Netflix for Android has just gotten a lot better thanks to one simple feature addition. And this particular new feature marks a rare occasion, because it’s nowhere to be found in the iPhone version of Netflix’s app. In fact, this is the type of feature the iPhone will surely never get.
Netflix for Android will now let you download movies and TV shows for offline viewing, and you can store them directly on microSD cards. That means you won’t have to hog your phone’s main memory with videos. It also means that you can just buy a few high-capacity microSD cards — they go up all the way to 256GB of storage — and download all of your favorite shows so you have them with you on the go.
Android Users – You can now download to your SD card so there's always room for more. pic.twitter.com/Uqt2GSjPw5
— Netflix (@netflix) January 24, 2017
The iPhone doesn’t support expandable storage, and it’ll probably never will. But at least the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus come with extra built-in storage if you need more space for Netflix downloads. On Android, you will now be prompted to choose where to save your downloads, either on Device Storage or the microSD card inside.
A Netflix rep told Engadget that you can download content to multiple SD cards. “However, there are limits to how many simultaneous downloads a member can download at one time, along with limits on how long a download will remain accessible,” the person said. “This ensures that the feature is being used for its intended purpose.”
Also of note, the downloaded shows can only be played on the device they were originally downloaded to, a move that’s likely meant to prevent piracy. Just update your Netflix app to the latest version to take advantage of this new feature.
