Media software maker and streaming app Plex on Monday released an updated version of its mobile app. The redesign features a new user experience, reorganized navigation that includes giving its Watchlist a dedicated spot, and other changes that aim to make it easier to access power-user features for Plex customers who use its personal media management software, not just its streaming service.
The company says the mobile app will soon be followed by an update for its app for TV platforms.
In terms of the app’s redesign, the focus is on adding richer media, including title artwork for movies and shows — a long-requested feature. Other areas that are being tweaked in this area include movie and show detail pages, cast and crew profiles, and users’ personal profile pages.
Meanwhile, Plex’s core user base of personal home media pros will now be able to personalize their experience by favoriting certain media libraries, which now also have their own tab.
Plex has been known for years for its software that lets home media pros organize their collections of movies, TV shows, home videos, music, photos, and more. However, the company has shifted in more recent years to offer users a one-stop shop for all their media needs by combining access to free streaming TV and movies, plus movie rentals, and a variety of discovery tools that help users find things they want to watch across a fragmented streaming landscape.
One feature that helps with discovery is Plex’s universal Watchlist, where you can save items you want to watch from across your streaming services or Plex’s free streaming. This feature has now been given its own spot in the app’s top-level navigation as it has become one of the more popular features in the app.
Smaller changes with this release involve reorganizing other features, like the user menu, where you can update and manage your information like your friends list, selection of streaming services, and watch history.
After the version of this update for TV platforms rolls out, Plex says it will then focus on adding a few more improvements and bringing its TV and mobile apps into parity.
