Netflix Joins Apple’s TV App [Update: Nope]
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Update: Not so fast, Netflix says. Turns out this was a mistake.
When Apple unveiled its TV app in 2016 it promised to provide a one-stop hub for everything you’d want to watch online, regardless of the streaming service. It was a great idea with one problem: streaming providers had to buy into it, and one of the most popular wanted nothing to do with Apple’s new unified watchlist.
The TV app would eventually become integral to Apple’s own TV+ streaming service. However, Apple had little vested interest when it debuted except to help folks find content on other streaming services. While it also lets folks purchase shows and movies from iTunes (and watch anything in their already-purchased library), Apple already provided an iTunes Store app on the iPhone and iPad, and separate “iTunes Movies” and “iTunes TV Shows” apps on the Apple TV (two apps that ironically still grace the Apple TV Home Screen over a year after they were officially shut down).
Streaming providers like Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Max (now Max), and others joyfully signed on at launch. Those that came later, like Disney+ and Paramount+, were also quick to join in, and the list has grown to well over 100 providers in the US. However, the biggest of them all, Netflix, has remained conspicuously absent from that list.
The streaming giant clearly preferred to chart its own course, but it was also likely reluctant to give up any of its catalog information to Apple, which the TV app needs to be able to do its thing. The company insisted that its subscribers use its app to browse its content library. This wasn’t just an Apple thing, either, as it does the same thing on Google TV (although Plex was somehow able to get access to the Netflix catalog for its Watch Now feature).
Nevertheless, something seems to have recently changed on the Apple front.
This morning, FlatpanelsHD discovered the TV app was suddenly promoting them to “Connect Netflix,” suggesting that the two companies have finally come to some sort of arrangement to fill in that last missing piece.
Once connected, content from Netflix shows up in the TV app just like any other streaming service. Shows from the Netflix app’s queue appear in the TV app’s Watchlist and Continue Watching sections (formerly Up Next).
As with other streaming services, selecting a Netflix show from Apple’s TV app will launch it in the Netflix app. Content won’t appear unless you’ve installed the Netflix app and enabled the integration, which can be found in the tvOS Settings app under Apps > TV.
It’s unclear if this is rolling out slowly or if Netflix is limiting sharing, as the FlatpanelsHD notes that only Netflix Originals like Stranger Things and Squid Game are showing up right now. Licensed content is still only visible in the Netflix app. It also only works with the Apple TV app on tvOS, and possibly iOS and iPadOS, not on third-party devices like Smart TVs.
The integration also appears to be US-only for now. I wasn’t able to get Netflix to show up in Canada, and FlatpanelsHD couldn’t make it work with their Apple Account in Denmark.
Neither Apple nor Netflix have made any official announcements. As of this writing, Netflix also hasn’t appeared on Apple’s list of supported providers, which was last updated in March 2024. However, not everyone in the US is seeing it either, so it may be rolling out slowly or on a trial basis, as some features like playback progress also aren’t yet working as expected.
