Update 01/04 — Plex is delivering its app update (with its new interface!) to all users. Until At present, only guinea pigs willing to get their hands dirty could test the beta.
Original article, 11/23/24 — Rest assured: the new Plex mobile app, which will be adapted to connected TVs in a later phase, still allows you to play videos from your personal library stored on a Plex server. Nothing changes! But the service wants to strengthen its offering of on-demand content that it has been patiently collecting since 2019. These films and TV series financed by advertising come from the catalogs of Warner, MGM, Lionsgate and A24.
Better delineate the different Plex offerings
The app redesign and new navigation aim to facilitate the discovery of this content and give users "a much clearer vision of what Plex represents". It is true that the mixture between user-owned videos and the free catalog can cause some incomprehension, even confusion.
In practice, the famous catch-all "hamburger" menus have been abandoned and everything goes through the menu bar at the bottom of the home window. The user libraries are grouped in a dedicated tab; a "Live TV" button and "On Demand" allow quick access to content distributed for free by Plex. The watchlist, a popular feature according to Plex, gains a prominent position at the top of the app. As a bonus, the covers take up more space to impress.
Beyond the aesthetic aspect, Plex has revised the application's code and unified its database. A centralized approach that allows the platform's various components to work together more seamlessly, the company explains.
But it's not a question of doing anything, like Sonos, whose new app is still causing headaches for many users. Plex is offering beta testing of the app on Android and iOS, knowing that some features are still missing; all the information on how to participate is at this address. Please note, places are limited on iOS. The traditional app will remain available during the testing period, which is expected to end in early 2025.
Source: Plex
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