The update showed up to the App Store on Tuesday and allows users of the iPhone 6 Plus to view streaming content at a higher resolution. Buyers of the iPhone 6 will remain limited to a resolution of 720 pixels given the smaller screen size and its inability to handle 1,080-pixel video resolution.
New versions of the iPad already supported 1,080 pixels but the iPhone 6 Plus are the first iPhone devices to handle it but it is quite limited to bandwidth concerns and only works with Wi-Fi. The company is presently recommending a speed of no less than 5 megabits per second in order to stream at the new pixel increase. While possible to stream on a data package, users with limited data plans will exceed their plans limits in no time flat.
Netflix iOS app: Wi-Fi only in essence
“We’re excited to announce that iPhone 6 Plus users will now see Netflix movies and television shows in 1,080-pixel resolution, including Netflix originals like ‘Orange is the New Black’ and ‘House of Cards,'” Netflix wrote in a recent blog post. “All you need is a good WiFi connection.”
The app actually scans the speed of a users Internet connection and determines what is the highest suggested resolution and streams it at that level, an industry standard called adaptive streaming. Netflix has recently been signing deals with certain ISPs to guarantee its customers the best speed possible and also offers its users an ISP Speed Index on its website so users can see how fast they can stream.
Work was done quickly
“When Apple announced the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in September, we were excited about the opportunity to extend the Netflix application to different screen sizes,” the company wrote on its website. “We immediately began work on optimizing our user interface for the larger and higher resolution screens, and we’re happy to announce these changes are included in today’s update to our app. You’ll see more titles on screen to choose from, bigger imagery and improved performance throughout.”
