Netflix’s New ‘Cellular Data Controls’ will let Users Adjust Video Streaming Quality

BY Evan Selleck

Published 5 May 2016

Netflix Cellular controls

Netflix is making it possible for subscribers to adjust streaming quality over their cellular network in its latest update.

In an effort to help Netflix subscribers out there that might want to catch up on a show they’ve been binge watching, or just watch a movie on their commute, the company has launched new “cellular data controls” that will adjust streaming video quality to help users get the most video consumption per gigabyte of data.

With the new controls, Netflix says that it will adjust video streaming quality over a cellular network so subscribers can aim to avoid overage charges from their data network. This new feature was actually confirmed to be arriving back in March, when Netflix confirmed that it had been throttling its streamed content to customers watching video on a cellular network.

Netflix says in its official announcement that the default setting will allow subscribers to watch about three hours worth of content per gigabyte of data. There are other options, though, including the “Low” setting which Netflix says will let a subscriber watch four hours of a TV show or movie for every gigabyte consumed. The “High” setting means you can watch a single hour of content per GB. There is also an unlimited option.

You can find the new options in the Settings menu, and you’ll need to disable the “Set Automatically” option to take control. You’ll be able to change the settings whenever you want, to adjust accordingly, which is hopefully good news for the Netflix subscribers out there that use their cellular network to watch content.

Many T-Mobile customers out there won’t have to deal with these options, though, considering the carrier launched its Binge On feature last November, with Netflix as one of its partners. With Binge On, subscribers can stream as much Netflix as they want without impacting their high-speed data allotment each month.

A link to download and install Netflix for Android is available below if you don’t already have it installed.

Download

[via Netflix]