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Netflix just revealed a huge upgrade for Android users

New update aims to cut through the noise.

Netflix just revealed a huge upgrade for Android users
Marc Chacksfield
25 January 2021

We don't know whether you are doing it to piss Chris Nolan off or it's a convenience thing but a hell of a lot of you like to watch Netflix on your phone.

Now, that usage may have dwindled slightly given none of us are commuting right now, but in 2020 6.6 million folks in the UK were watching Netflix on a smartphone and that was nicely split between iOS and Android users.

Netflix is making sure at least half of these users are happy with a brand-new update which may well prove to be one of its biggest yet.

Netflix has revealed that it is dramatically improving the audio for those using an Android device. Sorry for the word belch but this means that it is now streaming Extended HE-AAC with MPEG-D DRC (xHE-AAC). This codec will mean that Android users audio will be vastly improved in noisy environments and it will also adapt to variable cellular connections (like video quality does right now) and scale to studio-quality sounds. Studio quality?! It doesn't get much better than that.

Netflix revealed that you will notice the difference if you are using an Android phone with Android 9 or over and it even has a blog that has fancy images of waveforms and the like to prove to you why this audio enhancement is such a big deal.

According to Netflix, all this audio science boils down to the following: "Netflix always strives to give the best member experience, in every listening environment. So the next time you experience The Crown, get ready to be immersed and not have to reach out to the volume control or grab your earbuds."

These are the best Netflix shows and the best Netflix movies to watch on your Android device right now.