Netflix is preparing a broader mobile overhaul that includes a vertical video discovery feed and deeper use of AI for personalization, as the streaming giant looks to make content discovery faster and more natural on phones. The update arrives alongside a strong first quarter, with Netflix reporting $12.25 billion in revenue, up 16% year over year, while continuing to push ads, games, and new content formats such as video podcasts.
TL;DR
- Netflix will roll out a redesigned mobile experience by the end of April, including a vertical video discovery feed.
- Co-CEO Greg Peters said newer AI model architectures can improve personalization and help Netflix iterate faster across different content types.
- Netflix posted Q1 2026 revenue of $12.25 billion, while quarterly net income reached $5.28 billion.
Netflix’s latest mobile push is not a sudden pivot, it is the next step in a longer discovery strategy. Back in 2025, the company said it would test a feed of short clips from Netflix shows and movies so viewers could instantly play a title, save it to My List, or share it. At the time, Chief Product Officer Eunice Kim said the goal was to build a more flexible experience that better reflects Netflix’s broader entertainment offering, while making discovery more intuitive for members.
Now that test is turning into a wider launch. Reports indicate that Netflix plans to introduce a vertical video feed inside its apps this month, alongside a redesigned mobile experience expected by the end of April 2026. Netflix has framed the redesign as a response to changing viewing behavior, noting that the line between TV and mobile entertainment is blurring, and that newer formats such as video podcasts are performing well on phones.
The AI piece is just as important. On the company’s first-quarter conference call, Greg Peters said, “We have been in personalization and recommendation for two decades, but we still see tremendous room to make it better by leveraging newer technologies.” He added that recommendation systems built on new model architectures not only improve current personalization, but also let Netflix move faster and support different content types more efficiently.
Ted Sarandos also made clear that Netflix sees AI as a tool for creators, not a replacement for them. During the same call, he said, “In general, we expect GenAI to make content better; better tools, better processes.” He added that great art still depends on great artists, but AI can give them better tools to bring their vision to life.
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The timing matters. In its Q1 2026 shareholder letter, Netflix said revenue rose 16% year over year, driven primarily by membership growth, higher pricing, and increased ad revenue. Operating income reached about $4.0 billion, operating margin hit 32.3%, and the company said it ended 2025 with 325 million paying subscribers. Netflix also said it expects a rough doubling of ad revenue in 2026.
Taken together, the move shows Netflix is trying to make its app feel less like a static streaming shelf and more like a smarter, faster entertainment gateway. The vertical feed can help surface titles in seconds, while AI-led recommendations may help Netflix keep viewers inside its ecosystem for longer across shows, movies, podcasts, games, and advertising.
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