This has become a HUGE debate and really a complaint among users, especially now that the change has been hitting more players. There are dozens of discussions on Reddit alone and I am bringing it here to Plex hoping the issue will become more visible to the ones in control.
If you want to implement this random switch just for the sake of change, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give us the option to choose between these two. It is the only way to satisfy the community as a whole. Heck, send out a e-mail with a poll and see how the users respond. Based on the conversations Iāve had on other forums, Iād bet it is split. Personally, I do not want to see the big block and green checkmark over the posters. I much preferred the cleaner orange corner.
All that said, hopefully someone at Plex sees this and takes it seriously. Thank you!
Iām team Orange Wedge and Iād been super vocal about it here back in the beginning. I got no traction so now I just cringe silently at those teal gremlins marking up my experience.
There are a lot of threads on this and who knows which one will catch on, so hereās my take again:
In my opinion, the ideal state of a poster is that of an unblemished one. The more markers visible on a given screen, the more visual clutter.
Which is better, a marker for watched or unwatched, comes with another question: Which majority is more common? For me, itās drastically in favor of watched media. Thanks to this change, a majority of my posters are now marked with an intrusive green checkmark.
I too would prefer an option to switch this state.
Noticed the change a few hours ago myself after coming home from work and I canāt lie, Iām not a fan of the current āwatchedā mark. Having this as an option for those who want it? Sure. But perhapsā¦ Just make an option to have the marker for watched or unwatched. Or hell, for those who donāt want one, add an option for no marker at allā¦?
Glad we are not alone. I already replied in another thread, but Iāll post this here as well, in the hope to get some answers from the devs:
There should be a simple option in the settings. Show a badge for watched, for unwatched, or donāt show at all.
They already tried this with an old preview version of the new Modern layout, and I said the same thing.
I agree with you on the preferred state. The watched green checkmark doesnāt make much sense. Why would I want to see that on every single poster in my collection? An unwatched badge at least lets me know at a glance what content is new to me and itās functional.
An option would be much better since majority of users will have the mass content already āWatchedā, where a check or notification for UNWATCHED content would be much more beneficial, vs having a silly check mark on 2,500 movies that have already been watchedā¦ I sincerely hope this change is reverted in the future.
I really hope they roll this back ASAP. Itās so much worse than the old way. Having the UI get uglier and more cumbersome as you use it properly is such a backwards and anti-user way to go about it, in my opinion. In the past, you were rewarded for watching unwatched content because it cleaned up your collection and made it look nicer as you went. This new update turns that around, making the app more and more cluttered over time. Also, it runs counter to the many curation options that PLEX has. Allowing us to set custom artwork for media only to then arbitrarily cover it up. Itās especially terrible for TV series, because now every single thing in the page has a tab. Unwatched shows will have the remaining episodes, and watched shows will have the check. Both set inside the same grey box. So now thereās a little box for every single poster in the category. Why? It makes no sense at all, and I cannot imagine the conversation that would have led to such a pointless update. It just seems a bit out of touch to me, frankly. If anything Iād at least like an option to change it. Like a little toggle to draw the tabs on unwatched or watched media according to user preference. More options are always better, after all.
I need them to bring the triangles back. Or at least a ālegacyā triangle option. I hate the checkmarks, it bring attention to my watched content which is the opposite of what I want!
I just noticed the change on the web app, and Iām really not a fan of the new look. To me, it makes a lot more sense to mark unwatched items, the way it was before was working very well. Now itās not only a lot less functional, it also became visually very unappealing with so much visual clutter everywhere.
Why impose this change on everybody? Why isnāt it an option?
Just saw this in my player app today. I think the design is too intrusive of the cover artwork. I prefer the minimalistic design of the corner color (mine was blue). Iām sure there are many people who like and enjoy the new checkmark, but it should be a toggle preference in the settings of old vs. new design.
I use a myriad of Plex interfaces; Roku, web, Androidā¦ My memory is fuzzy (likely due to copious amounts of Stag beer) but I think the Checkmark change started creeping in just over a year ago. I think today itās finally making itās way around full circle through all the apps and media and more people are starting to notice.
I leaned hard against it when I first saw it. The Wedge to me seemed more āon brandā as it was a unique thing for Plex, and I prefer to highlight things I need to do instead of things Iāve already done.
The only way we get movement on this is to be vocal, but it wonāt go very far if itās only ever the same five people joining the conversation. I kinda feel blown out about saying something as I put a lot of energy into making a stink about it when it first started and the following seemed super small.
The old version was really so much better, the new one is ugly. They should stop modifying designs and features that already have complete systems and functions.
I much prefer having a watched symbol over an unwatched symbol. I look at it as a task. I mark off tasks that are completed. I donāt put a mark on everything and then remove the mark on whatās been done. Plus Iād rather see a clean poster on things I havenāt seen yet. But thatās just me, and I understand both opinions on it.
I do agree though that the new design they did looks terrible and there should have been an option to choose having an indicator on watched, unwatched or none.
I very much dislike this UI change. I know that Iāve watched it, I donāt need plex reminding me what Iāve watched already.
It would be nice if they just added a toggle or dropdown in the settings for āDisplay Watched or Unwatched Overlayā for those people that like this change, I have a feeling that, for a lot of people, theyād choose the Unwatched Overlay
I am very disappointed to see these green checkmarks all over the things I have already watched. I would really love to have it back to the orange triangle for unplayed items or at least give the user an option to toggle it.
+1 to the disappointment. I donāt like the checkmark covering shows iāve watched. The indicator should be something Iām looking for when looking for something to watch, not something to ignore because its something Iāve already seen. Why does Plex keep making UI changes like this without giving the option to be a toggle? As a long time Plex Pass user it doesnāt feel good to keep getting UI changes that I do not want and i no longer feel like im getting what I want to pay for.
