As great as Netflix is, it nevertheless has its drawbacks. Arguably the biggest one is that users have to be connected to the internet to stream the videos, meaning that you can’t really use it when on a plane or in the subway. Fortunately, that is changing as Netflix has implemented a new feature that allows users to download content for later use.
There is a catch for now – only certain films and series may be downloaded.
Airplane mode. Road trip mode. Stuck-in-the-subway-for-20-minutes mode. Your favorite stories are now available for download any time. pic.twitter.com/g7QZA3TyE8
— Netflix US (@netflix) November 30, 2016
That selection includes stuff made by Netflix (Stranger Things, The Crown, Narcos, Orange is the New Black, etc) with a lot of other random choices thrown in – likely dependant on distribution laws. Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Paddington, Minions and Kung Fu Panda 3 are some others also present. Movies include classics like Boyhood, Pulp Fiction, Nightcrawler, Good Will Hunting, Hot Fuzz, and more.
Netflix says more content will support downloads in the near future, but for now, it’s great to know that it’s being worked on.
Once you update your Netflix app on iOS or Android, a download button should appear next to the play button for shows that allow it, letting you save content to watch later on when you might not have any internet connection. ‘Standard’ and ‘Higher’ quality saving is available for downloading.
“Standard quality is a slightly lower video resolution that requires less storage space and takes less time to download. Higher quality is a higher video resolution that requires more storage space and takes more time to download,” according to Netflix’s support page. They don’t spell out what that higher resolution actually is.