Netflix adds playback speed controls to its Android app today. Once you get the new update, you will be able to choose 0.5x, 0.75x, 1.25x, and 1.5x, aside from 1x of course (the only option up until now and will remain the default).
So, if you’re an admirer of sped-up or slowed-down playback on Netflix, you will have to to manually select your favorite speed for every single title you want to watch. The playback speed options available irrespective of whether you’re streaming something or watching a show or movie that you have previously downloaded.
This feature first announced last year and took this long to launch because Netflix was working on features that ensure a smooth experience – such as automatically amending the pitch in audio at faster and slower speeds so what you’re hearing isn’t going to be a fuzzy mess.
This apparently been “much requested by members for years”, according to Keela Robison, Netflix’s VP of product innovation. The US National Association of the Deaf and the National Federation of the Blind both commended the company for the move.
The feature is arriving to iOS and the web soon, but there are at present no plans to make playback speed controls a part of Netflix’s TV apps.
