Netflix introduces feature to stream offline on smartphones, tablets
LOS ANGELES — Netflix has finally rolled out a feature subscribers have been requesting for years: The company will now let members worldwide download select TV shows and movies for viewing on Apple and Android devices while disconnected from the internet.
The latest versions of the company’s mobile apps include a “download” button on the details page for a film or TV series — although not all titles on the streaming service are currently available to watch offline. The app also includes a new menu item showing what’s available to download.
Netflix said it will add more series and movies to download in the future. Original series including “Orange Is the New Black,” “Narcos,” “House of Cards,” “Stranger Things,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “Master of None” and “The Crown” are available for download starting Wednesday. Other titles available for offline viewing include TV shows “Supernatural,” “The Office,” “The Flash” and “The 100,” and animated movies “Minions” and “Home.”
“While many members enjoy watching Netflix at home, we’ve often heard they also want to continue their ‘Stranger Things’ binge while on airplanes and other places where internet is expensive or limited,” Eddy Wu, Netflix’s director of product innovation, wrote in a blog post announcing the feature.
Amazon Prime Video has offered offline viewing to members on iOS and Android apps for more than a year, while YouTube Red subscribers also have access to videos in offline mode.
Netflix’s new download feature is included in all plans and available for Android and iOS phones and tablets. To download titles, users will need iOS 8.0 or later or Android 4.4.2 or later as well as the latest update of Netflix’s app.
Netflix execs had previously raised the prospect of allowing downloads for offline viewing, but they had suggested the company would first launch the feature in countries with constrained bandwidth infrastructure.