Netflix Android App Extends Offline Movie And TV Show Downloads To SD Cards

netflix mobile
Back in late November, Netflix brought offline playback to mobile customers thanks to updated iOS and Android apps. Offline downloads had been a long-requested feature from subscribers, and similar functionality is available with the competing Amazon Prime Video streaming service.

Today, we’re learning that Netflix is extending this offline download support for Android users. You can now save downloaded TV shows and movies directly to a microSD card. This is definitely welcome news for users that have limited onboard storage, especially given that large-capacity microSD cards are relatively cheap these days.

The newest iteration of the Netflix app for Android makes it easy to select from internal or external storage (you’ll of course have to grant the app permission to perform the latter function).

netflix offline

It should be noted that just because you can now save movies and TV shows to your microSD card doesn’t mean that you can just horde episodes of Friends and binge watch them whenever you want. Downloaded content is in effect time-bombed, and will expire after a preset amount of time.

“Once you download a title to your device, you will have a limited amount of time to watch it before it expires,” writes Netflix. “The amount of time depends on individual licenses, and can vary by title. Titles that are expiring from your device in less than 7 days will display the amount of time you have left on the 'My Downloads' page of the Netflix app.”

The latest Netflix app (version 4.13) for Android is available for everyone to download right now from the Google Play Store.

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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