Netflix will soon let you turn off its 'are you still watching' notification

The feature is being tested in the United States

(Mollie Sivaram)

Netflix is testing a feature whereby users can turn off the “Are you still watching?” notification, letting them stream TV shows without being interrupted.

The notification appears after a user watches two episodes of a TV show in a row without using the video player controls – such as pausing or manually hitting a button to play the next episode.

Netflix says it does this so “you don't lose your place or consume unnecessary internet data if you’re not actually watching”, but currently the only way to disable it is to completely turn off the autoplay function.

That has led to complaints among users that the feature makes them feel ashamed of how many shows they have watched, or that it forces them to grab the remote unnecessarily.

However, Netflix has reportedly been testing the ability to disable that notification in various countries, and is still testing the feature.

Some users in the United States have had it appear on their accounts.

The button appears underneath the “Ask again later” button, and above an “I’m done” button.

“Did y’all know Netflix listened to us?? They added a “Play without asking again” option when they ask if you’re still watching a show”, one viewer tweeted in September.

“They added a “play without asking again” button to the ‘are you still watching?’ on netflix. absolutely revolutionary”, another said.

Many others have tweeted similar support for the change. 

It is currently unclear how long Netflix has been testing the feature, or when it is scheduled to be released in other territories such as the UK.

The Independent has reached out to the streaming service for more information.

As well as this new feature, Netflix also has a list of secret codes to unlock hidden films and TV shows that you wouldn’t usually watch.

Each four-digit code brings up a specific genre of film, such as “Romantic Foreign Movies” or “B-Horror Movies”.