Summary
- Plex for Android has a new modern UI design, similar to other popular Plex apps.
- The update focuses on improving navigation, maximizing the usage of art, and making more content discoverable.
- 2025 has also been a year of major changes for Plex, including discontinuation of some features and price increases.
Plex is a household name if you’ve experimented with streaming apps for Android, or toyed with the idea of hosting your own media server. However, a visual redesign has long evaded users looking to get a more modern experience out of Plex for Android. Late last year, we caught wind of internal plans and limited testing for a new UI in the app. That experience is finally official, rolling out to users now.
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Plex started a preview program for the interface update last fall, and took feedback seriously. At the time, experimentation received positive feedback with most of the missing and user-requested features taken care of. Now, Plex has made all the changes official, right on time as committed. The most important change this time is the new UI design that gives the app the same style you’re familiar with on Plex Photos, Plex Dash, and PlexAmp. This interface also reworks the navigation across screens with a focus on discoverability of relevant content.
This design also lays great emphasis on the art accompanying the content. On mobile, especially, you’ll see the cover art gradually fade into a color-matched gradient behind the options to watch or save for later. Additionally, you’ll see the Plex app now has a dedicated tab for your personal media libraries.
Several other changes coming together nicely
Many months of work
Besides this major UI refresh, 2025 has been buzzing with activity for Plex developers. The Watch Together feature introduced during the pandemic was discontinued, even though it may return with a future update. In March, Plex announced a subscription lock for remote playback, which will come into effect by April-end. Simultaneously, prices for Plex Pass were hiked across the board. However, Mobile unlock that allowed streaming to your smartphone or Android tablet was eliminated completely.
Since the new layout and app UI were generally well received in testing, we suppose stable channel users will reflect the same thoughts. Moreover, the changes aren’t drastic or disorienting and all the core elements of the app remain unchanged. You should see this change roll out via the Play Store over the course of this week. You can switch on automatic updates for the app so the app updates in the background. Work on the TV platforms and feature parity for mobile will continue.
