After conducting tests back in October with mixed reactions, Netflix will now officially begin to roll out a new function for Android mobile users that will allow them to have control over the playback speed of the videos they're streaming. Netflix also said they're going to start testing the feature on iOS and the web.
Netflix plans to allow Android mobile users to have control over slowing down videos by 0.5x or 0.75x, and also the ability to speed up videos by 1.25x or 1.5x for faster or slower viewing. These new playback control options will also work offline for downloaded content.
When Netflix initially announced that they would be testing out this function and potentially offering it, many people were unhappy with the idea of people being able to control their playback speed for shows and movies. Judd Apatow was one the creatives who stood firmly against the idea of this new function, pointing out that directors put a lot of effort in making sure scenes are timed in a specific way.
"We’ve also been mindful of the concerns of some creators," Netflix wrote in a post. "It’s why we have capped the range of playback speeds and require members to vary the speed each time they watch something new — versus fixing their settings based on the last speed they used."
The streaming giant also pointed out The National Association of the Deaf and the National Federation of the Blind are happy about the changes.
"The National Association of the Deaf and the National Federation of the Blind have both welcomed this feature," Netflix wrote. "People who are deaf and have difficulty reading appreciate the option of slowing down the captioning, and people who are hard of hearing value the ability to listen at slower speeds - while many individuals who are vision impaired are used to listening to digital audio much faster (for example with screen readers)."
Apatow wasn't the only one who felt a certain way about the new option either. Check out what some people had to say about Netflix incorporating this new playback control function below.
