How to Revert to the Old Netflix App on the New Xbox 360 Update

By now, most of you have updated to the new Xbox look. Just as expected, it's got some great new features. The dashboard looks great and Bing integration is awesome, but I'm very unhappy about the new Netflix interface. It's awkward, slow, and half of the items don't even load correctly. I can't even play some movies. And the instant play feature is kind of annoying. When I first chose a video, I was hoping when it instantly started playing that it was a trailer, à la Zune. Alas, no.

Also, the new app platform on the Xbox 360 update does not support the live video party mode.

All around, Netflix is by far the most disappointing thing in the new Xbox update. Luckily, there is a way to get the old Netflix look back. And if you think you might want to go back to the redesign one day, that's okay, because the fix below allows you to use both the new and old look on your Xbox 360. After performing the steps below, it's just a matter of choosing which Netflix app you want to use in the future.

UPDATE

• This method does NOT work anymore. Well, it might work for those who haven't done it yet, but it stopped working for me. Microsoft patched it and deleted my old app completely, so if it does work for you, it probably won't last long. If you know of any other way of getting the old app back, let us know in the comments below.

The Dashboard Update

Seeing as you're looking at this article, you probably already did this step. When you turned on your Xbox 360 yesterday, you probably updated to the new dashboard right away, as I did. Then, if you wanted to check out Netflix, you went to the Apps tab and clicked on Netflix, which started the download for the new version without warning.

I didn't have to, but some people may have had to enter their email addresses and passwords from their Netflix account in order to start the app.

Once in, you hated the new look and horrible functionality, otherwise you wouldn't be here. The good thing? The old Netflix app is not gone!

Access Quickplay from the Xbox Guide

Click on the silver home button on your Xbox 360 controller to access the Xbox Guide. Then, scroll left to the Games tab and hit Quickplay. Note that accessing Quickplay from the Xbox dashboard will NOT work. It has to be from the Xbox Guide.

Find the Old Netflix App

Once you enter the Quickplay options, you'll more than likely see the new Netflix app as a recent download in the Recent tab, as seen below. This is the NEW app, not the old one.

To find the old Netflix app, go to the right and select the All tab, then scroll down and locate the OLD Netflix app. The icon looks like a white filmstrip, as such:

Open the old Netflix app. If you're in the new Netflix app (or anything besides the dashboard), you will be prompted to "end your current session". Do so by choosing "Yes".

The old Netflix version will begin to load.

Skip the Error Messages

After it loads, you'll be automatically prompted with an Netflix error saying, "You need to register your console with Netflix." After selecting "OK" you will be prompted with a longer error message stating, "Netflix has been deactivated on this device...". If you press "Try Again" you'll see the activation code in the background, but you will not be able to access it.

You can keep trying to see it, but it's pointless. That's because you need to deactivate the device online through your Netflix.com account.

Deactivate on Netflix.com

On your computer, go to Netflix.com and log in. Once logged in, go to "Your Account & Help" in the upper right-hand corner. Then, scroll down to the Watching Instantly section and click on "Manage Netflix ready devices and computers".

Next, click on "Disconnect Devices".

A popup safeguard prompt will ask you if you're sure. Press "Disconnect". Success!

Activate

Now, on your Netflix account, click the "Activate" button this time. After doing this, the warning on your Xbox 360 should disappear and you should see the activation code on the screen. If the error screen is still on the display, just select "Try Again" and you should see the code.

Enter the code in your Netflix account and click the "Activate" button.

Now, Netlix on the Xbox 360 will begin to load.

If you're now looking at the old Netflix, success!

Enjoy Both Old and New Looks

Now, this Netflix didn't replace the new one. You can still switch to the new one, and you can freely switch back and forth between the new and old looks without having to do any of the steps above again.

Whenever you want to check out the new Netflix interface, just go to Apps from the Xbox dashboard and click on Netflix. You can also use Quickplay from the dashboard. But the only way to visit the old Netflix version is by going to the Xbox Guide, Games, Quickplay, the All tab, and clicking on the "filmstrip" version.