How Netflix’s New Smart Downloads Feature Works

How Netflix’s New Smart Downloads Feature Works

Perhaps some of you live on the wild side. You stream Netflix on the train because you have a sexy high data cap and DGAF. I respect that.

And then there are us cautious types. We carefully download the shows and movies we want to watch in transit from the comfort of our glorious Wi-Fi. If this accurately describes life, you’re probably aware of Smart Download. This downloads the next episode of whatever show you’re obsessively watching so you don’t have to do it manually.

This functionality has now been extended a little further.

[referenced url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2019/12/netflix-is-testing-a-shuffle-feature-that-could-make-your-binges-even-lazier/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/jqkocr2z7ogckedegnc3.jpg” title=”Netflix Is Testing A Shuffle Feature That Could Make Your Binges Even Lazier” excerpt=”Series-binging sometimes means throwing on random reruns of a favourite series just to keep you occupied”it’s one of the great benefits of cord-cutting, after all. But the lack of a shuffle function on many popular platforms means you’re generally stuck committing to a season and starting from the top or cherry-picking what to watch next after each individual episode.”]

Beta testers are now being treated to a new Downloads For You feature. What this basically does is download content you haven’t watched yet, but the algorithm says you’re probably going to like.

It will only download on Wi-Fi so you don’t have to worry about it sucking up all your data. It will also only take up an additional 1GB of space, though you can configure it to use more if you so desire.

You can also choose to allocate certain storage amounts to the different profiles on your account. For example, perhaps you want to have 2TB of offline storage but want to flex your account holder powers by restricting your mum to a mere 1TB.

Some other features that are being tested include in-app brightness controls and playback specification. The latter lets you see device-specific settings for playback, which is handy if your phone is HDR-compatible. It will also be able to detetc which codec it supports and maximum playback resolution.

We have reached out to Netflix locally to try and find out when the features will be rolled out more widely.

In the meantime, if you’re an Android user you can become a beta tester by following this link. Just make sure you’re logged into Google profile associated with your Android device.


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