new one Video out button at the top of the full screen video player. Tapping it will enter audio only mode, leaving you with a blank screen with all the playback controls including the scrub bar, forward and back, speed, and so on. Even the brightness slider remains available, although it’s pretty useless here.
We also saw a new one Sound only option in settings. Tapping it will open a popup menu where you can choose when to use the mode: Always on, headphones or external speakers, and From.
I imagine audio alone works better for some shows than others. I don’t think I would understand the storyline in something like American Horror Story or Breaking Bad without the visuals, but the mode could be well suited for sitcoms, stand-up comedy, and some documentaries. You may still want to switch to audio description below Audio and subtitles when available.
It may take a while for the audio only mode to roll out to your account. All you can do is try to keep your Netflix app up to date, so make sure you have the latest version installed from the Play Store or APK Mirror.
