Discovery+ just got a big update to its streaming app that makes it more like Max – here are 5 great new features to try

Discovery+ subscribers can now effortlessly switch between a show's episodes with the updated navigation feature. (Image credit: WBD)

WBD has migrated Discovery+ to the same platform as the Max app
Starting March 12, subscribers will see five great new features
The update will make the rollout of future changes quicker and simpler

Discovery+ subscribers are getting a big update to their streaming apps, according to an announcement from Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).

The changes will be rolled out today (March 12) to all subscribers in the US and Canada once they update their apps, and includes five great new features that might be familiar to anyone who's signed up to WBD's other streaming service, Max.

That's because the change will see the Discovery+ app migrate to the same in-house tech platform that WBD uses for the HBO streaming service, which WBD's head of tech Avi Saxena says will enable a "richer feature set".

What new features are available on Discovery+?

A left hand holding a smartphone with the Discovery Plus logo on it

Discovery+ is the home for content from HGTV, Food Network, TLC, ID, Discovery Channel and CNN. (Image credit: Discovery Inc.)

The update means WBD can bring a lot of the same great features that Max subscribers already enjoy to those signed up to Discovery+. These include:

An improved homepage that looks more like Max
More personalized content recommendations
A new search layout for jumping between episodes
Ability to sign in to the app via a QR code
New sharing functionality for social media

Of these new features, the improved navigation tools look to be the most helpful to subscribers trying to find content in the app. Indeed, the new search layout (as pictured in the lead image of this article) looks like it will make jumping between episodes of a show a lot simpler.

I can see this change being most useful for big reality series that have a seemingly endless number of seasons and episodes, making it a lot easier for viewers to find a specific segment from a show. WBD also says that these new discovery improvements will allow for more personalized content recommendations.

There's also new sharing functionality that lets Discovery+ subscribers send content to their friends and family more easily. WBD specifies in its announcement about the update that this new functionality is only for "adult profile users".

Discovery+ subscribers can also expect the new homepage, which will look more like Max, to have more personalized recommendations that utilize machine learning to better serve up movies and shows that you like.

Outside of the new features, WBD also says the update means that the Discovery+ app will benefit from faster performance more generally, allowing for better video resolution and playback.

Discovery+ is the latest streaming service to roll out an overhaul of its app in 2025, with YouTube TV teasing a big Netflix update earlier this month, Prime Video launching a new app for Apple TV devices in February, and Max making a big change to its navigation menu in January.

Make sure to check in with TechRadar regularly for details of the latest changes to your favorite streaming services.

Amelia became the Senior Editor for Home Entertainment at TechRadar in the UK in April 2023. With a background of more than eight years in tech and finance publishing, she's now leading our coverage to bring you a fresh perspective on everything to do with TV and audio. When she's not tinkering with the latest gadgets and gizmos in the ever-evolving world of home entertainment, you’ll find her watching movies, taking pictures and travelling.