5 Streaming Services You Can Cancel in August, FOMO-Free

5 Streaming Services You Can Cancel in August, FOMO-Free

This year marked the return of the summer blockbuster to movie theaters, luring people back to the big screen in droves. But streaming services can claim some victories this season, too. Netflix had Stranger Things 4 in July, Disney Plus had Obi-Wan Kenobi in June. And while both platforms have more to offer in the coming weeks, August is the time for HBO Max to soar. Why? Four words: House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel that's one of the most-anticipated shows of the year.

Every month I give advice on which streaming services to cancel and which ones to keep, based on their new releases and current content mix. That's because, in these difficult financial times, you may be thinking about canceling a few streaming service subscriptions. I'd like to offer my strategy: Churn like ice cream.

What does that mean? Subscribe for a period, cancel, choose a different service, then resubscribe, keeping your favorites in a rotation. Feel free to pick one or two must-haves for the year and treat additional streaming providers like seasonal add-ons. The upside is that you get to save money when Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max and others don't have the content you want to watch at a given time. Just remember to shut off auto-renewal for your monthly subscriptions. Churning may not be an option if you're sharing your accounts with people outside your household, but if you can work out an arrangement with your streaming clique, go for it. 

Here are my recommendations for which streamers to keep or cancel for the month of August, based on new TV shows and movies (I didn't consider sports and live TV streaming services) arriving on each platform. Of course your tastes may be different, but if nothing else, I urge you to at least consider the concept of churning for savings. It's easier than you might think.

Read more: Stop Missing Out On New Episodes of Your Favorite Shows With These Apps

Streaming Service Rotation for August 2022

	Keep	Cancel
HBO Max	X
Hulu		X
Netflix	X
Apple TV Plus		X
Disney Plus	X
Prime Video		X (for non-Prime members)
Starz	X
Peacock		X
Paramount Plus		X

Keep the streaming going on these services in August

HBO Max: HBO Max holds the crown in more ways than one this month. As Westworld Season 4 ends on Aug. 14, the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, ignites the Targaryen family saga on Aug. 21. You can spend some of your time streaming GoT (which, like House of the Dragon, will be available in 4K this month), bypassing those episodes or seasons you don't want to re-watch. In addition to a ton of movies arriving on Max in August, The Princess, a new documentary about Princess Diana, debuts on Aug. 13. And remember: Harley Quinn season 3 is airing through August and into September. 

Netflix: One of the hottest releases on Netflix this month is season 1 of The Sandman, the adaptation of Neil Gaiman's popular graphic novel series (Aug. 5). There's also Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie (Aug. 5), Riverdale season 6 (Aug. 7), the final season of Locke & Key (Aug. 10), Never Have I Ever season 3 (Aug. 12), Day Shift starring Jamie Foxx as a vampire hunter (Aug. 12), and the anime movie Full Metal Alchemist: The Revenge Scar (Aug. 20). And Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg team up in the comedy film, Me Time, which lands on Aug. 26.

Disney Plus: This service will be a must-have for many of you who have children, especially with Bluey season 3 arriving on Aug. 10, and Lightyear making its streaming debut on Aug. 3. She-Hulk comes out on Aug. 18 (after a date change) with nine episodes that run into mid-October. Appearances from MCU heroes Wong and Daredevil may entice you to tune in now versus waiting to binge in October, but it's up to you. On Aug. 10, I Am Groot arrives with five shorts. For Star Wars fans, Andor drops its two-episode premiere on Aug. 31, but you may as well watch in September or later. The show has 12 episodes for season 1. 

Catch Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer "Jen" Walters/She-Hulk in Marvel's She-Hulk: Attorney at Law on Disney+.

Marvel Studios

Starz:  P-Valley  ends season 2 on Aug. 14, so if you want to cancel after that, go for it. The biggest new Starz arrival is Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 2, produced by 50 Cent, and if you're prone to FOMO about missing the premiere on Aug. 14, keep it. The show's 10 episodes will air into October, however, so the better value is to wait it out or pay for three months of Starz to watch it weekly -- if you can find a deal. Starz is $9 per month after their $3 promo ended.

Rotate these streamers out for August

Hulu: Generally a keeper if you like network shows, Hulu typically gets at least one original each month. For August, Reservation Dogs' 10-episode second season debuts on Aug. 3, and the Predator prequel Prey arrives on Aug. 5. If you've been keeping up with Only Murders in the Building, season 2's finale airs on Aug. 23. The Mike Tyson miniseries, Mike, premieres on Aug. 25. If none of these float your boat or if you prefer to catch up on everything after all episodes are available, pause Hulu this month. 

The Predator prequel movie Prey may or may not be a reason for you to keep your Hulu subscription this month.

20th Century Studios

Prime Video: If you have a standalone Prime Video subscription, you can cancel it this month unless you want to see the A League of Their Own reboot series (Aug. 12) or Ron Howard's Thirteen Lives movie (Aug. 5) about the Thai soccer team cave rescue. Those of us who have the streaming service included with our Prime membership may want to stream the titles above or Sylvester Stallone's Samaritan (Aug. 26). Hip-hop fans interested in a behind-the-scenes look at Lil Baby can watch the documentary Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby when it drops on Aug. 26 or wait until September to stream.

Apple TV Plus: Not much going on with Apple TV Plus. The streamer will drop its animated feature Luck on Aug. 5 and season 3 of See arrives on Aug. 26. Last month, we suggested waiting until August to binge every episode of For All Mankind. If you're a fan, season 3 wraps on Aug. 12.

Peacock: While Tour de France and Love Island USA are currently streaming on Peacock, They/Them (Aug. 5) is the only new noteworthy release. The horror film stars Kevin Bacon as a preacher who runs a gay conversion therapy camp. If you're not interested in these titles or new reality TV episodes, cancel or switch to a free account for August. Things should pick up for Peacock by the fall, however.

Paramount Plus: If Big Brother and the new Beavis and Butt-Head TV series (Aug. 4) aren't beckoning you to the service, then you can put Paramount Plus on ice for now. For Evil fans who've been putting off your subscription until all season 3 episodes become available, you can sign up in mid-August to stream the entire season.

Save more money by waiting things out

If you're not someone who routinely gets FOMO, then a smart method is to wait until the bulk or all episodes of your favorite series land on a platform. That way, rather than pay for a service for two or three months to cover the 6- to 10-week run of a show, you can catch up on everything by subscribing for one month. And then repeat the cycle again.

As an example, there are 12 episodes of Andor coming to Disney Plus. The finale airs in November, so all episodes of the show will be available to stream at that time. Though it premieres on Aug. 31 and continues throughout the fall, why pay for four months of Disney Plus when you can wait to watch it in full anytime in November? If this is the only series you want to watch during this period, it makes sense to be patient in the interest of saving money. 

Think about how much you're paying per month for each streaming service you have, and do the math. Netflix is $10 to $20, Disney Plus is anywhere from $3 to $8 depending on bundles, HBO Max costs $10 or $15, Hulu starts at $7 and Starz runs $9. The others have a base rate of $5 per month. Should you decide to churn, set yourself a calendar reminder to ping you when it's time to re-subscribe or cancel. We'll see you in September for another streaming breakdown.

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Best Horror Movie Streaming Services: Where to Watch the Ultimate Screams

Best Horror Movie Streaming Services: Where to Watch the Ultimate Screams

True horror fans know that scary movies are for life, not just for Halloween. Why wait until October to indulge in a slasher movie binge session or monster mashup? If you prefer to get your scary kicks in every month of the year, there are streaming services that can meet your demand. You can take in all the John Carpenter, Wes Craven or Stanley Kubrick films that you want.

Instead of heading to the movie theater for every new release, you can watch horror movies right from the comfort of your couch -- plus, you can keep the lights on. Here are some of the best places to stream everything from zombie thrillers to supernatural encounters to monster attacks to iconic classics.

Shudder

If it's an all-you-can-eat horror buffet you're seeking, then Shudder is a great place to have your fill -- and all of it is ad-free. Owned by AMC Networks, the niche streaming platform has more than 350 horror flicks in its library as well as TV series. Shudder offers a quality lineup of originals, classics, international gems and modern frights, including V/H/S/94, The Seed, Phantasm, Halloween, Children of the Corn and Train to Busan. Choose from aliens, slashers, vampires, hauntings, horror comedies and more.

You can sign up for Shudder as a stand-alone subscription for $6 per month, and it comes with a free seven-day trial. It is also included as part of the AMC Plus five-channel package, which runs $7, and Shudder is a Prime Video add-on channel that costs $6 monthly. A handful of titles are available on the Roku Channel for free, but you'll need to pay to access the majority of Shudder's library. We recommend downloading the Shudder app directly on your phone, tablet, FireTV device or smart TV.

Screenshot by Kourtnee Jackson/CNET

A free streaming service, Tubi offers way more than B-movie horror selections. With a dedicated category that houses 450-plus titles, including originals, famous franchises and retro favorites, you can scare yourself all day and night. You can find 1980s and '90s cult hits like Puppet Master and Bride of Chucky alongside Annabelle: Creation, Insidious, Slender Man, 2022's The Jack in the Box: Awakening and every Resident Evil movie.

Though Tubi is an ad-supported service, you can watch it on virtually any device. Register an account to access its entire catalog.

James Martin/CNET

WarnerMedia's streaming service grants you access to the Warner Bros. catalog and content from DC and HBO. On top of that, the app is sleek and easy to use on any device. If you love scary movies, there's plenty to watch on HBO Max.

HBO Max's selection ranges from older classics to newer horror releases, including Cat's Eye, Poltergeist, American Psycho, The Shining, Malignant, every It movie, M. Night Shyamalan's Old, the Conjuring universe and the whole Final Destination collection. Slasher superstars Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers are all represented. There's also more light-hearted fare like Gremlins and the original Godzilla movies, plus horror mysteries like Last Night in Soho. HBO Max also has an easy-to-find horror collection where you can access groups of franchise films with one click, such as I Know What You Did Last Summer, Underworld and Mimic.

Just open the app and navigate to the horror section to start your binge-watching session. HBO Max costs $10 monthly (with ads) or $15 for the ad-free experience.

Screenshot by Kourtnee Jackson/CNET

Admittedly, Crackle is sort of a B-movie paradise where you can stack your watchlist with films like Killer Mermaid, Malevolence 2, Return of the Scarecrow and Lake Placid: The Final Chapter. But the streaming service is free and also carries more mainstream titles like Resident Evil and An American Werewolf in Paris. And if you're a fan of mutant monsters who wreak havoc, you'll find multiple Sharktopus movies, giant spiders and piranhas. Crackle has films from the 1950s (like The Blob) up to 2021, and you can click through horror subgenres like comedy, action, mysteries or monsters for easier navigation.

David Katzmaier/CNET

Whether you own a Roku device or have the Roku Channel as a stand-alone app on another device, it's easy to mine for thrills and chills. There's a dedicated horror category where you can stream Roku Originals like The Stranger as well as titles such as Leviathan, The Colony, Horns and Flowers in the Attic. Within the Roku Channel, there are several "live" channels where you can watch scary movies around the clock, including Bloody Disgusting TV, FilmRise Horror and Horrorfy.

James Martin/CNET

Prime Video has an abundance of movie titles, and its horror offerings include exclusive, original releases from Blumhouse, the production company known for projects like Get Out, Paranormal Activity, The Purge, Happy Death Day and Ma. In addition to streaming Amazon Originals like Evil Eye and Suspiria, you can watch free movies on Freevee or other flicks like Mother! or The Hills Have Eyes that are included with your Prime membership. You also have the option to buy or rent the latest titles available on Prime Video. Catch 2022 films such as The Black Phone, Firestarter and The Cursed or rent media from years past like It: Chapter Two or Village of the Damned. Browse Prime Video's rotating selection by clicking on the horror category, or check out our recommendations for the best scary flicks on the platform.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Paramount Plus may not be the first streamer to come to mind for horror, but it's home to several popular franchises, including Scream, A Quiet Place and Paranormal Activity. You can stream every movie from each series. 

But the service also has a few nostalgic classics in the vault like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Carnival of Souls, Rosemary's Baby, Pet Sematary, Night of the Living Dead and 1980's Friday the 13th. Viewers will find roughly 200 scary movies on Paramount Plus, with many of them being recent releases. While Orphan and World War Z are among the familiar titles, there's an assortment of lesser known films too. Paramount Plus is $5 for the ad-supported version.

Other services we tested

Of course Netflix has its share of engaging horror movies too, but we wanted to focus on services that are either free or have deep investments in the genre -- like Shudder. We also looked at Peacock and it's appealing because of its Universal Pictures and SyFy catalog, but its library is smaller than most with roughly 160 movies. However, if you're a Comcast Xfinity Flex or X1 customer you can get Peacock Premium for free, so take advantage of its offerings.

We also checked out Showtime and Starz. Though both services provide a solid roster of new and old frights, the price isn't necessarily worth it when you can stream many of their titles on other services. However, HBO Max and Paramount Plus made the cut due to owning their own heavy franchise collections. HBO Max is also notable for its inclusion of animated and family-friendly scary movies.

Horror movie streaming service FAQs

Do suspense thrillers count in this horror streaming lineup?

No. Though horror includes subgenres like comedy (Shaun of the Dead), the paranormal, psychopathic killers and alien invasions, we didn't count thrillers such as Black Swan and Joker for this category. Instead, this listing focuses on platforms with a variety of straightforward horror titles.

Which service has the most classic horror movies?

If you want to watch some films from past eras for free, your best bet is Tubi, but if you don't mind paying for old-school creepiness, you should roll with Shudder.

Which service is best for blockbuster horror titles?

You're bound to run into some big-name movies on virtually any streaming service, but when it comes to the most up-to-date blockbusters, expect to pay a premium. Services like Prime Video, HBO Max and Paramount Plus will typically offer the films after their theatrical runs for rent or with your paid subscription plan.

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How to change audio settings on spotify spotify max audio quality best spotify sound settings how to go to spotify settings spotify 3 spotify 2 spotify accounts spotify 3 month free trial

3 Spotify Audio Settings That All 188 Million Subscribers Should Probably Change

3 Spotify Audio Settings That All 188 Million Subscribers Should Probably Change

With over 188 million subscribers worldwide as of this month, Spotify is arguably one of the most popular music streaming platforms in the world. CNET also ranks Spotify as one of the best music streaming services on the market. 

Spotify lets you listen to music wherever you are, recommends new songs based on your activity and provides fun, personalized streaming data at the end of every year. Paid subscribers can also make and share playlists with friends on social media, or with the whole world through the app.

Read more: Best Soundbar Under $300

If you feel like something is missing from your listening experience though, Spotify lets you take control of various settings to make your music sound more superb. That way whether you're in a quiet library, your morning commute or pumping some iron in the gym, your music will always fit the mood. 

Here's how to crank your Spotify listening experience up to 11 no matter what the situation.

Adjust your base volume to match your environment

Volume is pretty easy to figure out, but did you know Spotify lets premium users adjust the base volume of the app depending on their environment? You can select either Quiet, Normal or Loud, and each has its own benefit.

Quiet will make songs a little quieter and sound cleaner, making it a good choice if you're relaxing at home. Normal makes songs play at a medium base volume, and the sound is less crisp than Quiet. This is a good choice for most people and situations. Loud is -- you guessed it -- louder, but you might lose some audio quality because of the loudness. This option is good if you're at the gym or other similarly noisy environments.

Here's how to adjust the base volume on your iPhone:

1. Open the Spotify app.
2. Tap the gear icon in the top-right corner of your screen.
3. Tap the Playback option near the top of the menu.
4. Beneath Volume level there are three options: Loud, Normal and Quiet. 

If you're using the Spotify app on a Mac, here's how to adjust the base volume:

1. Open Spotify.
2. Click the down arrow in the top-right corner.
3. Scroll down until you see Audio Quality.
4. Under Audio Quality, you should see Volume level. 
5. Click the drop-down bar to the right of Volume level.
6. From here, you see the same Loud, Normal and Quiet options. Pick whichever one works for you.

Here's how to adjust the base volume if you're using the Spotify app on an Android device:

1. Open Spotify.
2. Tap the gear icon to access Settings.
3. Scroll down to Playback and you should see Volume Level.
4. Next to Volume Level you should see the Loud, Normal and Quiet options. Pick the one you want.

Finally, here's how to adjust the base volume in Spotify while on a Windows computer:

1. Open Spotify.
2. Click your account name in the top-right corner.
3. Click Settings.
4. Under Audio Quality, you should see Volume level. Click the drop-down bar to the right.
5. Select either Loud, Normal or Quiet.

Use the equalizer to customize your sound for your favorite genres.

Angela Lang/CNET

Use the Spotify Equalizer for more control 

If you prefer being more hands-on with how your bass and treble come across in each song, you can adjust the in-app equalizer. Adjusting your bass affects lower frequency sounds, making your music sound deeper with increased bass or flat with less bass. Treble affects the higher sound frequencies, making your music sound brighter and more crisp with increased treble or duller and kind of muddied with less treble. 

Here's how to access the equalizer on your iPhone:

1. Open Spotify.
2. Tap the gear in the top right corner to access Settings.
3. Tap the Playback option. 
4. Scroll down the menu and tap Equalizer.

Here's how to access the equalizer on your Android device:

1. Open Spotify.
2. Tap the gear icon to access Settings.
3. Under the Audio quality heading -- not under Data Saver -- tap Equalizer.

This opens the equalizer page on both systems. Here you can find the manual equalizer slider and a handful of premade genre-based equalizers. 

You should see the manual equalizer slider that looks like a line graph with six dots. When you first get to this page, the equalizer should be flat. 

Each dot on the graph can be adjusted for more or less sound. The far left bar represents your bass, the far right bar controls your treble and the middle bars control -- you guessed it -- your midrange. You can tweak the bars as you see fit.

There are also genre-based equalizers on this page. You can pick which genre you're listening to and the app automatically adjusts the sliders to optimize for that style of music. After picking one, you can further adjust the sliders for the perfect listening experience.

If you want to reset the equalizer, there's a genre-based equalizer called Flat. This will reset the equalizer to its default.

The Mac and Windows versions of Spotify don't have an in-application equalizer. But you can search for an equalizer application to help you in your journey to find the best sound.

Adjusting these settings can really make your music pop

James Martin/CNET

Adjust the quality of your music for a clearer sound 

You can also adjust the audio quality of your music. This is handy if you're using mobile data and don't want to bump up your phone bill. Reducing the audio quality will use less data. 

Here's how to change the audio quality on mobile and tablet:

1. Open the Spotify app.
2. Tap the gear icon to access Settings.
3. Scroll down until you see the heading Audio Quality -- not under Data Saver.
4. Under WiFi streaming and Cellular streaming, you can select Low, Normal, High or Automatic. The Automatic option adjusts the audio quality to whatever your signal strength is. There is also a fifth option for paid subscribers called Very high.

How to change the audio quality on your desktop:

1. Open Spotify.
2. Click the down arrow in the top-right corner.
3. Click Settings.
4. Scroll down to Audio Quality.
5. Beneath Audio Quality you should see Streaming quality. Click the drop-down menu to the right.
6. Choose between Low, Normal, High or Automatic options, and the Very high option for paid subscribers.

For more information on Spotify, see which Spotify plan is best for you and how Spotify stacks up against Apple Music.

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Netflix Review: Still the Best Streaming Service

Netflix Review: Still the Best Streaming Service

When you think of streaming TV shows and movies, there's a good chance that Netflix is comes to mind first. Though competition from rivals like HBO Max and Disney Plus is fierce, it's still the best choice for streaming entertainment, period. 

Netflix includes a wide variety of familiar network shows and more original series, films, documentaries and specials than any of its myriad competitors. Despite challenges with retaining subscribers and a price bump, the world's first major streaming service remains our favorite choice thanks to its huge library of constantly refreshed content and its easy accessibility across different devices. In 2021, Netflix won 44 Emmys, making history and racking up more than the next two media companies combined. If you're looking for something new to watch, Netflix should be your top choice.  

Like

• Strong recommendation engine
• Easy to use across different devices
• Offline downloads available
• Extensive list of movies and shows
• Massive selection of original programs
• No commercials

Don't Like

• Cost for premium plans is on the higher end
• Can't watch shows as they air on other networks

Depending on the plan you choose, Netflix costs between $10 and $20 per month, which is at the higher end for a streaming service, as you can see in the chart below. Its recent price increase shook up the streaming world and moved Netflix closer to HBO Max in terms of cost. However, the pricier package lets you watch up to four screens at once, and create different user profiles, so in theory, you could split it among friends to lower the price. Thanks to its sheer variety and number of new things to watch, Netflix also gives you the most bang for your buck.

Streaming Services Compared

	Netflix	Peacock	HBO Max	Disney Plus	Apple TV Plus	Amazon Prime Video	Hulu
Monthly price	Starts at $9.99	Basic free with ads, ad-free for $5	$9.99 for basic with ads, $14.99 for ad-free	$7.99	$4.99	$8.99 (or included with $140/year Prime membership)	Basic $6.99 with ads, ad-free Premium for $12.99, Live TV for $70
Ads	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes
Top titles	Stranger Things, Squid Game, Bridgerton, Ozark, Money Heist	The Office, 30 Rock, Bel-Air, early access to Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon	Game of Thrones, Dune, Euphoria, DC titles	The Mandalorian, Loki, Encanto, Obi-Wan Kenobi	Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, CODA, Severance	Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Boys, Reacher, The Wheel of Time	Handmaid's Tale, Pen15, The Great, Bob's Burgers
Mobile downloads	Yes	Yes (Premium Plus plan)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
4K HDR available	Yes (on Premium plan)	No	Yes (limited titles)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Number of streams:	1 (2 for Standard, 4 on Premium)	3	3	4	6	2	2 (Unlimited with Live TV $9.99 add-on)

How Netflix started vs. how it's going

Between 2012-2013, Netflix premiered its first original TV shows, including Lilyhammer, House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black. Today, it has a catalog of more than 1,500 original TV shows and movies, including global hits like Stranger Things, Emmy winners such as Bridgerton, The Queen's Gambit and The Crown, as well as Oscar-nominated movies such as The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick… Boom! and The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Though the company's been known for its commercial-free streaming experience since its inception, there are plans to introduce an ad-supported tier before 2022 ends. Additionally, Netflix aims to crackdown on password sharing by charging a fee for extra users on an account. The program is still in the pilot phase, but the days of crowdfunding your Netflix subscription may soon be over. 

As of 2022, Netflix has more than 220 million paid subscribers across 190 countries, after seeing a major spike in users during the pandemic. A dent in its subscriber base caused numbers to drop by 200,000, but there are still reasons to keep the service, with the main draw being its content.  

What shows and movies does Netflix have?

Netflix may have had the first-to-market advantage in the world of streaming services, but it's kept its momentum with its increasing number of original shows and movies -- many of which have won critical acclaim and major awards and nominations.   

Compared to other streaming platforms, you can't beat Netflix's slate of original TV shows that are now considered among the best of the modern era of television, including those mentioned above plus many more, such as Squid Game, Ozark, Never Have I Ever, Money Heist and Cobra Kai.

Read more:  Netflix: The 49 Absolute Best TV Shows to Watch

Outside of TV shows, Netflix's original programs include a wide range of comedies, dramas, foreign films and shows, documentary series, anime, stand-up comedy specials and reality dating and competition shows. Not all of them are runaway hits, but many of them are, and there's enough to explore interesting shows that may not have found a home on traditional network TV. And at a time when going to the movies is more fraught than it once was, Netflix offers a place to find new films: In 2022 alone, Netflix is set to release over 100 new movies, at least one per week. The selection spans across genres and geography, and includes K-dramas, animated features, and fantasy book adaptations.

Stranger Things is one of Netflix's powerhouse originals. 

Netflix

Netflix typically adds shows a full season at a time, though not while a show is airing on network TV -- so if you don't have cable or another platform like Hulu, you'll have to wait to watch for a few months to watch seasons in full. 

One complaint: Netflix content sometimes can come and go without warning. The only way to tell if something is leaving the service in the next 30 days is if you happen to tap on the details page for the given show or movie -- or search online for everything coming and going in a given month.

Another potential content issue to flag: In recent years Netflix has lost some of its most popular content (such as The Office, which moved to NBC's Peacock, Daredevil, which moved to Disney Plus and Friends, which moved to HBO Max) as other networks created their own streaming services. While it started as an online video store that was trying to offer every movie and TV series online, it may be slowly becoming more akin to the old HBO -- mostly featuring its own original programming, complemented with some things it licenses from other companies.

What's it like to use Netflix? 

I first subscribed to Netflix back in the first streaming days of 2007, so using the platform feels like second nature at this point. Even if you're new to it, it's pretty user-friendly: Open the app and tap on your profile (if you have one set up), and you'll see a homepage. You'll see Popular on Netflix, Continue Watching, Trending Now, Top Picks for you and a number of (sometimes oddly specific) other categories based on shows you've watched before. Mine include Critically-acclaimed Witty TV Comedies and Suburban-dysfunction TV Comedies, for example. 

Netflix's design encourages scrolling -- there are so many different categories to look through, and then shows and movies within those categories to continue scrolling into. You can create a watch list to help you cut down on this, but the vast, colorful library makes it easy to spend more time looking through options than actually watching a show, so be careful.

The Netflix app operates similarly across various devices. My home page on the web browser is nearly identical to that on my Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV Stick, both in content and layout. It's more condensed on the smaller iPhone and Android phone screens, but still follows the same format, and has a clear "Downloads" tab to find content to save to watch offline on your device. 

Rows and rows of content on Netflix can keep you busy.

James Martin/CNET

One difference between devices is voice commands: You might find it more or less difficult to fire up a Netflix show from your device's home screen depending on which voice-capable device you're using.

For example, when you say, "Watch Stranger Things" on the Apple TV and the iOS app on iPhone, it will first have you click which specific show (Stranger Things or Beyond Stranger Things), and then will take you to an Apple TV page for the show, and there it will give you the option to open Netflix and start episode 1. On Amazon Fire TV Stick, you can say, "Watch Stranger Things," and it will open Netflix automatically if you're logged into the app. On the Roku 4K stick, if you say, "Watch Stranger Things," it will take you right to the first episode in the app. Those are more hardware-side concerns, but interesting to note. 

Once you're in the Netflix app, though, voice commands work the same across devices: Go to the Search tab, hold the microphone button to dictate, and say the name of the show you're looking for. 

When you select a show or movie to watch, you have the option to fast-forward, rewind, add subtitles and change your audio settings. If you have a Premium account and a big enough 4K TV, watching in Ultra HD makes for a very cinematic experience. The show or movie you choose will also show up in your "Continue watching" section at the top of your homepage for easier access. 

How much does Netflix cost? 

Netflix offers three pricing plans: Basic, Standard and Premium. Here is how the costs and features break down:

Netflix plans

	Basic	Standard	Premium
Monthly price	$10	$15.50	$20
Number of screens you can watch on at the same time	1	2	4
Number of phones or tablets you can have downloads on	1	2	4
HD available	No	Yes	Yes
Ultra HD available	No	No	Yes

All plans include the ability to watch on any device, and the full, unlimited collection of movies and TV shows. All allow cancellation at any time. Netflix also offers a one-month free trial. 

Netflix's Basic plan costs more than Prime Video ($9 per month), more than Hulu's ad-based plan ($7 per month) but less than its more comparable no-ads plan ($13 per month). If you're on a shared Netflix account with family, chances are it's a Premium one ($20 per month) -- if you're actually splitting it between four people, that's only $5 per month each, and a strong value for all of the original content available, including some in 4K Ultra HD. Plus: No commercials on any plan. 

What features do you get on Netflix? 

Outside of general streaming, if you have the Standard or Premium plan, you can create different profiles for different users, and find your own list of personalized recommendations. 

Netflix's recommendation game is strong, from "Because you watched" carousels that have been improved by the new "two thumbs up" feature, to the option to remove content from your home page, to its "Play Something" shuffle feature for when you're unsure what to stream.

The platform also has a particularly appealing kid's section, with a solid catalog of content including CoComelon, Pokemon: Master Journeys and Trolls: The Beat Goes On! and a much more kid-friendly user interface – including the mystery box feature added earlier this year.

If you subscribe to the Premium plan, you can watch certain shows and movies in 4K Ultra HD on 4K TVs. You'll need a steady internet connection speed of at least 25 megabits per second, and streaming quality set to Auto or High. 

Netflix has more 4K content than just about any other streaming service, and a lot of its 4K shows and movies are also available in HDR. High dynamic range provides an even bigger improvement in image quality than 4K according to CNET's tests, with better contrast and color, and the difference is especially apparent on large, higher-end televisions. Netflix supports the two major HDR formats, generic HDR (aka HDR-10) as well as Dolby Vision. If you have a device that handles Dolby Vision, Netflix will play content (if available) in that format by default.

You can search for a selection of 4K TV shows and movies on the service with the Premium plan.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Data usage varies by format, ranging from about 1GB per hour for the standard-definition video to up to 7GB per hour for the highest-quality 4K streams. Downloading and streaming take up a similar amount of data, according to Netflix. If you want to avoid having Netflix eat up all of your data, you can take certain steps laid out on Netflix's website to adjust your data usage settings. 

All subscribers can download TV shows and movies on the Netflix app on mobile devices for offline viewing, though certain titles aren't available to download. 

Read more: 9 Handy Netflix Tricks That Can Help Make Streaming Better

Should you get it? 

Netflix remains my favorite streaming platform of the increasingly large bunch. It has a huge selection of movies and TV shows old and new, tons of high-quality original programs, and an easy-to-navigate interface. 

Even though it no longer offers a free trial, it's worth trying Netflix for a month if you want something new to watch.

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YouTube, Snapchat, Gmail connection issues in eastern US now fixed

YouTube, Snapchat, Gmail connection issues in eastern US now fixed

If you had troubles with YouTube or Gmail on Sunday, those issues should now be fixed.

Google Cloud had been experiencing widespread problems Sunday, which wreaked havoc on YouTube, Snapchat, Gmail, Discord and a host of other popular apps and services across the eastern United States.

YouTube wasn't completely down for CNET's John Falcone in Brooklyn Sunday, but some videos were inaccessible, at least temporarily.

Screenshot by CNET

Google pointed to "high levels of network congestion in the eastern USA, affecting multiple services in Google Cloud, G Suite and YouTube."

"Users may see slow performance or intermittent errors," the company said in a statement around 2 p.m. PT. "We believe we have identified the root cause of the congestion and expect to return to normal service shortly."

Google's status page for Cloud confirmed the company was having issues with the service as of 1 p.m. PT. The search giant marked Google's Cloud Compute Engine and Cloud Networking services as suffering outages on its status dashboard.

At about 4 p.m. PT, the status page said the network congestion issue "is resolved for the vast majority of users, and we expect a full resolution in the near future."

As of 5 p.m. PT, the Google Cloud Status Dashboard shows all services available.

"The network congestion issue in eastern USA affecting Google Cloud, G Suite and YouTube has been resolved for all affected users as of 4:00pm US/Pacific," a Google spokesperson said late Sunday.

"We will conduct a post mortem and make appropriate improvements to our systems to prevent this from happening again."

YouTube seemed to be working on the West Coast, with CNET reporters able to access the video streaming site just fine. A CNET editor on the East Coast, however, noted that he was encountering issues. One video, for example, was inaccessible for about 15 minutes.

Google Cloud is the company's hosting platform, similar to Amazon's Amazon Web Services and Microsoft's Azure. In addition to powering its own services, other companies such as Snapchat and Uber, rely on Google's infrastructure to provide the backend for their apps and platforms.

News of the outage quickly spread across social media, with #YouTubeDOWN and #snapchatdown rising to the top of Twitter's Trending Topics section as users voiced their frustrations.

Other services that rely on Google Cloud for hosting also seemed to have experienced issues.

Downdetector.com, which monitors network issues, showed widespread issues for the East Coast of the US as well as in parts of Europe for YouTube and Gmail.

Originally published at 1:20 p.m. PT.
Updates, 2:25 p.m.: Adds comment from Google and background on Google Cloud; 4:30 p.m.: Adds that the congestion issue is resolved for most users; 5:50 p.m.: Adds comment from Google spokesperson.

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