Netflix is continuing to improve its mobile download feature and now allows users to watch downloaded content even if the download didn’t complete.
The streaming service said that once users have regained a strong enough connection, they can choose to finish the download and keep watching. That means that if a download was disrupted due to a maxed-out data plan, users can avoid overage charges for exceeding data limits.
“We always want to make it easier for members to access their favorite series or movies regardless of language, device, connectivity, or location. So partial downloading is now available on Android phones and tablets, and we’ll begin testing on iOS in the coming months,” said Keela Robison, vice president of product Innovation at Netflix.
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Netflix has for years offered a mobile download feature for both Android and iOS devices and has steadily made tweaks to improve the experience.
Earlier this year the company introduced Downloads For You, a new feature that will automatically download shows or movies that it thinks users will like. The new feature—which showed up first on Android—can be turned on from the Downloads tab on a mobile device. Users can choose the amount of content they want downloaded to their device –1GB, 3GB or 5GB.
In 2019, the company introduced its smart download feature to iOS devices after launching it on Android the year prior. The feature deletes a downloaded episode when a user finishes watching and then automatically downloads the next episode. The feature only kicks in when a device is connected to a Wi-Fi network.
“We know how annoying it can be to go through all your apps and delete files you no longer need; we also understand that when it comes to Netflix, the faster you can get to the next episode you want to watch, the better,” wrote Cameron Johnson, director of product innovation at Netflix, in a blog post.