Netflix’s Next Bet Is On Your Attention As It Readies Instagram Reels-Style Video Feed

Netflix is reportedly preparing a redesign of its mobile app that adds a short, swipeable video feed, which is an interface pattern popularised by TikTok and Instagram Reels, as the company tries to make discovery feel faster and more habitual. Instead of relying on rows, categories and trailers, a vertical feed turns the “what should I watch?” problem into a near-frictionless scroll, built to convert browsing into immediate viewing.

According to Android Headlines, the new feed will deepen Netflix’s earlier experiments with short-form discovery formats and is expected to roll out as part of a broader app revamp later in 2026. The idea is not entirely new for Netflix. The company has tested short clip formats before, but this iteration is framed as more integrated, closer to a core navigation layer than a side feature.

The report also points to Netflix expanding the app beyond conventional streaming, including support for podcasts. That shift matters because it suggests Netflix is aiming to win more “daily minutes,” not just long binge sessions, competing more directly with social platforms and audio apps for attention.

Why Netflix is doing this now

Short video is not just a format, it is a behaviour. Reels and TikTok trained users to accept a constant audition of content. For Netflix, the upside is obvious: reduce time-to-play, increase session starts, and convert passive browsing into measurable engagement signals that feed back into recommendations.

It is also a defensive play. Social video platforms increasingly act as the internet’s “front page,” where trends break, and tastes form. If Netflix wants to stay culturally loud, it cannot rely only on billboards and trailers, so it needs discovery loops that look and feel native to how people already consume media on phones.

For users, the upside is straightforward: faster discovery and less decision fatigue. The risk is equally clear: a feed optimised for quick hooks can reward the most “scroll-stopping” clips, potentially pushing Netflix toward louder previews and more algorithm-led consumption rather than deliberate, title-first choice.

Netflix has not announced a public launch date, but the direction looks consistent: the next phase of streaming UX will look less like TV menus and more like social feeds.

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