The new Plex app for mobile arrived only a day ago, but user forums and the Plex subreddit are blowing up with complaints about buggy performance, missing features, and a cluttered, confusing interface.
Yes, all this sounds familiar, although it’s not yet clear if we’re seeing a typical rough landing for an app revamp or a Sonos-level dumpster fire. Plex does have a laundry list of issues it plans to address in the coming weeks (again, déjà vu), and the laggy, stuttering app performance will hopefully improve over time. We’ll be watching.
In the meantime, there are some Plex “new experience” issues we can tackle right now, starting with the Live TV, Discover, and On Demand tabs at the bottom of the screen. You can’t swap them out with other options, unfortunately, but you can make them go away.
Another “new experience” feature we can hide are the user reviews for movies and TV shows in your Plex library. If you love seeing what random folks thought about the content on your Plex media servers, then hey, leave ‘em be. Want to hide them? No problem.
Hide the Live TV tab
Personally, I’m a fan of the Live TV tab on the new Plex app because I use Plex as an over-the-air DVR, and the tab gives me quicker access to the live programming grid. But the Live TV tab also houses Plex’s various live streaming channels, and it will appear at the bottom of the screen even if you’re not a Plex DVR user.
Again, we can’t replace the Live TV tab with something else, but at least we can hide it. For this, you’ll need to access your server settings on the Plex web app.
- Go to the Plex web interface, tap the Settings icon in the top-right cover of the screen (the one that looks like a wrench), and then click Online Media Sources in the left-hand column.
- Under the Live TV heading, click the drop-down menu and select Disabled.
- Relaunch the new Plex app on your mobile device. If you’re not a Plex DVR user, the Live TV tab should be completely gone. If you are using the Plex DVR, the tab will still be there, but you should only see your over-the-air channels.
To hide the Live TV tab from the new Plex app, select “Disabled” under “Live TV” in the Online Media Sources settings for your Plex server.
Ben Patterson/Foundry
Hide the On Demand tab
Plex Media Server users likely don’t have much need for Plex’s On Demand content, which includes ad-supported movies and TV shows as well as access to movie rentals. Luckily, you can hide the On Demand tab, just as you can with the Live TV tab.
- Again, go back to the Plex settings screen on the web, then click Online Media Sources.
- Under the Movies & Shows setting, click the drop-down and select Disabled.
Hide the Discover tab
The Discover tab on the new Plex app aggregates trending movies and TV shows amongst Plex users, as well as recommendations on any streaming services that you’ve previously selected. Don’t care what other Plex users are watching? Then hide the tab.
- Once more, head for the Plex settings screen on the web, click Online Media Sources, then head over to the Discover section.
- Under the Discover Source heading, click the drop-down, then select Disabled.
Hide user reviews (or all reviews)
I like seeing review snippets from critics on the title detail pages of my Plex library content, but reviews from random Plex users? Not so much. Fortunately, you can hide user reviews—or all reviews–from the Plex app.
- This time, we’re going straight to the new Plex app. Fire it up, tap Settings, then tap Experience.
- Tap the Ratings and Reviews From setting, then pick an option; the choices include Plex users & critics, Plex users only, Critics only, and No one.
The app will reload after picking a new option, and if you opted to hide some or all reviews, they should now be gone.
