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The day every Netflix user has been waiting for is finally here. Netflix now allows you to download videos to your mobile devices.
An update to the Netflix app gives users the ability to download videos to their mobile devices. This means that you can save videos to your phone and tablet when you are connected to Wi-Fi to watch offline, saving your monthly data for other things.
Plan ahead when you will be away from Wi-Fi or have a weak Internet connection, and download your favorite movies, series and TV shows to your device. You’ll be able to watch them offline, when you’re away from the Internet, traveling internationally, or running out of data on your monthly plan.
[tip] Don’t miss => Streaming vs. Downloading Videos — What’s the Difference? [/tip]
Which Netflix Videos Can Be Downloaded
Not all videos on Netflix can be downloaded, but many of the most popular ones are available for downloading.
Popular titles that can be downloaded on Netflix include:
- House of Cards
- Stranger Things
- Orange Is the New Black
- Breaking Bad
- Grace and Frankie
- Better Call Saul
- Friday Night Lights
- Minions
- The Legend of Frosty the Snowman
[note] Downloaded videos can take up many GB of space on your phone or tablet. If you’re low on available space on your device, you may have to free up some space to make room for downloading Netflix videos. [/note]
When you update the Netflix app on your device, you’ll see this image the first time you open the updated app:
Tap “find something to download” to see which videos are available to download. You will see a grid of videos, arranged by category, such as:
- Popular on Netflix
- Family Features
- Top Picks for You
- Recently Added
- TV Shows
You can also tap the three stacked lines icon in the upper left corner of the screen to see which videos are available for download and which ones you already have downloaded onto your device.
Use the search feature to find videos you want to watch. If they are available for download, a down arrow ↓ will appear when you tap on the title image.
=> Also see: Amazon Prime Now Has Free Downloads for Movies and TV Shows!
How to Download a Netflix Video to Your Device
After you find a video you would like to download, tap on it, then tap the down arrow ↓ on the screen. A banner will appear while the video is being downloaded. A progress bar at the top of the banner shows how much of the video has been downloaded.
After the download is finished, the banner will show “Download Complete”. Tap the banner to begin watching the video.
Your Thoughts
Are you excited about downloading Netflix videos to your devices? Which videos will you be downloading? Will this new feature make you more likely to watch Netflix videos?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
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This is going to be very useful for all us travelers waiting around in airport lounges where you can’t seem to connect to the free airport Wi-Fi! Now I wish I had bought more memory on my latest iPad.
Hi Penny, Excellent point. You’re right, if downloading videos to watch offline is important to you, then you will probably need to get more storage on your next device. Videos take up quite a bit of space, so you may have to move some apps, photos or music off of your phone or tablet to make room for these videos.
Holy Moly, Carolyn! Does this include laptops? This may be just the right thing I needed to join up. 🙂
Hi Bren, Great question. No, Netflix only lets you download from the mobile app, so you can download to phones and tablets. I hope you enjoy downloading Netflix videos, Bren!
This kinda surprises me. The entertainment biz has been really stingy with digital rights in the past.
This also makes me wish that my iPhone had an SD card slot so that I could fit some of these shows when I travel without having to move a bunch of photos and videos off of my phone.
Hi Steve, You’re right, videos do take up a lot of space so people might run out of space on their mobile devices. If you’re going to download videos to your device, you may need to move items off of your phone or tablet to make space.
Good point about digital rights. I’m glad Netflix was able to negotiate this to allow users to download videos. This will make it easier to watch movies when streaming isn’t a good idea.
Yeah I have to move stuff off of my mobile device if I want to fit any kind of video.
When I got my phone they only had the 16 gig in stock and I got impatient and got it instead of the 64 that I wanted.
I thought… with the cloud I won’t need as much space as I used to… whoops!
Hi Steve, You’re not alone. Many people think they can save money by getting less storage or don’t want to wait for a phone that is out of stock. You’re right, you can watch Netflix videos in the Cloud by streaming them but having them ready to watch on your phone can be very handy.
Now, this is great news from Netflix’s end and this will definitely lead to a surge in Netflix’s subscribers.
The DTH industry is getting crowded day by day and Netflix has to evolve to survive in the competition.
Hi Rahul, Yes, the Down to Hang community will be well served by Netflix allowing downloads to phones and tablets. I hope this leads to much success for Netflix, encouraging other video providers following its lead.
Hi Bren, It would be very useful for the persons who are in flight mode and do netflix offer the downloaded videos to share among others.
Hi Jayanta, (It’s Carolyn, not Bren. You probably found this article from Bren’s tweet.)
You’re right, downloading Netflix videos will come in very handy when you want to travel. You will be able to watch them on a plane or when you are traveling internationally and don’t want to run up huge roaming bills on your phone.
A great Move by Netflix, It helps me to save my time.
Hi Adrash, Yes, this benefit can help people save time by downloading videos when they’re connected to a strong Wi-Fi signal. No waiting for buffering while watching a streaming video. You can watch the video uninterrupted which truly can save time.
This is very helpful, I didn’t know that was possible. We just finished watching Stranger Things recently and it was great, waiting patiently for the next season to come out!
Hi Craig, Yes, this is exciting news about Netflix. You can enjoy Netflix videos now even when you’re away from an Internet connection.
I hope you find some other Netflix videos to watch while you’re waiting for the next season of Stranger Things.