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Calling All Netflix Binge-Watchers! Try This Genius Trick to Watch Your Favorite Shows Anytime, Anywhere—Without Disruption

I travel a lot, so it’s always a challenge to keep up on my favorite shows—especially if the Wi-Fi at my destination is a little iffy. (To say nothing of the potentially sketchy public Wi-Fi networks on the way there.) Sure, today’s streaming services give us tons of options for watching on the go, but there’s just one problem: You need a reliable internet connection to stream, and that’s not always an option when you’re away from home.

Thankfully, Netflix has a solution to ensure your next work trip or vacation doesn’t get in the way of your must-watch TV. It’s a little-known Netflix trick that you’re probably not taking advantage of, and it lets you binge even without Wi-Fi or a data network. Read on for all the details.

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What little-known trick should you use for your favorite Netflix series?

It’s called Smart Downloads, and if you haven’t tried it yet, you’re missing out.

Smart Downloads lets you automatically download content to watch while you’re offline. Now, downloading stuff to watch later isn’t new (and you’ll find the option on many streaming services), but Netflix’s Smart Downloads is a little different. First of all, it’s more of a “set it and forget it” solution, and it handles downloads in two different ways:

  • Download Next Episode: This feature automatically downloads the next episode in whatever series you’re watching. It also deletes the episode you just watched to prevent you from using up too much storage space on your device. You can’t choose which episodes to download, nor can you download an entire series at once, but you can have “next episodes” for multiple shows downloaded at once.
  • Downloads for You: Netflix automatically downloads TV shows and movies it thinks you will enjoy based on your viewing habits. You don’t have to do anything; Netflix simply downloads them right onto your device, so you’ve always got something to watch even when you’re not online! Netflix doesn’t ask before downloading, but you can specify how much storage space Downloads for You is allowed to use.

What’s great about these features is that you don’t have to remember to download your shows when you’re running around trying to get out the door for your trip. With these features enabled, you’ll always have something waiting for you.

How do you enable Netflix’s Smart Downloads feature?

The first thing to know is that the Smart Downloads feature is available only on mobile devices, not on computers or smart TVs. This makes some sense, as you probably don’t take your television with you when you travel—but you’re out of luck if you want to enable Smart Downloads on your laptop.

Luckily, the process for setting it up on your phone or tablet is straightforward. Here are the steps:

  1. Open the Netflix app.
  2. Tap “My Netflix” (in the bottom-right corner).
  3. Tap “Menu” (in the upper-right corner).
  4. Tap “App Settings.”
  5. Tap “Smart Downloads” (located under “Downloads”).
  6. Toggle the switch next to “Download Next Episode” and/or “Downloads for You.”

You can enable either or both of these, depending on which feature you want to use. Additionally, when Downloads for You is toggled on, you can select how many gigabytes of storage it’s allowed to use on your device. You can change this for each profile on your Netflix account.

But wait—don’t you need Wi-Fi to watch Netflix?

Smart Downloads still requires a Wi-Fi connection in order to download anything. (And it will not automatically download over your cellular network, so you don’t have to worry about Smart Downloads using up your data.) But while you need Wi-Fi to download shows and movies, you don’t need Wi-Fi to watch them once they’re on your device.

That’s useful for when you are disconnected from Wi-Fi for brief periods—think airplane rides, road trips or any place where the public Wi-Fi might be spotty or unavailable. However, this means that Smart Downloads may not be a viable solution for binge-watching when you’re going to be offline for a while.

Smart Downloads has some other limitations too. Most notably, Smart Downloads is not available on the ad-supported subscription, which isn’t great news for users on the cheapest Netflix plan. And naturally, you can only download content if you have sufficient storage space on your device.

Finally, some shows and movies have limits on how many times you can download them for offline viewing, and others may not be downloaded at all due to licensing restrictions. Additionally, downloaded content eventually expires after you start watching—even if you haven’t finished it yet—meaning you’ll need to re-download it or watch it online.

How else can you download Netflix shows and movies to watch offline?

Smart Downloads is not the only way to view Netflix content offline. Netflix also allows you to manually download movies and shows (including entire seasons), even on the ad-supported plan. This is useful when you know you won’t have internet access for a long stretch.

As with Smart Downloads, offline downloading is available only on mobile devices. It’s not on smart TVs or computers, except for Chromebooks, which can install the Netflix app via the Google Play store.

Here’s how to download Netflix shows and movies for offline viewing:

  1. Open the Netflix app.
  2. Tap “Downloads.”
  3. Tap “See What You Can Download” (on Chromebook, click “Find More to Download”).
  4. Select the show or movie that you want to download.
  5. Select “Download.”

Note that for shows, you can either tap the download button next to an episode or tap “Download Season” to put it all on your device in one go. That’s very handy for future marathon sessions of your favorite sitcom, K-drama or true-crime series.

How many shows can you manually download?

Manual offline downloads also have some limits. If you’re on the cheapest, ad-supported plan, you’ll get only 15 offline downloads per month. Users on ad-free plans have no limits to offline downloads but can have only 100 active downloads going at any one time. That’s a lot, so you’re unlikely to exceed that limit. Still, it’s something to be aware of.

Furthermore, unlike Smart Downloads, manual downloads can use your cellular data network. If you’re not on an unlimited plan, make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi when doing this so that you don’t blow through your monthly data!

How should you manage all of these downloads?

After downloading a show or movie, you can find it in the “My Netflix” menu under “Downloads.” You can manage your offline downloads only within the Netflix app. They’re not stored in your device’s photo app or file browser.

My Netflix is also where you can delete stuff to free up space on your device. Storage is definitely a bottleneck to be aware of with offline content. Don’t underestimate how quickly this can eat up your storage, especially if you’re downloading shows and movies in HD!

How do you delete your downloaded Netflix shows and movies?

Remember that only episodes downloaded via the “Download Next Episode” feature get automatically deleted; you’ll have to delete everything else yourself. To do this, simply go to Downloads, tap the download status icon next to the content you want to delete and select “Delete Download.”

You can delete all of your downloaded content in one sweep using your phone or tablet too. This requires a few extra steps:

  1. In the Netflix app, select “My Netflix.”
  2. Tap “Menu” in the upper right.
  3. Tap “App Settings.”
  4. Tap “Delete All Downloads” (located under “Downloads”).
  5. Tap “Delete” on the confirmation screen that appears.

That’s a quicker way to do it if you have a lot of downloaded content you want to delete. If you take advantage of offline viewing a lot, you’ll want to do this regularly to free up storage space.

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Sources:

  • Netflix: “How to download titles to watch offline”
  • Netflix: “How to use ‘Download Next Episode'”
  • Netflix: “How to use ‘Downloads for You'”

The post Calling All Netflix Binge-Watchers! Try This Genius Trick to Watch Your Favorite Shows Anytime, Anywhere—Without Disruption appeared first on Reader's Digest.



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