Disney+ adds the much-requested Continue Watching feature

By Simon Cohen Published February 3, 2020

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Disney+ fixed one of the big gripes that fans have had since the streaming video service launched on November 12. Now, in addition to seeing home page categories like Originals and Recommended For You, you’ll also see a Continue Watching section. Before this change, the only way to resume an episode or a movie from where you left off, or find the next episode in a series, was to navigate to that title’s landing page.

The new Continue Watching section looks different depending on your platform. On the web, the section shows you a generic thumbnail for each movie or show episode you haven’t watched in its entirety, along with a timeline indicator along the bottom of the thumbnail that shows you approximately where you left off. On mobile apps, like Disney+ for iOS, the thumbnails are episode-specific, giving you a visual reminder of what you were watching.

Recommended Videos

As long as there are unwatched episodes left in a show, a thumbnail for that title will appear in Continue Watching. However, some viewers may find it disconcerting that a show will be removed from the list if you’ve watched every available episode.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

This is the same system that Netflix uses, but because Netflix releases an entire season at once, a show won’t leave your Continue Watching list until you’ve completed the most recent season. With Disney+, new episodes for its Originals like The Mandalorian, are released weekly. This can cause the show to disappear from Continue Watching, even though the current season is still in progress.

It’s all the more jarring because Disney+ doesn’t employ Netflix’s uses of a “new episodes” badge on top of show thumbnails in its other homepage categories. So the only way to know if a new episode has been added is to look for the show in your Continue Watching feed or check the show’s landing page now and then. In some ways, this is just like have a DVR record new episodes from cable or satellite provider — you need to check to see if the recording happened.

Continue Watching was one of the most obvious missing features from Disney+ when it launched, but it’s far from the only one. Disney+ has been making a concerted effort to remedy them one by one: On November 22, it addressed a feature that was a prerequisite to the Continue Watching list — the ability to show a progress indicator on episodes or movies that were partially watched.

We’ve reached out to Disney+ to find out why these features weren’t part of the service’s debut and will update this post when we hear back.

Topics

Contributing Editor, A/V

Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…

Entertainment

5 underrated movies on Netflix you need to watch in February 2025

Ryan Reynolds cuddles up next to his young daughter.

This February, television dominates the upcoming Netflix slate. After Back in Action found a home in the Netflix top 10 last month, the streamer turns its attention toward TV in the next few weeks. Before she plays Abby in The Last of Us season 2, Kaitlyn Dever headlines the brand-new series Apple Cider Vinegar. Elsewhere, the final season of Cobra Kai arrives on February 13, while Robert De Niro's Zero Day streams on February 20.
While TV might be the focus this month, Netflix continues to have one of the best vaults on the streaming market. With the addition of Warner Bros. and Paramount movies, the Netflix library is packed with underrated gems that need attention. Our movie picks for February include an emotional music documentary, a delightful rom-com, and a charming kids' adventure.

We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Avicii – I'm Tim (2024)
Avicii – I'm Tim | Official Trailer | Netflix
Tim Bergling was a shy kid from Sweden who eventually became one of the world's biggest DJs. You probably know him better by his stage name, Avicii. After entering the music space as a teenager, Avicii strapped himself on a rocket to superstardom with 2011's Levels. After that song, Avicii's life changed, for better or for worse.
Avicii — I'm Tim goes behind the scenes into the life of Tim first and foremost. From his humble beginnings to his tragic death, Avicii became one of the defining artists of his generation. The emotional documentary features interviews with friends, family, and colleagues, as they try to answer one question: Who was Tim Bergling?

Entertainment

3 underrated Netflix shows you should watch this weekend (February 7-9)

The Haunting Bly Manor on Netflix

It can be comforting to watch the same shows over and over again, but sometimes, you might be looking for something that breaks up the tedium. Netflix is filled with interesting shows, but knowing where to start can be a challenge.
Hopefully, that's where we come in. We've compiled a list of three underrated Netflix shows that are well worth checking out this weekend. Even better? Each show is relatively bite-sized, meaning you can get through it in a single weekend or savor it a little bit longer to make it last.

We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Penelope (2024)

Entertainment

If you have to watch one Netflix movie in February 2025, stream this one

Kevin Costner stares with cowboy flintiness in a still from Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1

The Western genre is not what it once was. There was a time when Westerns were like superhero movies. There were 40 of them in theaters per year, and most of them were bad. Today, Westerns have moved at least in part over to TV, and the ones that remain in theaters don't command the audience they once did.
Netflix actually has a pretty excellent selection of Westerns, though, and there's one in particular you should definitely check out this February. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 was not the rollicking box office success that its star and director Kevin Costner may have hoped. The movie follows a group of disparate characters all moving towards the foundation of a shared town. The catch, though, is that this is just part one of a multi-part saga, and as a result, it cuts things off before the end of the story. All that being said, here are three reasons you should check it out now that it's on Netflix.

We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Costner can be an excellent director
Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 Movie Clip | Make It Known | Warner Bros. Entertainment
Kevin Costner's movies are not uniformly excellent, but Horizon is shot like an old-fashioned Western, with plenty of sweeping vistas and beautiful landscapes. More importantly, Costner understands which scenes to keep and which to cut in his three-hour epic.
Each of the myriad characters at the story's center feels fully fleshed out by the time their chunk of the narrative has run its course. The story may not be over, but Costner leaves you wanting more.