Netflix's new smartphone app feature will reduce data usage

The upcoming version of the Netflix smartphone app will allow users to save mobile data by limiting consumption. Speaking on the sidelines of Mobile World Congress, a Netflix representative said that later this year the movie streaming service provider will roll-out a new update for both iOS and Android that will reduce bandwidth usage.

Post the update, the Netflix app will feature a data saving option in settings, which when switched "on", will turn to economic mode, consuming less data and limiting bit-rate. This would, however, reduce the picture quality below the Full HD 1080p and performance by increasing the buffering time taken to run the video. The app would also feature an HD viewing app that will try to maintain the HD quality of the video, despite enabling the "data save mode".

According to Netflix, data saving and HD viewing will be the first couple of features in the next upgrade. The digital channel is also working on enhancing more features in future, including support for various screen resolutions.

Apart from this, Netflix is trying to introduce another feature called the second screen. This will allow users to read information about the video and the cast of a particular film or TV show, on a second screen while running the video at the same time. This feature will initially be available on Android and Chromecast devices and later be pushed to iOS and consoles.