Here’s how Netflix plans to prevent accidental touches on your phone

It can be quite annoying to be in the middle of a binge-watching session on your phone, only to accidentally touch the screen and mess up your playback. But it seems like Netflix has found a solution to the problem. First spotted by 9to5Google, the video streaming platform is releasing an update for its App on Android that adds a new ‘screen lock’ option, alongside existing options like episodes, subtitles, etc. It should be noted that the new option only seems to be available for the Android app right now. 

As the name would suggest, the new option locks the screen, thereby removing the Netflix UI that generally pops up when a touch is registered. Instead, they only see a lock icon. Tapping on this icon twice unlocks the screen, letting you access the various standard UI features like the seek bar and the various other options. 

However, it should be noted that the screen only seems to work when watching one episode or a movie. Users would have to enable it again when the next episode starts. It should be noted that the standard Android gestures like swiping down to access the notification shade will work, even if the screen lock option is turned on.

The demand for streaming shows is at an all-time high since almost the entire world has been forced indoors due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic. Seeing this, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has written to the telecom department and OTT services like Netflix, Hotstar (now Disney+ Hotstar), Amazon Prime Video and more to lower their streaming quality in order to reduce the burden on networks. 

If you too are bored at home and wondering what to watch, then we at Digit have curated a bunch of listers just for you. If you’re a fan of sci-fi, then you should check this out. If superheroes are more your thing, then you can check this out. However, if are a fantasy buff, then you should click here.