Netflix’s new way to download shows and movies to your phone offers 3 options

Netflix is ​​so confident that it can guess which show or movie you’re going to like that the company recently announced Downloads for you, a new feature for Android users who will preemptively download a program you’ve never watched on your phone. It’s a new twist on the ability to download and store episodes and movies on your phone in order to save to your mobile data plan or watch offline if your data connection is irregular or non-existent (for example, if you want to watch to a program not a long journey.).

Netflix can now delete things you’ve watched and download new episodes on its own thanks to the Smart Downloads feature. According to Netflix, the download is available on Android devices running Android 4.4.2 or higher, as well as iPhones running iOS 9.0 or later.

Now that there are three different methods to download Netflix shows and movies to your phone, it can get a little confusing. Below, I’ll walk you through how to download on demand, as well as outline what you need to know about Smart Downloads and Downloads for you.

How to download Netflix movies and programs to your iPhone or Android phone

If you spend a lot of time in the Netflix app on your phone or tablet, you’ve probably seen the download option when browsing the Netflix catalog, along with the Downloads tab at the bottom of the screen.

When you find a program or movie that you want to keep on your device to watch at any time, tap the Download next to each list and the app will take care of the rest. By default, the app will only download anything when you are connected to a Wi-Fi network. (More information on how to change this setting below.)

Enabling Smart Downloads is very simple

If you often download things to watch, we recommend enabling Smart Downloads. This feature will automatically delete things you’ve already watched and download new episodes of the programs you’re consuming without having to do anything.

Enable Smart Downloads by going to the Downloads tab. At the top of the screen there should be a prompt to activate the feature. Touch it and slide the switch to the On position.

Try ‘Downloads for you’ on your Android phone

Downloads for you are currently only available on Android phones and tablets. Netflix said it will start testing it on iPhones and iPads soon, but has not provided any type of availability schedule.

Activate the new feature by opening the Netflix app on your Android device and navigating to the Downloads tab. I was asked to activate the feature the first time I opened the tab after it was announced, but if you don’t see the prompt (or already closed it because you didn’t know what it was), tap the Smart Downloads button at the top of the screen.

Setting up downloads for you is easy, but it requires you to set the amount of storage you will allow Netflix to use. The Netflix ad said users would have a choice of 1 GB, 3 GB or 5 GB, but I was able to adjust from 0.5 GB to 9.5 GB in half gigabyte increments when I set it up on Pixel 5. Choose an amount of storage that you’re familiar with using Netflix and tap Turn on.

Once connected, Netflix will automatically download and store programs and movies that you will like, based on your viewing history. It can even download things for each profile linked to your Netflix account, so instead of setting it up to download things for your profile, you can allow it to download cartoons and movies for the profile your kids use. You will need to access the Netflix application settings to control how much space each profile can use on your device. All downloads will take place over Wi-Fi by default, and if you decide that Netflix doesn’t know you very well, you can turn it off at any time.

Where to find your download settings in the Netflix app

If you want to make adjustments to the amount of storage that each profile can use, or adjust other settings related to downloads in the Netflix app, you need to open the app and then tap your profile icon at the top of the screen. Then select Application settings where you will find a section called Downloads. There you can adjust and adjust how the application will use the data, disable only Wi-Fi and customize the amount of storage it will use according to your preference.

When you are finished locating your Netflix downloads, learn how to download programs at Disney Plus, Prime Video or HBO Max.