Netflix Goes Offline With New Feature, Enables Downloads and Watch On the Go

By Precious Gem de Peralta
Netflix App
Netflix goes offline with its new feature that allows members to download their favorite TV series and movies to their devices. Televisione Streaming / Flickr

Watching your favorite TV series or movies on Netflix sometimes get disrupted by limited internet connection. But Netflix members no longer have to worry about going offline. The streaming service has just announced a new feature in its app that solves this problem. You can now download and watch Netflix content on the go.

Netflix' Director of Product Innovation Eddy Wu has posted on its official website that many of the streaming series and films are already available for download like its original hits Orange Is The New Black, Stranger Things, Narcos and The Crown. According to The Verge, you can binge watch these content offline: Breaking Bad, Mad Men, children's favorites Paddington, Minions and Kung Fu Panda, and movies that include Boyhood, Pulp Fiction, Nightcrawler, Good Will Hunting and Hot Fuzz.

Netflix is still working on providing more in the new feature. Expect a lot of options to choose from in the future. You only have to update your Netflix app to the latest version. There should be a download button on the details page for a movie or TV series. With no additional cost, you just need to click it. Once the content is downloaded to your device, you will be able to watch it even without internet connection. Apparently, the feature is included in all plans. It is also supported by your Android and iOS phones and tablets. Though the system requirement is at least an iOS 8.0 and Android 4.4.2.

Netflix is offering the Standard and Higher quality for the video that you are going to download. The first one will have a decent video resolution. It only takes less storage space on your device. It is also a lot faster to download. This is contrary to the higher quality. You will have to wait a little longer for it to be downloaded. Furthermore, the bigger file size requires more storage space. All of these in exchange for a much better video resolution. Though Netflix has not mentioned the exact resolution you will be getting.

It should be noted that this offline capability is also allowed in Amazon Video and Vudu. This new feature will be convenient to those who are into binge watching but travel a lot. However, there are still some limitations that Netflix has set. For instance, there are a number of these videos that have expiration dates. The Wall Street Journal has reported that many of these downloadable videos "will expire from your device in a week or less". You will have to download the video again. Netflix indicated that there are actually some videos that should be watched within 48 hours.

If you want to enjoy this feature, make sure you actually have a lot of device storage. Otherwise, you will end up watching online.

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