Quite some time ago, downloaded movies were transferred from PC to devices for on the go viewing.
But the ubiquity of streaming services means all the entertainment you could ever want is at your fingertips, provided you have a solid internet connection.
Still, Wi-Fi isn’t everywhere and dead zones are real. Ask anyone whose commute involves the road. When you’re approaching the end of an episode and you run out of buffered video, shit gets real.
Thankfully, many streaming services now have the option to download content for offline viewing. That means you can finish that film or TV season finale even as you enter a place of low network reception.
Streaming requires an internet connection, right? well, here below is how you can download videos from your favorite online streaming services in Nigeria.
Netflix
If you already have a show or film in mind, go to the listing and look for the download icon under the description. If it’s a TV show, scroll down and look for it next to the individual episode(s).
Tap it and your selection will download to your device; when you want to want to watch later, again hit the Downloads button on the main screen.
If storage is a concern, set Netflix to Standard Video quality, which downloads faster and uses less space.
Tap the hamburger menu (three lines) > App Settings > Video Quality > Standard. Here you can also set the Netflix app to only download over Wi-Fi, activate “Smart Downloads”
So the app grabs the next episode when you finish one, check internal storage to see how much space you have left and how much is currently used by Netflix videos, and delete all downloads at once.
On Android, you can set the Download Location: if you have external storage options like an SD card, tell Netflix to send downloads there.
Playback is limited to the device that downloaded it; the app essentially puts DRM on the file, locking it to the device where the app that downloaded it resides. That means you can’t swap cards with friends or even to your own devices (like a PC).
Amazon Prime Video
To watch a downloaded show or movie, tap the Downloads button on iOS and My Stuff > Downloads on Android.
If storage is an issue, on iOS go to Settings > Streaming & Downloading > Download Quality and select Good, Better, or Best, which are described by how much space an hour of video uses up (Best is 1 hour using 0.9GB of data and storage on iOS or 0.46GB on Android).
On Android, go to My Stuff > Settings gear icon > Stream & Download > Download Quality. Android users get a Data Saver setting for really small, low-res versions.
If you want to change it with each download, set it to Always Ask, and you’ll get a pop-up with each click of the download icon.
Under Stream & Download, set it to only download on Wi-Fi to spare your carrier or your phone data charges; you can do the same on iOS under Settings > Streaming & Downloading > Download on Wi-Fi Only.
Note that you have to be the paying member to download; it doesn’t work for Amazon Household members.
Disney+
The latest (for now!) video streamer of note is Disney+, which offers the ability to download videos for offline viewing via its iOS and Android apps.
When you’re viewing the info on a show or movie, click the Download icon (arrow pointing down). With TV shows, you can download a whole season at once, or grab episodes individually.
To find downloads later, tap the Downloads icon from the main navigation bar at the bottom of the app. You’ll get a full list of what’s available offline.
There’s no limit to how much you can download except for how much storage is on your device. However, downloads expire if you don’t access the app every 30 days.
Tap the Edit icon at top to delete videos en masse, or swipe an item left and tap the trashcan icon. Expired items will have an exclamation point in a circle warning icon.
You have to delete those and go back into the main interface and re-download them again if you still want them offline.
YouTube Premium
Once you’ve subscribed, the application will display a Premium logo. Click the Save icon on a video on your iOS or Android phone or tablet and select your video quality: Medium (360p video) or High (720p)—some offer a Low (144p) option.
Grab a whole playlist if you desire. The icon turns blue after the download is complete. Access them from the Library tab, under Downloads.
Naturally, YouTube Premium restricts playback to a device signed into the same account. Downloads disappear after 30 days. After the free trial, you’ll only see the download button when you subscribe.
Once you are down to only 5 percent or less storage on a device, you can’t download videos with YouTube Premium until you clear some space.
Downloads work for all YouTube Originals. None of those shows are exactly household names, but that may be because you’re not under 18.
CBS
You’ll find the app rife with download icons in circles, indicating much of the content is available to watch offline.
If you’re not subscribed, clicking to download either pops up a warning that you have to pay, or offers you a one-week free trial. You can access all downloads from the hamburger menu > Downloads, naturally.
Dc Universe
The DC Universe app combines comic book reading with super-heroic movies and TV shows and short videos, and you can download a lot of that video for offline viewing.
There’s no obvious download button, however; click the vertical ellipsis menu (3 dots) and the menu options include Download.
You can then find the list under My DC. (It’s very easy to find for TV show episodes, even old shows like the 1970s Wonder Woman.
You can only download 25 videos at once (across multiple devices, so five movies on an iPad and three on an Android phone counts as eight downloads).
You can only download the same video twice in one year. You can go into My DC > Settings > Download quality to switch from standard-def to high-def, which is about five times more storage space in difference.
The Downloads heading will show you how much space you’re using and you can set it to only be able to download via Wi-Fi, so you don’t eat up your mobile carrier data
Apple Tv +
The streaming from Apple features quite a few original shows now, and you can download them if you use Apple’s TV app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Every show has a download icon (the cloud with the arrow pointing down) next to the episode.
To find it later, just click Library at the bottom of the app. That’ll display stuff you bought back in the iTunes days all the way up to downloads you just made from the streaming service.
Library is also where you delete videos; click Edit, select shows, then hit Delete.
