Netflix comes to the Apple TV app (sort of)

One of the biggest gaps in the Apple TV app looks like it’s about to be filled with Netflix making a long-awaited appearance. Just don’t expect a fully integrated experience or at least not yet. 

Apple TV users on Reddit recently began reporting that they were being prompted to add Netflix to the Apple TV app. Once they did, they were able to add Netflix videos to their Apple TV watch lists, and Netflix shows also began appearing in the Apple TV apps’s Continue Watching shelf. 

The integration isn’t perfect, though. The most crucial missing element is that for now, only Netflix “originals” seem to be working properly in the Apple TV app. So while you can add Stranger Things, Cobra Kai, or The Crown to your Apple TV watch list, licensed Netflix shows like Suits still won’t work. (You will find Suits in Apple TV’s universal search, but Netflix won’t appear as a “way to watch.”) 

Ben Patterson/Foundry

Also, some Netflix originals are showing up in the Apple TV app with missing or only single seasons. For example, when I search for The Crown via the Apple TV app, I only see season 5 while Stranger Things appears to be complete. 

Beyond those issues, the entire Netflix integration with the Apple TV app still seems a tad flaky. While many users are saying that Netflix shows are appearing in their Continue Watching shelves on the Apple TV app, it’s still not working for others, including me.  

Likewise, the Apple TV “Add to Watchlist” button that started appearing on Netflix title detail pages immediately after I added the Netflix app has now mysteriously disappeared again.  

Neither Apple nor Netflix has said anything official about Netflix coming to the Apple TV app, so it could well be that the integration between the two services is still rolling out, hence the rough edges. It’s also worth noting that Apple has yet to list Netflix as a supported service for the Apple TV app.

In any event, the secret to adding Netflix to Apple TV appears to be searching for a Netflix show on the Apple TV app and clicking the title. Once you do, you should get a prompt for adding Netflix to Apple TV. 

Ben Patterson/Foundry

While the other big streamers have long played nice with Apple TV app, Netflix has been a noteworthy holdout. 

There is a Netflix app for Apple TV, of course, but up until now, there hasn’t been a way to add Netflix shows to your Apple TV watchlist, nor had its videos ever appeared in the Apple TV app’s Continue Watching section. 

Netflix and Apple have long had a contentious relationship, which manifested itself most recently when Netflix refused to release a native streaming app for the Apple Vision Pro. Vision Pro owners can stream Netflix videos on their headsets via Safari instead.