Netflix announced that on mobile devices consumers will have control how much data they are accessing on its service.
News that Netflix is preparing a mobile "data saver" feature was previously announced. According to the online publication Gizmodo, the company announced at Mobile World Congress 2016 that this feature would arrive sometimes this year as an update on both the iOS and Android applications. Tech Crunch reported that this feature was also briefly spotted when Netflix's Android beta testing program was made publicly visible by accident.
Now, on Thursday, May 5, on the company's blog, Netflix wrote that it finally made available an updated version of the iOS or Android application. This updated version includes a new setting called "Cellular Data Usage," where users can switch off the automatic, default setting.
Depending on personal preference, users can then choose either a lower or higher data usage setting. Under the "App Settings" menu is also available an unlimited data option.
According to the online publication CIO, on mobile devices one speed of streaming video does not fit all users. Some users may want slower speeds to not finish all their monthly allotments too fast, others who do not have data caps may prefer to stream at the highest available speed.
The updated version of Netflix app on iOS and Android is giving users control over the video streaming speed, answering a practical need of smartphone's users. The company explained that by default, the app allows users to stream per gigabyte of data around 3 hours of TV shows and movies. This equates to a video streaming speed of around 600 kilobits per second.
Based on its testing on cellular networks, Netflix found that this setting provides a good video quality without incurring overage fees or causing users to go over their data caps. Offering this setting to consumers is a notable move by the company. Netflix's video streaming service accounts today for a significant share of mobile data usage.
According to The Wrap, around 70 percent of the Internet traffic is due to Netflix and other streaming services. On mobile networks, in North America alone, Netflix is accounting for 3.44 percent of downstream traffic and 3.22 percent of upstream traffic.
