Netflix removes one Premium tier limitation, dramatically expands spatial audio support
Netflix has two announcements for users subscribing to its highest Premium tier (seeking to distract from its controversial crackdown on password sharing). The company is significantly expanding its catalog of spatial audio content, while removing one of the limitations on download devices.
Spatial audio
Netflix first launched spatial audio support in July last year, with a small collection of movies and TV shows from its catalog of Originals. With today’s announcement, however, spatial audio is now available on over 700 TV shows and movies.
The Verge highlights some of the notable additions: The Watcher, Wednesday and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and a few more to come: You, Your Place or Mine, Luther: The Fallen Sun and Tour de France. Spatial audio will also be added to “new titles as they are released”. You can find the full list of TV shows and movies available in spatial audio in your Netflix app by simply searching for “spatial audio”.
Netflix’s implementation of spatial audio works on Apple devices and AirPods, using Apple’s own spatial audio functionality. Compatible devices include:
iPhone 7 and later using iOS 15.1 or later iPad Air 3rd generation and later using iPadOS 15.1 or later iPad mini 5th generation and later using iPadOS 15.1 or later iPad Pro 3rd generation and later using iPadOS 15.1 or later Apple TV 4K and later using tvOS 15 or above
And compatible Apple headphones:
Apple Headphones Compatible AirPods 3rd Generation AirPods Pro AirPods Max Beats Fit Pro
Netflix, however, limits Spatial Audio to its highest-end Premium tier, which costs $19.99 per month. The company also has a change in store for subscribers that might make this Premium tier a little more appealing…
Download to more devices
For Premium subscribers, Netflix has also increased the number of devices you can download content to for offline viewing. Previously, the company only allowed you to download content on four devices, but with today’s change, that number has increased to six.
“With people more connected than ever across multiple devices, we learned through research that members would like the ability to download Netflix shows and movies to watch offline on more devices, especially when they travel and switch between devices,” the company explained.
These Netflix updates come as the company tests a controversial way to limit password sharing. This change is likely to be frustrating for many users, so Netflix will have to find other ways to make its service as attractive as possible to prevent subscribers from simply canceling.
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