Netflix has long allowed you to download shows for offline viewing. It also has the Smart Downloads feature that automatically downloads the next episode of the TV show you're watching once you finish watching the already downloaded episode.
Now, Netflix is adding a new partial downloads feature to its app that will let you watch partially downloaded TV shows. If you are always on the move or only have access to a slow internet connection, this feature will be a boon for your Netflix-viewing habits.
Watch Partially Downloaded Shows on Netflix
Up until now, you could not watch the TV show or movie that you were downloading on Netflix on your smartphone until it finished downloading.
This will no longer be the case for Android users going forward, as they will be able to watch partially downloaded TV shows and movies. And once you are back online, the Netflix app will prompt you to resume downloading the show.
If you travel a lot and tend to download TV shows and movies on Netflix via the airport Wi-Fi or slow mobile data, the partial downloads feature will ensure that you'll be able to watch at least the part of the download that's complete.
The feature will also be useful for people who tend to use mobile data to download Netflix shows and have a daily data cap. They can pause the download when they hit their daily data limit, watch the part of the show that's downloaded, and then resume downloading it again the next day.
As of now, Netflix is only bringing the partial downloads feature to Android phones and tablets.
In its announcement on the Netflix website, the company says that it is testing partial downloads on iPhones and iPads as well. The feature should launch on the platform in the "coming months." Additionally, Netflix will also test its Downloads for You feature on iPhone and iPad in the near future.
Partially downloaded TV shows and movies on Netflix will show up in the Downloads section and "Continue Watching" section of the app.
Netflix's App Experience Remains Unrivaled
Apart from content, Netflix's app experience also remains one of the platform's key strengths.
While Amazon, Apple, and Disney all offer a polished app for both Android and iOS, Netflix beats all of them in terms of user experience with features like Smart Downloads, Download for You that automatically downloads TV shows and movies that you might like, and now partial downloads.