Netflix on the Apple TV app was a bug, not a feature

Recently, many of us Apple TV users managed to do something miraculous — namely, connect Netflix to the Apple TV app. Well, there’s good news and bad news. Actually… just bad news. 

Apple has now confirmed via The Verge that the short-lived ability to add Netflix as a connected service on the Apple TV app was actually just a bug and has been “rolled back.” 

That explains why the Netflix integration some of us experienced earlier today on the Apple TV app was so flaky. For example, while I was able to add Netflix as a connected service on the Apple TV app, I never saw any Netflix videos on the Continue Watching shelf. I was also puzzled that some Netflix shows only displayed a smattering of available seasons, while an “Add to Watchlist” button that appeared on some Netflix titles within the Apple TV app subsequently disappeared.

Initially, the bugginess of the Apple TV app’s Netflix integration seemed like a symptom of a still-in-progress rollout, but it turns out that was wishful thinking. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman tweeted shortly after noon ET on Friday that he heard the Netflix integration was “probably some sort of bug” and that “it would be odd for Netflix to finally give in here.” Soon after, an Apple rep confirmed to The Verge that the Netflix integration should never have been rolled out in the first place. 

Netflix on the Apple TV app is a feature that Apple TV users have long pined for. As it stands, the Apple TV app offers integrations for all the other big streamers, including Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, Max, and Peacock. Once connected to the Apple TV app, the videos on those services can be searched for and added to your Apple TV watchlist. Recently viewed videos also appear on the Continue Watching shelf on the Apple TV home screen, with their latest playback states synced.

But the Apple TV app’s universal search capabilities are hobbled by the lack of Netflix support. Of course, that’s not a problem if you don’t subscribe to Netflix… but if you do, it’s a pain.

In any event, Netflix on the Apple TV app appears to be back to its “maybe one day” status again. Sigh.