Netflix is redesigning its iPhone app to accommodate Apple’s new foldable iPhone Duo, enhancing usability with a flexible home screen and adaptive playback controls that adjust to various device configurations, such as fully opened, book-style, tent, and tabletop modes. These interface improvements aim to make mobile viewing more seamless across the phone’s different display modes. Additionally, Netflix is working on smoother playback transitions between vertical and horizontal video clips, a feature expected to debut in 2027, signaling the company’s commitment to evolving its app in line with innovative hardware.

Beyond hardware-specific innovations, Netflix is expanding its short-form video discovery tool, Clips, which presents personalized vertical-video feeds featuring snippets from its wide content catalog. Clips allow subscribers to sample content, create watchlists, and share clips without leaving the feed, facilitating faster and more engaging content discovery. Planned enhancements in 2027 include themed categories and genre-specific feeds that will help users browse Netflix’s extensive library more efficiently, particularly on mobile devices where quick content browsing is preferred.

Netflix’s mobile strategy marks a broader shift away from simply replicating the traditional TV viewing experience on handheld devices. Instead, the company is designing its mobile app to fit how users actually interact with smartphones—using them for short bursts of entertainment and discovery throughout the day. This approach reflects an understanding that mobile devices are consumed differently, with users often seeking snippets of content during brief moments rather than committing to full episodes or films in a single sitting.

The company’s investments in short-form video also position it strongly against popular digital platforms like TikTok and YouTube, focusing on integrating clips into a redesigned navigation experience that connects viewers directly to the full-length programming catalog. While Netflix emphasizes its vast professionally produced library as its core advantage, these mobile enhancements seek to boost user engagement by making content easier to find and enticing viewers to return more frequently, potentially deepening subscriber loyalty in an increasingly competitive streaming landscape.