Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

No Internet? No problem. Amazon now allows offline viewing on iOS, Android devices

Christine Persaud
By

amazon prime instant video offline viewing bosch 001
Amazon Studios
Amazon has become the first major subscription streaming service to allow users to download movies and TV shows for offline viewing on iOS and Android devices. You can almost hear the sound of the mortar fire streaking across the bow of the big red streaming machine that is Netflix.

Amazon Prime Instant Video members in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Austria can now grab select TV shows or full-length movies to watch on an airplane, in the car, or other places where Internet service is unavailable, or if you’d simply prefer not to use up your home broadband bandwidth or cellular data.

Recommended Videos

The option won’t cost you any additional fees, but not all of Amazon’s catalog will be available. The service does, however, note a fairly extensive list that includes original TV series like Bosch and Transparent; as well as popular binge-friendly programs like 24, Downton Abbey, Orphan Black, Sons of Anarchy, The Good Wife, The Newsroom, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Suits, among others.

Select children’s programming is also available offline, including Wishenpoof! (another Amazon original), Tumble Leaf, and Annedroids. On the movie side, you can download and view flicks like Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Captive, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and The Wolf of Wall Street.

Related: Apple may start producing original television shows and movies

Michael Paull, Vice President of Digital Video at Amazon, says the company recognizes that the way people watch entertainment is changing. “We are proud to be the first and only online subscription streaming service that enables offline viewing—on vacation, in a car, at the beach, on a plane, wherever our Prime members want to watch they can, regardless of Internet connection,” Paull said in a statement.

Amazon had already offered the ability for Prime members to download videos to their Fire devices, and the company reports that the reception has been overwhelmingly positive.

The Amazon Video app for iOS has already been updated to include Prime Video downloads. The Amazon Video app for Android  has been redesigned as a standalone video app, including the new offline downloading feature.

Making content even more accessible, Amazon has plans to soon offer streaming service for Prime members while flying JetBlue. Netflix, you’re up.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Christine Persaud
Christine Persaud
Contributor
Christine is a professional editor and writer with 18 years of experience in trade and consumer journalism. While she started…
You can now use an Android phone to log in to Google on an iOS device
google android phone physical security key account

Google is making it a little easier to sign into your Google apps and services on an iOS device. The company is taking advantage of the new security key feature in Android to allow people to use their Android phone to log in to Google services on iOS.

The new feature works through Google's Smart Lock app, which you need to have installed on your iPad or iPhone to make the Android security key feature work. You also need two-step verification enabled, and if both of those criteria are met, you will be able to hold down the volume key on your phone to sign in to your services.

Read more
Netflix adds SD card support on Android for downloading offline movies, TV shows
Netflix-Android

Added within an update to the Android version of the Netflix mobile app, subscribers will now have the ability to select a location other than the hard drive for storing large video files. Specific to version 4.13 of the Netflix app, users will need to select the “Download Location” option in the app settings menu in order to switch between hard drive storage or SD card storage.

Hypothetically, a Netflix subscriber could download a large quantity of movies and television shows to multiple SD cards and simply swap out the cards as needed. However, Netflix has set limits in place in regards to how long an offline video can be accessed; typically within a week. Time limits to finish each video vary based on each piece of content. For some movies and television shows, a subscriber must finish watching the video within 48 hours of hitting the play button.

Read more
iOS users can now stream just about every DirecTV channel data-free on AT&T
directv live streaming

DirecTV vastly expanded its live-streaming options for users of its mobile app on Wednesday, also giving access to recorded DVR programming. The satellite provider announced the feature as part of a regular update to its iOS app, the same time as parent company AT&T announced that DirecTV-streamed video no longer counts against a customer's data allotment.

It appears just about every channel is available to be streamed from tests of the app, including local programming and premium networks like HBO or Showtime, if you're subscribed to them. There's some obvious exceptions, such as the company's music channels, pay-per-view, and channels featuring adult or 4K content. The option is currently not available for Android, as the app on Google Play was most recently updated two weeks ago.

Read more