Somehow, Netflix just made streaming a whole lot easier for its users.
The popular streaming service just announced via Twitter that they would be rolling out a feature called “Smart Downloads.”
Couldn't be more proud of the great team that created Smart Downloads. This is a huge win for Netflix members, and shows our commitment to always putting the member experience first @cdjohnson https://t.co/tEgIC2qAK3
— We Are Netflix (@WeAreNetflix) July 10, 2018
The new feature is an upgrade to the pre-existing “downloads” feature. In 2016, Netflix added a feature to its platform that allowed users to download content to watch without WiFi. The download feature was a game-changer for commuters everywhere.
The new feature, entitled “Smart Downloads,” will delete downloaded episodes once the user has finished watching them.
For example, if you have downloaded season 4, episodes 4, 5 and 6 of Friends to your device, once episode 4 is finished, episode 7 will start downloading in its place. This allows content to be constantly cycled into your device, enhancing the user experience.
In the past, users could only watch the amount of episodes they downloaded and had to wait until they could reconnect to the internet to add new episodes. For people on the go it was a great alternative to keep up with their favorite shows, but it limiting if not connected to a Wifi network because it would still use the same amount of data as traditional streaming.
The current download features requires users to have a minimum of 440 megabytes of available storage on their device to watch a single show in HD. Within 48 hours, the episodes would expire, even if not finished. Otherwise episodes would expire after 7 days.
According to Netflix, this new feature is being tested on Androids and tablets with the latest update of the app.
If users don’t want to activate this feature, they can change the settings within the download icon near the content. The feature will only be activated if the user is connected to WiFi, which is amazing for your device. Smart Downloads won’t touch your data plan AND won’t impact your device’s storage because the content will be deleted after watching. For people who watch on the go, this feature will still protect their data and storage while they still can enjoy their favorite shows.
Featured image via Jade87 on Pixabay
