If you enjoy spending hours binging on your favorite movies and shows, Plex has something exciting in store for you. After two years of development, they’re giving their mobile app a glow-up, and the preview is available starting today, November 22nd.
The new interface will combine your personal media library with on-demand content in one place. Navigation is easier, with quick access to your favorite libraries and an artwork-rich design.
Plex updates app with simplified design
The preview of Plex’s new interface is rolling out now, with the full version expected in early 2025. The new layout is more streamlined, and it is easier to find your way around.
The older interface has a crowded bottom navigation bar with the Home, Trending, Activity, Find Friends, and My Profile sections in the bottom bar. They focused more on social and account-related features.
The new interface simplifies the bar, focusing on content discovery and key features. It replaces the Trending and Activity tabs with Libraries, Live TV, On Demand, and Discover. The contrast is also better as you can read and see everything clearly.
The darker background with bright images makes the content stand out more, and should help you find anything you’re looking for quicker. The older interface looks dull in comparison.
Our mission is to create a global community where everyone can discover, experience, and share all of the entertainment that matters to them. This rebuilt interface is just another way we’re staying true to this mission.
Plex
The app has also moved the media libraries to their own dedicated tab, and they’ve given the Watchlist its own spot in the top navigation area, based on its growing popularity. You can find and add titles to it, no matter where you are or which service you’re using.
Related: The Beginner’s Guide To Using Plex For The Very First Time
Faster updates are ahead for Plex
Usually, apps get updates regularly, with new features or improvements rolled out on a consistent schedule. Plex is no Netflix, but they do have a sizable user base that relies on their platform for streaming and media management. An update was long overdue.
According to Plex, the reason for the delay lies in the major overhaul they decided to undertake. Instead of making small updates, they wanted to rewrite their entire app and unify their codebase. In the past, maintaining separate codebases for each platform slowed development and created challenges in keeping features and designs aligned.
With this new approach, they hope to speed up development and roll out more updates simultaneously across all their platforms, from Plex, Plexamp, and Plex Photos to Plex Dash. For now, they are releasing the refreshed interface as an early-access preview to ensure that everything works smoothly across a wide range of devices and networks.
Limited spots for iOS users
Playlists, casting, and some other features may be missing at first. But Plex says that it’s normal, and they’ll pop up during the preview period. The updates will continue to roll out weekly, and they encourage users to share their feedback to help improve the app. For iOS users, there are only a limited number of spots to join the testing, so you’ll want to hop on the opportunity as soon as possible.
