Netflix in a Window. You know. On WINDOWS.

[teddystiles]

TL;DR: Why can't the Netflix app be snapped to one side of the screen in tablet mode when video is playing? I used to do it on Windows 8 four years ago.

---

Four long years ago, I remember sitting in bed with an old non-touch laptop that I'd installed Windows 8 on, playing a game on the right half of the screen while watching something with the Netflix app on the left half of the screen. Of course it was in tablet mode - Windows 8 was ALL tablet mode.

Fast forward to today, and I'm still the same guy wanting the same bedtime routine, but now I have better stuff. That old laptop is now a $1K Microsoft machine, a Surface Pro 4, built to run Windows better than anything before it. It has touch, a camera that recognizes my face, and like 3 times the screen resolution of that old laptop. Windows has moved up three generations, from 8 to 8.1 to 10 to AU. Even the Netflix app must have been updated a few times over the years (not sure if it's a native W10 app yet or not, though).

And yet I can't do what I did 4 years ago. In the time my son grew from not being able to walk to going to kindergarten, I've lost basic functionality to have windows in Windows.

I loved the Windows 8 tablet experience, and I love having a convertible, so of course I want tablet mode to be enabled seamlessly when I remove my keyboard or flip it around to the back. But if I'm in tablet mode, Netflix. Won't. Window.

Why not?!? Am I the only one? Obviously the resolution is there. I can snap it to a half screen in desktop mode. I can snap it to a QUARTER screen in desktop mode.

Is there a fix I'm missing that will make my rant look foolish? I hope so.

In the last four years iOS and Android have both brought windowing to the table, and it wouldn't surprise me to hear that the Netflix app windows on their PHONES for crying out loud, much less their tablets and laptops.

(PS - As if sensing dissension in the ranks, I began typing this rant in Chrome on my SP4 moments after installing the latest fast track insider preview, with no other apps running. About halfway through typing, it BSODed and booted to the UEFI screen. Fantastic. Retyped on the outdated-yet-more-reliable Thinkpad monolith issued by my work.)

 

[TennisGuy45]

Swipe down from the top bezel like you are going to close the app, but then don't. Move the open app to one side of the screen. The sway bar will appear and snap assist will give you options of you other open apps.

 

[Witness]

Hi,
It's a pretty long rant - wasn't too easy to try to get to the meat of your post. I fired up Netflix and Facebook on my SP3 and it windowed fine. Are you trying to split the screen like it did in Win 8.1? It should work, but trying to get it to split screen like it did in 8.1 is something I don't know how to do anymore. I did it accidentally a few times, but since it's not as intuitive as 8.1, I just stick with desktop mode.

 

[teddystiles]

Thanks for your responses. I added a TL;DR to my admittedly long rant.

I booted up the Netflix app just now to see if I had made a fool of myself, and at first I thought I had: Netflix snapped just fine in tablet mode. Until I started playing a video. It won't allow itself to be snapped in tablet mode when a video is playing, as far as I can tell.

 

[Witness]

Thanks for your responses. I added a TL;DR to my admittedly long rant.

I booted up the Netflix app just now to see if I had made a fool of myself, and at first I thought I had: Netflix snapped just fine in tablet mode. Until I started playing a video. It won't allow itself to be snapped in tablet mode when a video is playing, as far as I can tell.

Nah, you no fool. I tried it in tablet mode and it won't work. I think it's a Netflix issue. As a workaround, just go into desktop mode and snap the apps in place. That worked for me when I tested just now.

 

[anon(5327127)]

I stopped reading. Sorry.

Ignore tablet mode. Make the start menu full screen and go from there.

 

[orlbuckeye]

I use GOM video player and it won't snap either. But I can do it manually by pulling the borders and changing the windows size.

 

[teddystiles]

Thanks again to all for your replies.

Swipe down from the top bezel like you are going to close the app, but then don't. Move the open app to one side of the screen. The sway bar will appear and snap assist will give you options of you other open apps.

Yes, that's how I've been doing it since Windows 8. Netflix will snap, just won't stay that way once the video plays.

Hi,
It's a pretty long rant - wasn't too easy to try to get to the meat of your post. I fired up Netflix and Facebook on my SP3 and it windowed fine. Are you trying to split the screen like it did in Win 8.1? It should work, but trying to get it to split screen like it did in 8.1 is something I don't know how to do anymore. I did it accidentally a few times, but since it's not as intuitive as 8.1, I just stick with desktop mode.

I should have specified: it's when video is playing.

Nah, you no fool. I tried it in tablet mode and it won't work. I think it's a Netflix issue. As a workaround, just go into desktop mode and snap the apps in place. That worked for me when I tested just now.

That's the same workaround I've been using since I first installed Windows 10 almost two years ago.

I stopped reading. Sorry.

Ignore tablet mode. Make the start menu full screen and go from there.

Stopped reading? I gave you a TL;DR.

Ignore tablet mode? Why? I have a convertible. When I flip the type cover to the back or remove it, I want my interface to change to be touch-centric. Why would I ignore it?

I use GOM video player and it won't snap either. But I can do it manually by pulling the borders and changing the windows size.

That's in desktop mode, I'm guessing? I can adjust the size of the Netflix player in desktop mode, no problem. In fact, as long as a video isn't playing, I can change the size of the Netflix player in tablet mode too.

 

[Bobvfr]

What's a TL;DR ?