For some time, Netflix has offered a tool that allows automatic downloads to your smartphone. This means that according to the tastes that Netflix’s algorithm considers you have, it will download series and movies that you might like so that you can watch them when you do not have internet on your mobile.
Is this function useful? It will depend on your situation. In my case, this function was very useful. I often take the plane and I often take the subway. Often, I forget to download content manually, so in those cases of forgetting, it is very good for me to open the download tab and see that Netflix has downloaded several series and movies for me.
However, you may not be completely satisfied with this new feature. Maybe you think it takes up too much space on your mobile or maybe you feel like the algorithm is not able to correctly choose the series you like the most and you prefer to choose them yourself.
Also, you should know that you can set a GB limit to accumulate downloads and configure other options of this new tool. We tell you more below.
And if you’re looking for inspiration on finding a good Netflix series to watch these days, don’t miss our catalog of the best series available on Netflix.
How does Netflix’s auto-download feature work?
If you have not yet entered the Netflix app on your mobile, you will see that if it has been updated, a notification like this appears:
Even if no notification appears, you can go to the ‘Downloads’ section, at the bottom right of the screen. Just below your downloads, you’ll see a slideshow explaining what Netflix’s “Downloads for You” is all about.
Press the ‘Settings’ button. The next thing you’ll need to do is choose how much GB you want to dedicate to backing up downloads. The space you can grant will depend on your device storage. We recommend that you do not overdo it because you are not interested in running out of space to take photos or download other applications on your mobile if you wish.
The minimum space you can grant is 0.5 GB of space, which is equivalent to 2 hours of series and movies.
If you’re worried about data being spent on the internet with so many downloads, you don’t need to worry. Netflix has configured this feature so that automatic downloads are only performed when you have a Wi-Fi connection on your mobile.
Once you have chosen the space you want to dedicate to automatic downloads, you will see that just below your manual downloads, a new ‘automatic downloads’ section appears. In my case, they recommend me to come back later to see what series and movies they found for me.
How to Disable Netflix Auto-Download Feature
If you’ve enabled the new auto-download feature, but regret it, there’s no need to worry, since you can disable this feature at any time.
To disable automatic downloads, all you have to do is go to the ‘downloads’ section (bottom right of the screen) and touch the configuration wheel with the title ‘automatic downloads’.
A new menu will open in which you must deactivate the second option that appears, just the first under “Downloads for you”.
That’s it, just by disabling this function, no download will be done automatically on your mobile.
You can also choose which users in your Netflix account can enable this feature and you can select how much space you want to give them. These can be different amounts of GB for each of the users.
However, automatic downloads will be performed in the same smartphone where you activate them.