Netflix has pushed an update live for the Android version of its streaming app, adding a new Screen Lock button when users stream content. Tapping on the button will effectively lock their screen, to make sure that accidental touches or swipes don't interrupt their stream.

The lock function removes all UI from your screen when you tap it, and renders further taps powerless - all that's left displayed is a small lock icon. To unlock the screen, if you need to change something or your viewing session has come to an end, you'll need to simply tap that lock icon twice. 

This is pretty much a net win - there's no downside to the feature, and many people will be glad to get it, whether because they've got younger viewers who can't help touching a screen while watching something, or because they themselves are prone to accidental skips forward or backward in the timeline. 

The feature has been activated for Android users as of now, and shouldn't require an update to your app, as it was a server-side change from Netflix. There's no word on when it'll come to iOS, but you'd certainly hope it won't be long before both platforms have the feature.

Whether this signals that Netflix is working on any other changes to its user experience and interface, of course, is anyone's guess, but we'd assume fairly confidently that this is simply one of many mooted options, with others surely in testing too.