As 2020 begins to wrap up after 8 months of worldwide COVID-19 madness, almost everyone has picked up and dropped new projects and hobbies, made post-pandemic resolutions and, of course, watched a ton of Netflix. Well, it so happens that big tech companies are not that different from everyone else and Netflix is also gearing up for some new things, aside from a small price hike.
It’s not rare for software developers and data miners to discover little bits of code here and there that foreshadow features not yet implemented by the publisher, and in the past that has served as a spoiler for new features found in Netflix’s apps like screen lock buttons, playback speed toggle or the ability to watch partial downloads. Now, it appears the streaming giant wants users to listen to Netflix, even when they’re not watching.
A few lines of code found in Netflix’s 7.79.1 Android app version suggests the company is looking at an “audio-only” mode that would allow users to save data or battery life by turning off video, attend to needs of visually impaired users, or just simply choose to listen to content in the same way they would enjoy a podcast.
Fair warning though, just because the code happens to be there, it doesn’t mean Netflix is guaranteed to roll out the feature, as it’s common for software developers to leave these traces of functions that may never end up being available to users.
On the face of it, the move makes perfect sense. Netflix has a huge library of content that is completely enjoyable for its customers while they’re attending to other tasks. For example, the service’s robust lineup of comedy specials, David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs no Introduction, or even things that are more akin to audiobooks, such as their Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices collection, where stars like Tiffany Haddish and Lupita Nyong’o sit down to read children books.
Netflix executives have stated in the past that the streaming giant aims to compete in anything that users spend their time on to relax or entertain themselves, so perhaps this could be a very early hint of a future foray into podcasts and audiobooks territory. The mere thought of commuters laughing out loud or napping to their favorite comedy special makes it worthwhile.
Source: XDA Developers
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