Actors Wagner Moura and Pedro Pascal speak onstage during the 'Narcos' panel discussion at the Netflix portion of the 2015 Summer TCA Tour at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 28, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo : Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Netflix wants to help users know whether their home or office Internet connection is fast enough to stream their favorite TV shows or movies by launching the new "Fast" app on Android and iOS.
The Fast app will test for the best possible streaming speed of the currently connected data or Wi-Fi connection in the app. Netflix streams, specifically those with HD packages, require fast download speeds to maintain the high quality streams.
Fast is already available for both mobile and desktop devices through Fast.com and it has been considered as more accurate compared to Speedtest.net from Ookla. The difference lies within the fact that Fast tests users' internet speeds through Netflix's own servers for a direct reading, TechCrunch has learned.
Another advantage of using Fast is that it is indeed fast because it has no ads on the page except for the "Powered by Netflix" footers found. Users can also compare the speeds they get on Speedtest.net through a button readily available after the test on Fast.
Fast app on Android and iOS only tests for the download speed as they believe Netflix heavily relies more on downloading the data, 9 to 5 Mac reported. Netflix said that Fast.com was their choice because they provided a simple and fast speed test compared to other providers.
Users can also use Netflix's own ISP Speed Index to choose which provider gives the best download speeds for high quality streaming. Further speedtests through Fast.com and its app will help provide more relevant data to improve the Netflix ISP Speed Index.
Netflix users can now watch Bojack Horseman season 3 and the new Stranger Things series that is taking social media by storm. With faster Internet speeds, users can fully watch 1080p or even 4K quality streams with no problems.
Fast app is now available for both Android and iOS users through the Google Play Store or Apple's App Store. The Fast.com website can still be used for an even faster test for those who do not really want to download the app first to test out their possible Netflix streaming speeds on their connections.
