- Netflix has announced that it’ll be rolling out a huge mobile UI upgrade later this year, introducing a vertical video feed
- This feed will spotlight new content across Netflix’s library of original movies and shows, as well as integrating clips from video podcasts
- Netflix’s last big redesign was for its TV interface in May 2025, but it was met with user backlash
Another big Netflix revamp is on the way, and it’s one of the most significant redesigns for one of the best streaming services: it’s getting a vertical video feed.
During Netflix’s Q4 2025 earnings call, CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos reflected on Netflix’s successful year but didn’t shy away from giving us a taste of what’s in store for its mobile experience. They announced that a vertical video feed will be rolling out in late 2026, with Peters describing it as “a broader upgrade of the mobile experience.”
It’s not new information that Netflix has been experimenting with short-form video for a while now, but this new redesign will see its wider rollout. During the earnings call, Peters shared that the platform has been testing vertical video feeds “for six months, or so,” which is filled with clips from Netflix original shows and movies.
At the moment, this is pretty much all that Netflix’s vertical video feed entails, but Peters reassured that there’s more to come; “you can imagine us bringing more clips based on new content types,” he shared. So, how is Netflix planning on advancing its vertical video feed in the future? Video podcasts are the short answer.
Analysis: rejecting change
While there’s plenty of room for more Netflix content to be added to its vertical video ecosystem (I can see it being a means of mainly promoting highly anticipated movies and shows), video podcasts will also be integrated, which Netflix has spent ample time and money investing in to compete with the likes of YouTube. Peters went into more detail:
“Video podcasts were added to the general service, so we’re bringing a sort of appropriate component of that into that vertical video feed,” he explained. This next chapter for Netflix follows its biggest UI update for TVs, which rolled out in May 2025, and similarly to this update, the new mobile interface will “become a starting point for (us) to continue to iterate, test, evolve, and improve,” Peters added.
Netflix’s huge TV interface revamp marked a huge step for the streaming platform, but it was met with a tidal wave of user backlash very shortly following its launch. On the one hand, users claimed the new ‘unnecessary changes’ made it even harder to find the type of content they like to stream, while Netflix defended the redesign.
As for this upcoming vertical video feed, I can’t imagine it will please subscribers, given their harsh criticism of Netflix’s TV upgrade. It doesn’t sit well with me that Netflix is going full steam ahead with in-app short-form content; it just reads as a petty attempt to mirror more successful vertical video spin-offs like YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels. Netflix is first and foremost a space for movie lovers to indulge in quality content – so let’s keep it that way.
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rowan.davies@futurenet.com (Rowan Davies)
