4 Ways to Find What to Watch on Netflix Without Ever Leaving the App

You’ve decided to watch Netflix and relax. And what follows after that decision is usually a struggle. That’s because the biggest challenge you face after deciding to spend quiet time and open Netflix isn’t when you’re making up your mind to watch something but what that something should be. Whether you’re alone or with company, picking your next flick can be tough.

So, here are all the tips and tricks you need when you’re struggling to decide what to view next. And the best part is, you don’t even have to leave the Netflix app.

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1. Take Advantage of These Features

There’s an array of features you’re able to resort to help with your decision-making and make discovering a movie or show to watch a simple and easy process. Let’s go through them.

Fast Laughs

Fast Laughs (or Quick Laughs for some users) is a super fun and easy way to check out a bunch of movies in a short amount of time and see if they catch your interest.

How it works is that Netflix has a separate section for the feature, and once you go to it, you’re met with a video feed. You see clips of all sorts of movies and TV shows that could make you laugh. Like, stand-up specials and comedies of every type.

netflix app open on phone

This feature is similar tohow TikTok works. The snippets can last between 15 to 45 seconds or even longer. While watching, you can react with a laughing-crying-face emoji, add the title to your List, or play it straight away.

You can also share it on pretty much every social media platform through the app. That makes it easier to check whether your Netflix-watching companion is also keen on the show or movie. You both would have seen the same snippet without reading too much into the flick and potentially ruining the viewing experience.

Quick Laughs feature

Once you go to Fast Laughs, the clips play one after the other, with you having the ability to pause and move on to the next, much like on TikTok, or to use a more appropriate movie-related short form content app as an example, Quibi. It’s not an endless feed like the behemoth that is TikTok, though. But don’t worry; you’ll still see enough snippets to be able to find what to watch next.

The New & Hot section has several useful sub-sections worth checking out when choosing your next watch. It offers a Coming Soon section with titles and their release dates, a synopsis, and a trailer it’s possible to watch. There’s also a Remind Me button you can press to get notified when the feature reaches Netflix.

Quick Laughs feature reaction

Then follows the Everyone’s Watching section, which shows popular titles you might enjoy. It’s a nice mix between movies and shows, and there’s also a way to add the flicks to your List or play them straight away. Finally, there’s the Top 10 TV Programs and Top 10 Films, which is pretty self-explanatory.

Discovering what’s new and worthy of a watch on Netflixcan be pretty challenging, but New & Hot is a nifty little category you can use to help you.

Quick Laughs feature Share

The New & Hot section may show up under a different name on your Netflix app. Some see it as New & Popular, others as Latest. But whichever name it bears, it shows you the same thing. So, go ahead and browse.

Collections

Collections is a feature that rounds up similarly themed content under a single list. So you have ones named “Watch in One Weekend,” “Stream & Scream,” and so on, and they hold various titles that fit the collection name.

For example, if you go to an adventure-themed collection, you can find all the James Bond and Indiana Jones movies in one place. Or a fantasy one that hosts everything Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.

It’s a helpful section to look through when you’re in a specific mood and know exactly what you feel like watching.

2. Take Advantage of Push Notifications

By allowing push notifications, you’ll know pretty much everything that’s happening on Netflix.

You’ll get information on upcoming releases, the latest added TV shows and movies, and get all manner of personalized suggestions. For example, you can receive an alert about a suggested title that you hadn’t considered before or even heard of but turns out to be right up your alley upon closer inspection.

You can manage whether to receive notifications straight from the Netflix app.

3. Set Reminders

You can keep track of upcoming movies and shows by setting a reminder. Once you tapRemind Me, you’ll receive an alert when the title drops on Netflix, and you can watch it straight away.

That’s an especially awesome feature when you know a movie is in production but still a long time away from coming out. So, you can set the reminder and forget about it entirely since no matter what, once it drops, Netflix will remind you. Thanks to the reminder feature, the movie or show will automatically appear on your List.

4. Use Surprise Me

If you’ve used theNetflix Play Something featureon your TV, it works the same way on the Netflix app.

The Surprise Me feature is truly a gift when you feel like you can’t possibly choose what to play. You press theSurprise Me button, and it proceeds to play something for you, but don’t think it’s a random pick. You see a show or movie that fits your viewing preferences, something you haven’t watched before, but the app knows you’ll like.

If you don’t knowhow Netflix recommendations work, the algorithm takes into account what you’ve watched and liked before and uses it to find the best show or movie to recommend. And if you don’t like what starts playing, you could always press the Play Something Else button until you settle on a pick. Then, sit back and enjoy the surprise.

Finding Your Next Netflix Watch Doesn’t Have to Be a Struggle

It seems as though every time you decide to relax and watch Netflix, you face the eternal question: What should I watch? Sometimes it’s an easy answer, while other times, it’s a struggle and an endless scroll. Then, sadly, more times than not, you end up watching something you’ve already seen.

But finding what to watch on Netflix doesn’t have to be a hassle. There are many tools and in-app features it’s possible to turn to and make the whole selection process a simple and easy one. So whether you stick to the app and use it to find what to view or turn to third-party apps and sites, you can more easily discover new titles. So, go ahead.

“What should I watch on Netflix?” We’ve all been there! Here are some useful recommendation sites and apps you can use.

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