Starting life as a humble personal media streamer, Plex has taken big strides in to the streaming game, attempting to firmly establish itself as one of the best free streaming services out there.
While recent changes have skewed toward promoting the wealth of free content available on the platform, it can be somewhat tricky to navigate. That's about to change though as Plex has announced that it is testing a new interface that will eventually roll out to all users in early 2025, which should bring everything together into one seamless user experience.
What is Plex?
Most digital library fans will be familiar with Plex Media Server, a free piece of software that allows users to create a client-server to stream all their personal media libraries locally and, on the premium tiers, remotely and with other users, with apps across all major platforms. In 2019, amid concerns of making piracy easier, Plex pivoted away from solely personal media, introducing ad-supported free streaming of 1000s of movies and TV shows plus free-to-stream live TV channels.
In 2022, Plex added the ‘Discovery’ feature, informing users when content was available on other streaming platforms and in 2024 introduced a movie rental service. All the while, the OG Plex Media Server became increasingly difficult to navigate to from the app, with the other offerings front and centre. But now, Plex say, that’s set to change, with a streamlined overhaul making the app equally user friendly to all. You can take a look at the new UI being tested here:
So what’s new?
To put it simply, a lot. Plex say “this overhaul is more than a facelift. We made the significant decision to rewrite our apps from the ground up and unify our codebase, creating a streamlined, consistent experience across platforms”. And it sounds like this isn’t just hyperbole either. The streamer has spent over two years working on this redesign, and from the preview you can see above, it shows.
The navigation of the app has had a complete overhaul, with its three key features – 'Libraries', 'Live TV' and 'On Demand' – now given equal billing front and centre on dedicated tabs. That will be music to the ears of veteran Plex Media Server users who have, in recent years, found themselves trudging through menus to find their personal media content, something Plex seem sympathetic to, stating: “We’ve brought our core features to the forefront, saying goodbye to the days of hidden hamburger menus and making it easier to explore with one hand on your phone.”
But for newcomers or those that don’t have their own libraries, the new design looks just as useful, making it a breeze to navigate to all the free movies and shows Plex offers, whether that’s live TV or on-demand. The new app also expands the use of artwork, making pages easier to navigate and adding “visual richness and greater depth to your experience”. All in all, this could well be the update Plex users have been waiting for.
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