How to download episodes from Netflix, Amazon for offline viewing

Slow internet speed and power disruptions can make for horrible streaming experiences. However, streaming services now allow users to download content for offline viewing. Here's how:

Netflix

Select your favorite show or movie, then, tap the ‘Download’ icon on the bottom of your screen.

If it is a TV show, you will find the download option next to the episode and when you want to want to watch again hit the Downloads button on the main screen.

However, you cannot download the entire Netflix catalog to view offline, but you can have your fill of Netflix Originals.

You can save the settings to standard video quality to decrease file size. Simply press the ‘App Settings’ tab and then click on ‘Video Quality’ and once completed select ‘Standard’.

You can also set the Netflix app to only download over Wi-Fi and activate "Smart Downloads" so the app grabs the next episode when you finish one.

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For android users there is an option to choose download location, if you have an external storage option like an SD card then instruct Netflix to save 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

Amazon downloading is a bit more complicated then Netflix, you have to be the paying member to download; it doesn't work for Amazon Household members.

Select movies and videos streaming on Amazon's Prime Video available via Amazon Prime for $119 a year or separately for $8.99 per month and can be downloaded to a phone or tablet running iOS, Android, or Amazon's Fire OS.

There will be a ‘download’ option available on eligible videos in the Prime Video app on either iOS or Android. For an eligible TV show, download the whole season, or click next to an individual episode.

To save storage iOS users can go to ‘Settings’ and select ‘Streaming & Downloading’ and once you have completed this step click on the type of Quality and select Good, Better, or Best, which are described by how much space an hour of video uses up.

On Android, go to ‘My Stuff’ and select the Settings icon, press the ‘Stream & Download’ option, and pick the Quality of your choice.

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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 the ‘Settings’ option and select Streaming & Downloading and press the Download on Wi-Fi Only.

The main drawback is availability as not all shows are available to download and you will mostly find older shows that are no longer airing on TV.

Amazon is willing to rent or sell you individual movies and shows that are not streaming on Prime.

Apple iOS users will have to buy or rent on Amazon.com via a browser and then return to the Prime Video app to watch.

This article was origimally published on PCMag.