Amid the countless streaming apps available today, Netflix reigns supreme.
At 209 million subscribers — Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ follow at 175 million and 103.6 million, respectively — Netflix remains the most widely used streaming service in the world. But after more than 18 months of social distancing, staying indoors, and bingeing TV, the app’s extensive library can seem pretty dull.
Luckily, you can use other programs to spice up your viewing experience. Whether you’re tired of mindlessly scrolling through the home screen to find a new comfort show now that The Office is gone, or if you’re over Googling reviews to make sure you won’t ruin a hook-up by watching something depressing, here are seven Chrome extensions that will elevate Netflix for you.
1. Teleparty
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The app formerly known as Netflix Party carried social interactions through the pandemic. Now called Teleparty, the Chrome extensions allows viewers in different locations to watch synced movies and shows on Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Disney+. Just make sure that everyone in the party is signed in to both Teleparty and Netflix, share the party link, and start watching together.
You can add Teleparty to Google Chrome here.
2. Netflix Flip
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Have you ever wished you could watch TV laying down? Good news for chronic recliners and anyone who’s Just Tired: you can! Netflix Flip literally allows you to rotate your viewing window without having to physically tilt your screen or contort yourself into unnatural positions just to watch TV while laying sideways.
You can add Netflix Flip to Google Chrome here.
3. No Netflix Originals
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Netflix’s tendency to push its original content over the other TV shows and movies in its library is exhausting, and it frustrates subscribers who want to discover new content without being spoon-fed Netflix and nothing else. No Netflix Originals blocks Netflix from promoting its own content both on the home screen and in recommended queues.
You can add No Netflix Originals to Google Chrome here.
4. Netflix Hidden Category
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Bored of aimlessly scrolling through Netflix’s recommended watches? Netflix does categorize its content into hyper-specific genres, but it doesn’t display them to users. Some subscribers put together a comprehensive list of codes that Netflix uses to categorize its content so that users can browse them by searching the code on the home screen. You can skip that step entirely by using Netflix Hidden Category, which lets you browse hyper-specific categories like “Scary Cult Movies from the 1990s” and “Showbiz Movies Based on Real Life.”
You can add Netflix Hidden Category to Google Chrome here.
5. Trim
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Netflix purged user reviews in 2018 to discourage viewers from sabotaging new releases with poor ratings. Users have to look up reviews themselves — or use Trim, an extension that displays IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes ratings for content on Netflix and Amazon Prime. The extension can also filter out movies with low ratings, as well as “trim” recommended content so they aren’t displayed on Netflix.
You can add Trim to Google Chrome here.
6. Wachee VPN
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Unfortunately, certain shows and movies aren’t available in every country. Netflix caught on to viewers who used regular VPNs to watch restricted content, and now shows an error screen asking them to turn off their proxy. Wachee claims that Netflix won’t filter out its VPN, allowing users to watch any Netflix content from any location in the world. The basic plan is free, but to stream in higher video quality Wachee charges a subscription fee.
You can add Wachee VPN to Google Chrome here.
7. Language Reactor
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Active listening is one of the most effective ways to pick up a new language, and watching movies or TV shows can be helpful when you can’t always have a conversation with a native speaker. Language Reactor adds dual language subtitles and a popup dictionary to Netflix, and also provides viewers with more precise playback controls. It also works on YouTube.
You can add Language Reactor to Google Chrome here.
Enjoy watching!
