Netflix Finally Enables Offline Viewing: Here's How to Do It
The days of being stuck on an airplane with only the in-flight movie to keep you occupied are over. Netflix will allow users of its streaming service to save certain movies and TV shows onto mobile devices for offline viewing.
The new feature, announced today (Nov. 30) and available now via an update to its iOS and Android apps, means you can fill your tablet or smartphone with things to watch during your commute, flights and other situations where streaming high-res video doesn't work well.
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The majority of the programs available to save for offline viewing are Netflix Originals such as Stranger Things, Orange is the New Black and Master of None. The non-Netflix Original content available to stream ranges from TV shows such as The Office and Friday Night Lights and films such as Moonrise Kingdom, Love Actually and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
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To see everything that's available to save for offline, tap the menu button at the top left corner and select Available for Download. Saving a video for later is rather simple, as you just need to navigate to content and tap the Download button.
Users don't need to worry about any additional fees for downloaded video, as this option is available at no extra cost to all streaming subscribers, no matter their plan. We hope Netflix keeps it that way.
The addition of offline streaming puts Netflix on par with competitors including Amazon Instant Video, Hulu and Vudu, as well as YouTube Red. It also gives device owners a reason to think about buying a higher capacity tablet or smartphone when it comes time to upgrade.
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