Tag: Netflix

For those of you who have a Samsung Galaxy Tab S3, there is a new software update rolling out to you this morning.  The 256.6MB update is mostly a maintenance release, fixing some items but also bringing support for HDR on Netflix.

Before you get all excited, no, this is not the Oreo update for the device.  Samsung is expected at some point to release that update but this is not it.

The update is version T820XXU1AQ12/T820XAR1AQ12 for those keeping score at home.

For those of you who have a rooted or bootloader unlocked phone, the Netflix app just got a bit more difficult to installed.  If your device rooted or unlocked, you will no longer be able to install it directly from the Google Play Store.  Netflix has confirmed to the team over at Android Police that they are fully reliant on the Widevine DRM provided by Google and thus, devices that are unlocked or rooted will no longer be able to install the latest app.  Widevine, for those that do not know, is a Google created DRM technology that works across multiple platforms.

The good news is that, for now, the app will still work if you have it installed already or you side load it.

Netflix has made a few big changes to their Android app these last few months.  First came the ability to download movies and TV shows to your phone or tablet for viewing offline.  Now, and equally as important for some, today’s update brings the ability to store that offline content on an SD card.  The update is version 4.13.0 Build 14540 for those keeping score at home and it is rolling out now in the Play Store.  Once you have the update, when you want to download a movie or show, you will be asked where you want to store that content.  Select your SD card if your phone has one and off you go.  The content is downloaded to your card instead of your device’s main storage.

Google Home owners have a nice update rolling out to the Google Assistant enabled Smart Speaker.  Google is rolling out an update behind-the-scenes that is enabling the ability to add your Netflix account to the app as well as Google Photos.  When it hits your account and it is enabled on the server side by Google, it means you will be able to give your Home commands to show Netflix content or your Google Photos content by voice command.

The Netflix integration is something that most Home users, me included, have been waiting to see.  It was demonstrated at the Google event back in October and gives you the ability to instantly start watching content beyond that of Google’s services (like YouTube and Google Play Music) on your Chromecast or your Cast enabled television.

If you are not a subscriber to Netflix and want to be sure you can see streaming movies from Disney, Lucasfilm and Pixar, you may want to consider signing up.  Starting in September, the streaming service will be the exclusive home here in the US for these studios.  It is a big win for Netflix who, along with this announcement, gave everyone a preview of what will be available on the service this summer.  What this deal means is that it will keep Disney, Lucasfilm and Pixar flicks off of rival services and even subscription services during the first run time frame.

For a while now, Netflix has been throttling users data consumption on AT&T and T-Mobile to help users not kill their entire data allotment on a streaming movie.  Now Netflix has brought that capability to everyone thanks to the latest update of the Android app from the streaming service.  The updated build, version 4.5.0 for those keeping score at home, is rolling out now in the Google Play Store.  If you have the app installed, you should see the OTA update over the course of the next day or so.