Trying to watch a show on Prime Video India using a phone should be simple.
It should feel natural, smooth, and effortless, the kind of experience that lets you melt into the story. But instead, it’s turning into a small battle you have to fight every few minutes. And honestly, for a paid subscription, it shouldn’t be this exhausting.
The first frustration hits instantly: ads. Not subtle, not rare, but constant interruptions that make you wonder what you’re actually paying for. Viewers have accepted ads on free platforms, they’ve accepted hybrid models, but paying a subscription and sitting through frequent interruptions feels like a breach of trust. It chips away at the joy of watching.
Then comes the second problem: basic controls are unnecessarily complicated. The lack of intuitive volume and brightness gestures, standard features on nearly every other major OTT app, makes Prime Video feel strangely outdated. You tap, swipe, try again, and eventually give up, because the app demands precision instead of comfort.
Even fast-forwarding or rewinding requires hitting a tiny specific button, as if you’re trying to defuse a bomb instead of skipping back ten seconds. And viewers notice the contrast. Competing platforms like JioHotstar or even smaller apps get the basics right, smooth gestures, easy navigation, thoughtful design.
Prime Video has the content. It has the brand. It has the scale.
But if an OTT app cannot offer a seamless, minimal-friction mobile experience, especially in a country where mobile is the primary viewing device, users will drift. Not because the shows aren’t good, but because watching them shouldn’t feel like work.
Prime Video needs a UI rethink. And users deserve better.