Plex Adds Universal Watchlist, Cross-Service Search, and More Discovery Features

Plex, the popular media management and playback app that is available across multiple platforms, has a new interface out today.

Plex has changed and morphed over the years, from a platform to stream your own media files to a hub for all-manner of digital content. Now, it’s added two new major features to expand the app further — it can now be used as a one-stop platform for all your streaming services.

The update adds two new features that are all about making it easier for people to find the content they want to watch — “Discover” rolls multiple streaming services into a single interface, while “Watchlist” gives people somewhere to save the things they want to watch in the future.

Think of Plex as a TV guide for streaming, letting you browse across Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and more in one place. While the concept isn’t new, Plex believes its free content catalogue and cross-platform support will make it a more effective one-stop-shop for streaming.

“We definitely want people to think about opening Plex first, every day,” says Jason Williams, Plex’s senior director of product and design, in an emailed statement to iPhone in Canada. “That’s always been a goal for us. We think we have an opportunity to do something better and solve some problems that are out there today.”

For now, these new capabilities are limited to iOS, Android, Fire TV, Android TV, and Apple TV devices. Williams says the company is working through technical issues on some platforms and “policy issues” on others. Roku, for instance, forbids third-party apps from linking to other apps on its platform. Users can still look up where to watch a particular movie or show on those devices, but can’t launch them directly through Plex.

You can download Plex now across all kinds of platforms including iOS, macOS, TVOS, and more, and check out their blog post explaining all the latest features here.