Millions of Netflix viewers can unlock three free upgrades – don’t watch TV the old way again
EVERY Netflix fan should check their apps right now – there are loads of secrets to unlock.
The streaming service is packed with clever tricks that you shouldn’t ignore.
We’ve picked out three of the best Netflix hacks, and they don’t a penny to try out.
Netflix trick #1 – free games!
Netflix has been bundling games into the app for just under a year now, and they’re included in your standard membership.
That means you don’t need to fork out any extra cash to play them.
Go into your Netflix app and then scroll down.
Once you’re a few blocks down, you should see a row titled “N Games”.
When you click on a game and install it, you’ll need to sign in with your Netflix login.
If you don’t have a Netflix membership, you simply won’t be able to play.
All of your progress is saved to your Netflix account, so you can play on an iPhone and then switch to an iPad if you like.
And it’s cross-platform, so you can even pick up where you left off on an Android phone.
Netflix trick #2 – smart downloads
Netflix has a really handy mobile feature called Downloads For You.
It analyses the Netflix TV shows and movies that you like to build up a picture of you.
And then it will automatically download content to your iPhone or Android handset that it think you might like.
This uses powerful computing to make educated guesses at what you might want to watch in the future.
That way it’s always ready when you need it.
This is really handy if you’ve forgotten to download some content ahead of a flight – or a trip to somewhere with poor phone signal.
First make sure that your Netflix app is up to date.
Then launch the app and tap on your profile icon in the corner.
Now click on App Settings and then look for the Smart Downloads button.
Tap it and then make sure that Downloads For You is toggled on.
Once you’ve done that, you can select a storage allowance for each user profile.
This means you can cap the amount of storage that is assigned to Downloads For You.
Netflix trick #3 – secret shortcuts
Watching telly on a laptop or computer can sometimes be annoying.
That’s especially true if you’re having to faff around with a mouse or trackpad.
Thankfully Netflix has created several keyboard shortcuts that can help you navigate the app much more quickly.
There are loads to try out, and you’ve almost certainly missed some of them.
Here are the most useful:
- Spacebar – toggle play / pause
- Enter – toggle play / pause
- F – full screen
- Esc – exit full screen
- Left Arrow – rewind 10 seconds
- Right Arrow – fast-forward 10 seconds
- Up arrow – volume up
- Down arrow – volume down
- M – mute toggle
- Shift-Alt-Left Click – adjust the streaming bitrate (to improve or reduce the quality of the video)
There are also some clever hacks that you should know about on mobile.
For instance, normally if you want to fast-forward through a TV show or movie, you have to tap the screen and then drag the time-bar up hit the skip icons.
But there’s a faster way to skip.
All you need to do is double-tap on the screen – on the left for a 10-second rewind or on the right for a 10-second fast-forward.
This makes it quicker and easier to skip (or backtrack) through something you’re watching.
And you can also make the video full screen by doing a pinching-out motion.