True to its word, Netflix is now rolling out a new feature that lets subscribers control the quality of their streams and thereby the amount of data they consume on their mobile plans.
Netflix first revealed plans for such a data-saving feature back in March, the company published details of how it caps mobile streaming globally in order to save subscribers from themselves. This was in relation to a brouhaha caused by T-Mobile chief John Legere, who claimed that his mobile network serves up better-quality Netflix streams than AT&T or Verizon. He was right, but it wasn’t that AT&T or Verizon throttle the Netflix streams, it’s that Netflix was trying to prevent users from spending a ton of cash streaming its videos.
7/ @TMobile has been listening to customers and thanks to a little partnership, @YouTube is now a #BingeOn partner!https://t.co/VQVZoM86Jh
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) March 17, 2016
Now, for those on Android and iOS globally, Netflix will be giving a little more granular control to users to manage their streams. If they’re on an unlimited plan, they can chomp as much HD video as they like, if they’re on a flimsy 1GB a month allowance, well, they’d best go on a data diet.
To set the cellular data usage, visit “App Settings” in the latest version of the app and hit “Cellular Data Usage.” The default setting equates to around 600 kilobits-per-second, which will let you stream roughly 3 hours of content for every gigabit of data.
“Our testing found that, on cellular networks, this setting balances good video quality with lower data usage to help avoid exceeding data caps and incurring overage fees,” explained Eddy Wu, director of product innovation at Netflix, in a blog post. But you can now switch on “low,” “medium,” “high,” and “unlimited” too. “Our goal is to give you more control and greater choice in managing your data usage whether you’re on an unlimited mobile plan or one that’s more restrictive,” continued Wu.
Above: Netflix Streams