Netflix won’t have a Vision Pro app, compromising the device’s appeal

In the leadup to Vision Pro preorders tomorrow, Apple has seemingly been prioritizing the message that the device will be an ideal way to watch movies and TV shows. In many ways, that might be true, but there’s one major caveat: Netflix.

In a statement reported by Bloomberg today, Netflix revealed that it does not plan to offer an app for Vision Pro. Instead, users will have to use a web-based interface to watch the streaming service.

Netflix compares the experience to the Mac, but there are a few reasons this won’t be an ideal experience for users. First, the iPad and iPhone mobile apps support offline viewing of downloaded videos. That’s particularly handy for when you’re flying, which is arguably one of the best use cases for Vision Pro.

Unfortunately, Netflix doesn’t support offline downloads on the web. It also remains to be seen what resolution will be achievable—the maximum resolution of a Netflix stream depends on the browser, with most capping out at 720p. That wouldn’t look so great on a 100-foot virtual screen.

Granted, Netflix streams at up to 4K on Safari for macOS, but we don’t know if that will be the case for Safari on Vision Pro.

It will also make launching the app more complicated, and the interface won’t be as nice to use as a native app.

There are two ways Netflix could have supported visionOS more directly. The company could have developed a full-fledged mixed reality app like Disney+ did, with visionOS-specific features. Or it could have at least adapted its iPad app to work well within visionOS.

The latter, while not completely trivial, is relatively easy for a company with Netflix’s development resources, so it’s hard not to see this as a deliberate snub.

This isn’t the first time Netflix has chosen not to play nice with a new Apple initiative. Netflix is the most notable service missing from Apple’s useful TV app on Apple TV and iPhone, which aggregates your viewing activity and makes recommendations that link out to individual streaming apps.

Netflix and Apple now compete in the streaming space. In particular, both have courted awards for their original films with limited theatrical releases and aggressive campaigns. That could be a motivator, but we can’t know what Netflix’s leadership is thinking for sure.

Most other major streaming services, including Disney+, Peacock, Max, and Amazon Prime Video, will have working visionOS apps when the device launches in early February, making Netflix a notable outlier.

While not a deal-breaker for everyone, the omission cuts at the heart of Apple’s messaging around Vision Pro’s value proposition; the steep $3,499 price could be seen as worth the investment if you see the device as replacing both an iPad and a high-end TV. But that pitch is a little bit compromised if the experience on that high-end TV is subpar for one of the most popular streaming services.