[DigitalToday AI Reporter] Netflix has introduced its own video player in its Apple TV app, removing many platform-specific functions and triggering a strong user backlash.

The IT outlet 9to5Mac reported on April 15 that Netflix recently stopped using the Apple TV app’s native player and switched the interface to a custom player identical to the one used on other platforms.

After the overhaul, playback control through the iPhone remote app is restricted. tvOS-only features such as automatic subtitle activation when rewinding and dialogue emphasis can no longer be used. A routine convenience function that let users check a title’s end time with the Siri Remote has also disappeared.

The reduction in features has immediately worsened the user experience, with complaints that even basic controls have become cumbersome. As multiple button presses are required to move 10 seconds forward or back, online communities such as Reddit are seeing a growing number of disappointed subscribers declare they will cancel the service. Netflix has not stated its position, but the industry is analysing the move as a strategic choice aimed at maintaining a consistent user interface across platforms and maximising advertising exposure effects.

Netflix has previously been seen as reluctant to integrate with the Apple ecosystem, including by not supporting Apple TV’s integrated search function, the Up Next queue. With the native player, seen as the service’s only advantage, now abolished, users are taking the decline in service quality seriously. As the overhaul coincides with the timing of a price increase, criticism is growing that costs are rising while convenience is moving backward.

In conclusion, Netflix’s latest move is seen as putting unified management of its own system ahead of platform optimisation. Experts predict Netflix will not reverse course on running its own player despite the strong backlash. The change is expected to lower brand loyalty among existing users who preferred Apple TV’s intuitive interface and to become a decisive factor accelerating an exodus from the platform.