Skip to main content

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

Netflix-Android
emevil/123RF.com
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.

Of course, users won’t be able to share SD cards between personal Android devices. Offline content downloaded to a SD card is only accessible on that specific device. In addition, Netflix has included DRM to halt users from transferring the files to a computer in order to watch video on a larger screen. The files are encoded in a “.nfv” format, thus making the content incompatible with media players on other devices.

As detailed on the Google Play store, Netflix indicates that the SD card storage feature will not be available on all Android devices. It’s unclear if that notation is directed at users operating older versions of Android or users that simply have an Android phone without a SD card slot. At this time, Netflix hasn’t released a full list of compatible devices that can take advantage of the new feature.

Editors' Recommendations

Mike Flacy
By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…
9 best Netflix TV shows of 2023, ranked
A man sits in a spaceship staring blankly in a scene from Black Mirror's Beyond the Sea episode.

Netflix might be facing increasing competition from a growing number of quality shows offered on other streaming services, but it continues to deliver exciting shows of its own across every genre. From dramas to thrillers, documentaries to sitcoms, shows that were surprise hits to ones that are finally coming to an end, there was so much to watch on Netflix this year.

Which were the best shows? They feature high-profile actors like Aaron Paul, Keri Russell, and Michael Cera, as well as relative newcomers like Gabriel Basso. They include a docuseries, gothic horror film, dystopian speculative fiction, and a political thriller, among others. If you haven’t yet watched any of these eight shows, they’re all worth your time. Once you work your way through these series, check out the best shows on Netflix.
9. The Crown (2016-2023)

Read more
Like Netflix’s new sci-fi movie The Kitchen? Then watch these three great shows
Izi and Benji run together in The Kitchen.

The sci-fi genre covers a wide range of stories set in various strange worlds. Some science fiction is set in a far-flung future or in a distant galaxy, while other sci-fi stories occupy worlds that feel much more obviously like our own. There disparate settings can offer some insights into the world we actually live in and can be the basis for truly fascinating stories.

Netflix's The Kitchen, which is set in a future world where all public housing has been eliminated, definitely exists in a pretty grounded version of reality. Like all of the best sci-fi movies on Netflix, though, it also has plenty to say about how we live today. If you've watched and enjoyed the movie, these are three sci-fi shows that may scratch that same itch.
Black Mirror (2011 - present)
Black Mirror: Season 6 | Official Trailer | Netflix

Read more
Don’t let these 3 hidden January streaming TV shows fly under your radar
Three men at a table in a bar, one looking ahead intensely in a scene from Sexy Beast on Paramount+.

Let me guess: You already have shows like True Detective: Night Country, Expats, and all those Chicago series on tap to watch in January. But new shows are coming out this month that you’ll want to add to the list. Available on streaming services like Peacock, Netflix, and Paramount+, these shows are very different from one another. But they’re all exciting new entries to the streaming TV space.

Two new shows are prequels to popular movies, Ted and Sexy Beast. One, meanwhile, is a new show starring recent Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh. What are they about? Here’s a quick rundown to convince you not to let these three streaming TV shows fly under your radar this January.
Ted (2023)

Read more