Is Disney+ Actually What We Expected?

For months now, Disney has prepared for the launch of their new streaming platform, Disney+. The service was created to finally fulfill our desires for old Mickey episodes and Marvel marathons. Looking back, many were most excited to tap back into their childhood, since the service would focus on its archival gems. The hype about the content seemed to carry the launch alone. I mean, who doesn’t want to binge watch their childhood shows for a simple $7?

The service was released on November 12th and it was clear that it was underdeveloped compared to other competitive streamers. In a sense, we have become spoiled with the larger streamers like Netflix and Hulu, so issues like opening the app became frustrating quickly. Users reported even experiencing crashing and lagging on the app. Once you’ve found your favorite show from middle school, you aren’t able to resume the season seamlessly. Unfortunately, Disney did not implement a ‘Recently Watched’ or ‘Continue Watching’ feature. This is another reason that users have felt like they’ve slightly downgraded from their Netflix subscription.

One critic, Ryan Waniata, reveals that he has been binge watching Simpsons since the app was released. At this point, he is on season 2 but must search for the show anytime he begins a new episode. Often this requires searching for the exact episode through guess and check. Waniata also explains that if he stops watching in the middle of an episode, this content, luckily, is saved. There is still no indication which episode he stopped watching when he goes to search. The competitors usually have a measurable line at the bottom of each episode’s thumbnail to give users a visual on how far along they are. Disney+ missing this feature is making the process frustrating again.

Another concern is the lack of security. There was recent news about Disney+ passwords actually being sold on the dark web. Disney claims that they weren’t hacked at all, so it’s still unclear on how passwords got leaked. Nonetheless, people are suggesting that a two-factor authentication feature be added to fix this issue. Although, it has been reported the Disney values any password sharing that may occur between users and their families. The are predicting that people will eventually like the product so much, they’ll purchase their own accounts. It isn’t clear when these purchases will be happening, but the company definitely has hope.

On the contrary, Disney has given us content that we’ve been begging to have access to. Of course, it seems the company has made some rookie mistakes with this service. We’ve seen the development of their other platforms, so I believe its only a matter of time before all the kinks are worked out.

If you want to experience Disney+ for yourself, take a chance to view the 7-day free trial!