Netflix updates Android app with faster, smoother navigation

Netflix for Android is getting a much-needed tune up. In an update that's beginning to roll out, Netflix is removing the lag and stutter that's long plagued its Android app, and turning into an appropriately snappy experience that performs as well as you'd expect. The design is also seeing a small refresh to better match Android's design guidelines, with the app's navigation bar now including a more traditional button layout. According to Android Police, which first spotted the update, the new Netflix app also works better with Chromecast, thanks to improved in-app controls and a less obtrusive interface when accessing it on the lock screen.

Android users hoping to clean up their Netflix recommendations will still have to wait, however: the app still doesn't include support for Netflix's new profiles feature, which allows individual users to have separate recommendations and queues on the same account. After launching the profiles feature over the summer, it's made its way to just about every other Netflix app, including those for the iPhone, the PlayStation 3, and the Xbox 360. But while that omission means that the app still has some room to grow, the new Netflix is still a major update that should make using it a much nicer experience all around.

Phil Oakley contributed to this report.