Netflix

Why does a well made app read so badly on Play?

Because the people leaving reviews here aren’t reviewing the software. They’re reviewing the price that went up, the password sharing rules that changed under them, and the series that vanished from the catalogue last month. The client underneath is quietly one of the better built streaming apps on Android, and you have to hold the two apart to judge it fairly.

Playback that copes with a bad signal

The adaptive bitrate is the part that earns its keep. Walk out of the flat with an episode running and the picture softens briefly rather than collapsing into a spinner, which is the difference between finishing a programme on the bus and giving up on it. Resume points follow you between phone, tablet and television without you hunting for where you stopped. Downloads for a flight are dependable, subtitle and audio tracks switch mid scene, profiles keep a household’s viewing apart, and casting to a telly connects without a fight. The mobile data caps buried in settings do what they promise.

None of that is showy. It’s consistent, on cheap handsets as well as expensive ones, and updates don’t rearrange the furniture every few months.

The ad tier is the complaint that sticks

Most of what people grumble about belongs to the subscription rather than the app. The advertising plan is the exception, because the breaks land mid programme, they can’t be skipped, and a long film turns into a stop start evening. That’s the single thing holding this back from a higher score. Search is the softer failing, better at keeping you browsing than at finding the thing you opened the app for, and the sharper picture and extra streams sit on the dearer plans.

So work out which plan you actually want before you sign up, because the gaps between them matter more than they look from the outside. The Play listing spells out what each one includes, and the button below goes straight to it.