No, Netflix, I do not want to continue watching Fate: The Winx Saga. I also do not want to continue watching the last two minutes of credits on The Dig. And I just wanted to review the last four episodes of Schitt’s Creek – please stop letting me start from the beginning (I mean, I will do it one day, but I do not have to constantly remind myself of it).
The most annoying thing about Netflix, which is shared by almost all the best streaming services, is an unfortunate lack of cable management. If you’re like me, you’ll continue to watch episodes on Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, etc. Crowded with things you A) no longer want to watch or B) that you’ve already watched, minus a few minutes at the end.
To give Netflix at least some credit, they have a way to solve Problem A, an option to remove a title from the “keep watching” queue, but only in the mobile app. But I stream Netflix mainly on my television with an Apple TV, as well as millions of subscribers with different devices like Roku and Fire Sticks. Many others look at their laptops.
This definitely makes sampling greater pain. I tried the first episode of the YA fantasy series Fate: The Winx Saga, but decided it was not for me. Still, it appeared there in “Continue Watching” until I finally opened the Netflix app on my phone to get rid of it.
No other streaming service even offers this option, so good on Netflix. Now roll it out to the website and the TV app.
Meanwhile, no streaming service offers a way to address issue B.. Disney Plus thinks I want to continue watching every episode of WandaVision, as well as every episode of The Mandalorian, the movie Soul and Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions. This is because I did not run out of time on everyone (sorry to the hardworking contributors mentioned in the end credits).
To force Disney Plus to stop watching me again, I have to play each episode / movie and complete it or move quickly to the last second.
There’s no way to tell a service, “Hey, I watched it!” It would also be helpful to watch an episode on someone else’s account, such as watching an episode with a friend.
This all applies to Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video (Peacock does not have a “Watch Further” section). But there is one streaming app that does the management of the queue right.
Apple TV gives you control over your watchlist
The Apple TV app (available on other devices outside of the Apple TV 4K) makes it easy to make your watch list stumble. The Apple TV app includes the shows and movies you watch on other services, including Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, and more. Think of it like a streaming inbox.
The “Up Next” row does just what it says: display the new episodes in your queue. But if you have seen it or do not want to watch it, you can get rid of it! Just long press select or long tap on the thumbnail (or on a laptop, click on the three dots) to display an options menu. You can remove from the “Next Next” row, notice that the episode was watched or removed from recently watched.
It does not affect the queue of the streaming service. For example, if I watch WandaVision episode 6 as it’s viewed in the Apple TV app, it can not be translated to Disney Plus. The latter still displays the episode as unseen.
So it’s a great solution if you use the Apple TV app to watch all your shows. But the real services need to work on adding more features to manage your queue. We’re all streaming more than ever before these days, and with more streaming services competing for our subscription fees, an easy and painless experience is invaluable.