Netflix won’t launch native apps on Apple’s Vision Pro

Mark Gurman reports that Netflix will not launch a native app for Apple’s Vision Pro headset, and the streaming giant has no plans to make its iPad app compatible with the platform.

This means Netflix users will not be able to watch Netflix through a dedicated app on Apple’s Vision Pro. Instead, users will have to watch Netflix content in a web browser, significantly diminishing the immersive experience of watching movies or TV shows. Moreover, since Netflix’s video quality varies across browsers, this limitation will impede users’ ability to watch content offline and may even restrict the ability to adjust video resolution. Although Netflix eventually developed a native app for Meta’s Quest series in the headset platform domain, its functionality and experience are considerably behind. Netflix spokesperson Los Gatos stated, “Our members will be able to enjoy Netflix on the web browser on the Vision Pro, similar to how our members can enjoy Netflix on Macs.”

Furthermore, John Gruber of Daring Fireball reveals that Netflix has an iPad version of the Netflix app available for Vision Pro developers, which runs quite well, but the decision not to release this version is not based on user experience. This is corroborated by anonymous sources who claim they have installed the Netflix iPad app on Vision Pro.

Thus, speculation arises that Netflix may not approve of the Netflix iPad’s performance on Vision Pro or perhaps, based on strategic business decisions, has chosen not to invest heavily in the Vision Pro platform. The likelihood of technical issues being the reason for canceling the development of a native Netflix app for the Vision Pro platform seems minimal.

Recently, Apple announced that Vision Pro will feature services for watching 3D movies, Disney Plus, and Apple TV, but Netflix was not mentioned. Netflix’s absence on this $3,499 headset device could potentially impact the product’s appeal negatively.