The Netflix app for iOS has been given a handy feature. The application will now automatically download episodes of the series you are watching. We show how it works.
Netflix Smart Downloads for iOS
The Smart Downloads feature has been available for Android for a while, but it’s finally here for iOS users. The feature is extremely useful if you often download the episodes of your favorite Netflix series, so that you can watch them without an internet connection. Here’s how it works: once you’ve downloaded an episode, Smart Downloads will remove it and automatically get the next episode ready for you.
Smart Downloads only works over a Wi-Fi connection, so you don’t have to worry about consuming a lot of data in the background. In addition, you won’t get in trouble with the storage space of your iPhone or iPad, because the episode you’ve watched is immediately deleted (and thus immediately frees up storage space again). That ensures – if all goes well – that you never run out of storage available for downloading episodes.
Also handy: Smart Downloads also looks closely at the episodes that can be removed. For example, do you have three episodes of The Haunting of Hill House downloaded with the Netflix app, episode 4 won’t be downloaded until you’ve watched all three. The first episode will be deleted at the same time, while the second and third episodes will remain on your iPhone for a while, so that you can still watch parts.
That is how it works
Smart Downloads is automatically turned on, but you can also turn it on or off manually. To do this, follow the steps below.
- Open the Netflix app on your iPhone or iPad;
- Tap the ‘Downloads’ section at the bottom right, after which you will see at the top whether Smart Downloads is enabled;
- If you tap on Smart downloads, you can turn the feature on or off;
- This can also be done via the settings of the Netflix app. To do this, go to the ‘More’ button at the bottom right, choose ‘App settings’ and under ‘Downloads’ you will see the function.
Download the Netflix app
You can download the latest version of the Netflix iOS app via the button below. Looking for new series and movies to watch? Check out our Netflix tips from January 2019!
Check out more Netflix tips
- December 2018 Netflix Tips: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Watership Down
- November 2018 Netflix Tips: The Sinner, Dogs
- October 2018 Netflix Tips: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Daredevil
- September 2018 Netflix Tips: Maniac, The Dragon Prince
- August 2018 Netflix Tips: Arrival, Disenchanted