This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Y’all just need to cancel your Netflix, they are too expensive for far too little
Yup.
They told me I could choose between ads and a 35% price rise.
I replied "I have a better idea"
Can honestly say I've not missed out watching anything I wanted to watch
"What killed streaming?" - article from 2026
"millennials are killing the streaming industry"
The next season of Bridgerton is cancelled because you selfish millennials wouldn't drink your verification cans
Actually, that's probably the one excuse that wouldn't fly. The only company that cancels more stuff randomly and with no reason than Netflix is Google.
People have been making this comment for so long, with every anti-consumer change, and it's never been true.
Killing VPN usages didn't do it, canceling shows didn't do it, the splintering of offerings across multiple platforms didn't do it, killing password sharing didn't do it, raising prices didn't do it, including an advertising tier didn't do.
And this will not do it.
Hell, this is barely going to tweak the dial. The overwhelming majority of people don't watch Netflix on the desktop app, why should they fear kick back from the few that do? All they'll say is the mobile versions will still let you download (because those file systems are sealed away from the user).
Consumers will accept anything if there's no where else to get what they want. It's why the "free market" has no power in the tech space: consumers are so addicted to their chosen platforms, apps, devices, and services that they will accept literally anything before they entertain the idea of using anything else.
That's partially why enshitification is getting so bad: there's no punishment for it. Users will not move.
And I am set to remove Netflix subscription, while introducing torrents.
Ads are the one thing I won't tolerate on a paid service.
Pirated movies don’t have this problem.
I’m just saying, ruin your own service, and lose to pirates who can provide a better one for free.
These companies are gonna complain about piracy being so rampant while making their service so awful that piracy becomes a better choice
As they always did and continue to do in all businesses.
Look at food prices: Supermarket - We're raising prices on 95% of items by 200-300%. People: Steal because they can't afford basic food Supermarket: Shocked pikachu face
I got Netflix stock, and i can tell you guys that stock is just going up and up.
People rly are fking stupid
Install an android emulator. Problem solved.
Start pirating again. Problem solved.
Make your own movies and shows. Problem solved.
Start a company, get rich, buy Netflix, problem solved.
Stop watching stuff, do something else. Problem solved.
Found a secret society, infiltrate politics worldwide, stir chaos and destruction, let the world burn and built a new Netflix from the world's ashes where you still can download stuff. Problem solved.
See? It's not that hard!
(In case it wasn't clear, I am joking.)
Meanwhile with piracy, you have none of these issues.... Good job, convenience wins.
It's literally the thing that keeps me coming back (to the seas). I have paid for the services, and the service they provide has been steadily degraded. I still have Prime because they haven't fucked up delivery to my home (yet), but I don't even open the app on Roku anymore, I just download whatever it is, because I have no interest in dealing with their shit interface and then having to watch ads after.
If a service can give me a simple, easy to use interface, good search feature, good quality, and decent enough content, you've got my money. That's just too much to ask these days, so I'll just donate to the site(s) that provide alternative services.
They've gone full circle at this point: it's like paying for TV channels and piracy is looking really attractive again, even though Netflix was the reason many people stopped doing that initially (I assume)
Took me a minute to figure out why these 2 updates would be bundled together. Must be cause if you downloaded something you'd be able to bypass their ads
So they are introducing ads and removing the download option, both moves unfriendly to consumers. Sounds like they plan to do a "We've listened to consumers and" shelving one of those moves for later (probably the download option) when the hubbub over the worse option dies down.
Enshittification follows its course.
A quick reminder : you don't need to watch Netflix.
"While downloads will no longer be supported, you can continue to watch TV shows and movies offline on a supported mobile device," the Netflix document says
So essentially Windows devices are no longer "supported" wrt this particular feature.
It essentially means the Windows app will be little more than a wrapper for the Netflix website.
It's possible that the move means Netflix can save some money on licensing, which may cost extra if downloads are included – enabling users to take shows and movies around with them and watch them without an internet connection.
So once again everything devolves down to licensing - i.e. it sounds like they were pressured into this hard choice to leave those users in the cold, which they did. Probably bc the user base of Windows phones is so tiny? (Edit: bc they are discontinued, though more likely they meant the desktop - i.e. laptops - sorry if I caused any confusion).
Though that is one of the main advantages of Netflix these days, as opposed to e.g. piracy.
TLDR: Ultimately it is yet more enshittification, and while due to licensing rather than Netflix, still it is Netflix users (on Windows devices) who will bear the burden.
My advice would be to disable automatic updates and coast for a long while on the current app version, though that can be easier said than done due to multiple locations of automatic update settings. I have zero experience with Windows lately, but good luck if you want to try it!:-|
If there’s still downloads available on mobile it’s probably not licensing. Iirc the downloads were only available in shit quality anyways so as always, pirating is a better experience.
Capitalism breeds innovation
this is part of the reason why the stock market does what its doing
my internet is too shitty to watch without downloading though so it's not because of me
How is this not considered false advertising? They literally market offline viewing as a feature
Guess people are gonna have to sail the seven seas.
Guess it's time to use the other download feature.
The people on your man o' war
Are treated worse than scum
I'm no flogging captain
And by God I've sailed with some
Come with me to Barbary
We'll ply there up and down
Not quite exactly
In the service of the Crown
🏴☠️
Netflix living long enough to become the villain I see
🏴☠️ 🏴☠️ 🏴☠️
This is no big deal because Windows users are used to ads. Sorry feeling snarky.
