Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Plex’s redesigned mobile app is now rolling out after months in beta.
- The update brings a new layout, improved navigation, and richer visuals.
- TV platforms will get the same refreshed experience at a later date.
Plex’s mobile app revamp is officially out of preview and rolling out to users, following a beta phase that began last year. The updated experience brings a modern interface, performance improvements, and a new layout that better ties together the various corners of Plex’s sprawling ecosystem.
If the new design looks familiar, that’s because many Plex users have already had a chance to try it during the beta. Now available more broadly on Android and iOS, the redesign introduces a new navigation system focused on content discoverability, plus a dedicated “Libraries” tab for managing personal media collections.
Plex outlined the changes in a blog post, highlighting refreshed visuals throughout the app, including proper title artwork for movies and shows and various other tweaks aimed at making it easier to browse, watch, and share content. Behind the scenes, the update also moves the app to a modernized codebase that will eventually be shared across all Plex platforms, making it easier for the company to roll out features in parallel.
Since the preview began, Plex has added a range of improvements: faster load times, better scrolling performance, and playback features like picture-in-picture, subtitle pre-selection, and time skip buttons. Users can now also long-press items to access context menus, mark episodes as watched from the season view, and take advantage of improved casting support. Some functionality — downloading an entire season at once, for example — is still on the way.
As a reminder, the update only affects Plex’s main mobile app. Features like music and photo libraries are moving to separate companion apps, Plexamp and Plex Photos, which the company says are still actively being developed.
If you don’t see the new app experience on your device just yet, don’t worry — it should arrive within the next week or so as the rollout continues. Plex says it’s continuing to refine the experience and that TV platforms will follow in a future update. Whether it justifies the upcoming price increase for users is a matter of opinion.
