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Netflix Testing Out Variable Playback Speeds in Android App

Stephanie Sengwe
Stephanie Sengwe is writer based in New York who covers companies in the streaming industry including AT&T, Amazon, Apple, Hulu, Roku, and Netflix . She also contributes daily news coverage on streaming services and devices for The Streamable.
Read full bio ›
Stephanie Sengwe

Netflix is apparently working on another way for you to watch your favorite content at your own pace. The streamer is reportedly testing variable playback in its Android app.

Variable playback is usually used in podcasts and other video players and it allows users to listen or watch at the speed of their liking. According to Android Police, Netflix has been testing speeds ranging from 0.5x—which would be useful if you want to watch a scene in slow motion—all the way to 1.5x, which can come in handy if a documentary or stand-up special is moving a bit too slow.

Back in 2017, Netflix once again took some inspiration from the podcast world and tried out an audiobook mode as part of their hack day. The feature would have “allowed users to not only listen to the dialogue of a movie, but also the audio descriptions that are being included with many titles for accessibility reasons.”

Because very few reports on the variable playback speeds test have been sported, Android Police believes this may just be a server-side test that may not necessarily come to our screens.

Stephanie Sengwe
Stephanie Sengwe is writer based in New York who covers companies in the streaming industry including AT&T, Amazon, Apple, Hulu, Roku, and Netflix . She also contributes daily news coverage on streaming services and devices for The Streamable.
Read full bio ›
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