Netflix Smart Downloads feature is now on Apple iPhone and iPad

Netflix has rolled out a new feature for customers on Apple iPhones and iPad from today, making it easier to manage your offline downloads.

Streaming giant Netflix has made its Smart Downloads feature available for customers on Apple iPhones and iPad from today.

When turned on, the feature enables the streaming service to automatically manage a user’s downloads, making it easier for them to watch their favourite shows while on the go.

In 2016, Netflix introduced a downloads function so people could watch certain content on their mobile or tablet device while offline. But the company noticed that people tended to just downloaded two or three episodes of a show at a time, rather than downloading the whole season.

So Netflix built a capability that takes care of it for you called Smart Downloads. When activated, the next time the mobile app connects to Wi-Fi it will automatically download the next available episode in the series and delete the episodes you just finished watching to free up space on your device.

If you download episode one, two and three, and watched episode one, the app will automatically download episode four and delete the first episode.

The company rolled out the feature to mobiles and tablets running on Android software in July last year and it has now made it available to Apple users.

“The faster our members can get to the next episode of their favourite stories, the better. Now, fans on the Netflix iOS app can get in on the fun and convenience of Smart Downloads, spending less time managing their downloads and more time watching,” Netflix says.