C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Plex is rolling back a controversial UI change, bringing its primary navigation menu back to the left-hand side after moving it to the top.
- The update adds several quality-of-life improvements, including easier access to favorite libraries and the ability to favorite and reorder Live TV and DVR sources.
- The revamped experience is still in testing, with preview access on Apple TV and Roku and beta access on Android TV; Fire TV support is coming later.
Trying to fix what isn’t broken is always a risky choice. There’s always going to be a split among users, with one side critiquing the unnecessary change, and the other side complaining about it never innovating. For media streaming platform Plex, the criticism around its ambitious redesigned TV interface has gotten so loud that it’s rolling back some of the biggest changes.
The company announced the change in a new forum post, indicating that rethinking the UI change came as a direct result of customer feedback.
Today’s release is going out to preview users on Apple TV and Roku, and for beta users on Android TV. It addresses one of the biggest issues with the change head-on: The update is bringing the primary navigation menu back to the left side of the screen.
For reference, Plex’s main nav menu originally lived on the left side. The overhaul moved it to the top in a horizontal layout. With the change reverted, the menu is finally back on the left side.
In addition to the menu being collapsible, the update delivers some other quality-of-life improvements. Your Favorite libraries will now appear at the top, making it easier to find frequently accessed content without digging through menus. Users will now also be able to set as Favorite and reorder Live TV and DVR sources like Libraries, essentially giving you more freedom over how your content is organized.
Elsewhere, Plex users can now switch between pages within a source without having to navigate through the entire source menu again. The update also includes bug fixes, general performance tweaks, and improvements for focus issues.
The new build is available to check out now, but only if you’re part of Plex’s preview or beta programs. Android TV users can join the beta, while Apple TV and Roku users can access the update through Plex’s preview program.
The same update will make its way to Fire TV as soon as Plex can work “through the feedback that has come up from the preview,” as highlighted by the company.
The update clearly doesn’t completely do away with the redesigned Plex experience, but bringing back the familiar left-aligned menu, at least, feels like a step in the right direction. Maybe that’s even a step that might make the service’s Lifetime Pass price hike a little more palatable.
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