Here’s Why Xiaomi’s New Mi TV Pro Doesn’t Have Netflix Support

Xiaomi introduced itsnewest Mi TV 4 lineup, with an Android TV foundation, at its ‘Smarter Living’ launch event in Bengaluru yesterday.

The new Mi TVs may not feature major hardware upgrades, but the software experience has received a massive facelift, thanks to theAndroid 8.1 Oreo-based Android TVunder Xiaomi’s own PatchWall UI.

As for PatchWall, it now comes integrated as the default launcherover the stock Android TV experience, which can be turned on with just one click on the bundled Mi Remote. The Mi TV Pro lineup being powered by Android TV means you get access to the Google Play Store, with over 3,600 compatible apps including Facebook Watch, YouTube, and more.

But all that still doesn’t mean the new TVs support Netflix. Sadly,Xiaomi has not included native support for Netflix,even though the new TVs are more than capable of playing online content. You cannot findNetflixon the Play Store on Android TV, nor is it pre-installed, which is a big disappointment.

But Xiaomi told us the company is in talks with Netflix, but somecertification issues cropped up which meant the Mi TV Pro lineup was left bereft of Netflix. Xiaomi told us Netflix requires manufacturers to include a ‘Netflix’ button on the TV’s remote, which was not possible at this time.

Netflix button lets you power up the TV and quickly jump to the streaming service without waiting for the rest of the smart TV UI to load. Such smart TVs are also recommended by the company on its own website as can be seenhere. Xiaomi also informed us that it would need to integrate the Netflix catalog with the PatchWall UI, which is another complication holding up native support.

The new Mi TVs have built-in Chromecast, so the Netflix app could work through your phone, but that’s not yet clear. As of now, the only clear way to watch Netflix on the TV is buying a separate Chromecast or Amazon Fire Stick and then casting through the Netflix app on your phone or PC.

In older Mi TV models, you could sideload the Netflix app using some workarounds, but it remains to be seen whether they work on the new models announced yesterday.

Well, we sure are disappointed about Netflix’s absence on the Mi TV Pro lineup, but do you think it’s a dealbreaker given that you can use it with a second streaming dongle? Let us know in the comments down below.

Anmol

Getting my start with technology journalism back in 2016, I have been working in the industry for over 7 years. Currently, as the Editor of Beebom, I’m leading the coverage on the website. While my expertise lies in Android, Windows, and the apps world, find me reading manga, watching anime, and playing Apex in my free time.

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