Netflix this morning announced that offline viewing of its shows is now available to users around the world on the service's mobile app. The launch follows reports from over the summer that offline viewing would be coming to Netflix "by the end of the year."
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Now, users will be able to click a "download" button next to each episode in preparation for the times they won't be connected to the internet. The company said that many popular shows are already available to download -- including Orange is the New Black and The Crown -- with more coming soon.
Netflix members worldwide can now download in addition to stream great series and films at no extra cost.
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. Just click the download button on the details page for a film or TV series and you can watch it later without an internet connection.
Any Netflix subscriber will have access to offline downloads, and the update will be available today to both the iOS [Direct Link] and Android versions of the mobile Netflix app. Netflix also tweeted out a video to celebrate the launch of downloading and watching "your favorite stories" while offline.
Update: You can check out every show and movie available to download within the Netflix app by tapping the navigation menu in the top left corner, then choosing "Available for Download." Netflix's Help Center has more information as well.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)With only two shows listed as already available in the article, i'm going to assume that the total list has like 6 shows :/
It doesn't say only two shows are available, but I love your positivity.The company said that many popular shows are already available to download -- including Orange is the New Black and The Crown -- with more coming soon.
Let me guess...not all content of course.
Way to go, turning a good, new, usable feature into something negative. Let me guess, you took a break from giving useful iPhone apps 1-star reviews because they are not yet adapted for iPad as well?Content delivery has become a total joke.
It must be hard when the glass is always half-empty.
You can see the full list in the app once you update it.
Presumably there will be DRM associated with these files. Presumably this will promptly be cracked if it isn't already. Unlimited data plans, get ready for evildoers to build up their media collections!
This is nothing new; pirates rip video from Netflix all the time. They don't need this feature to do it, and ripped copies of original Netflix shows (proving it's indeed ripped from them) show up within hours, sometimes within an hour of them becoming available.Not a hardcore techie, but I think I read somewhere they switched from Silverlight to some sort of HTML5 authentication, but that's only for in-browser video. Whatever they deploy, it won't hold up!
I don't think Netflix should concern itself that much with piracy. The effort required to go download shows from the various pirate sources is actually greater than the cost of the service, in my mind. And sure, people who can't afford Netflix might pirate some of its shows, but if they can't afford it they're not really a "lost customer" are they?
There's a lot of kids and college students who pirate media because they are broke and can't afford it. I know I did. But once I became an adult with a real job I no longer had time for that stuff and buy all my stuff now.