- WBD has migrated Discovery+ to the same platform as the Max app
- Starting March 12, subscribers will see five great new features
- The update will make the rollout of future changes quicker and simpler
Discovery+ subscribers are getting a big update to their streaming apps, according to an announcement from Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
The changes will be rolled out today (March 12) to all subscribers in the US and Canada that update their apps, and includes five great new features that might be familiar to anyone who’s signed up to WBD’s other streaming service, Max.
That’s because the change will see the Discovery+ app migrate to the same in-house tech platform that WBD uses for the HBO streaming service, which WBD’s head of tech Avi Saxena says will enable “richer feature set”.
Unifying tech stack for all of its streaming services means WBD will be able to roll out any backend changes, including bug fixes and updates to the design of the apps, more efficiently.
What new features are available on Discovery+?
The update means WBD can bring a lot of the same great features that Max subscribers already enjoy to those signed up to Discovery+. These include:
- An improved homepage that looks more Max
- More personalized content recommendations
- A new search layout for jumping between episodes
- Ability to sign in to the app via a QR code
- New sharing functionality for social media
Of these new features, the improved navigation tools look to be the most helpful to subscribers looking to find content in the app. Indeed, the new search layout (as pictured in the lead image of this article) looks like it will make jumping between episodes of a show a lot simpler.
I can see this change being most useful for big reality series that have a seemingly endless number of seasons and episodes, making it a lot easier for viewers to find a specific segment from the show. WBD also says that these new discovery improvements will allow for more personalized content recommendations.
There’s also new sharing functionality that lets Discovery+ subscribers send content to their friends and family more easily. WBD specifies in its announcement about the update that this new functionality is for “adult profile users” though, so that might mean this feature is disabled for kids. We’ve contacted WBD for clarification, and will update this article when we hear back.
Discovery+ subscribers can also expect the new homepage, which will look more like Max, to have more personalized recommendations that utilize machine learning to better serve up movies and shows that you like.
Outside of the new features, WBD also says the update means that the Discovery+ app will benefit from faster performance more generally, allowing for better video resolution and playback.
Discovery+ is the latest streaming service to roll out an overhaul of its app in 2025, with YouTube TV teasing a big Netflix update earlier this month, Prime Video launching a new app for Apple TV devices in February, and Max making a big change to its navigation menu in January.
Make sure to check in with TechRadar regularly for details of the latest changes to your favorite streaming services.
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amelia.schwanke@futurenet.com (Amelia Schwanke)
