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Norine Wiltshire
Learn how to adjust your downloads settings to get Netflix to automatically manage it for you with its Smart Downloads features, and how to manage downloads for countries with restricted licenses. For more, learn about Netflix's hidden menu or see CNET's reviews of all the streaming services
If you're familiar with using Netflix on your mobile device, you've probably noticed the dark "Download" button that sits right below "Play." Clicking that button starts a download of a local version of the movie or TV show you want.
You can download Netflix movies and TV shows on iPhone, iPad, Android and Amazon Fire devices, as well as computers with Windows 10 or 11 and some Chromebooks and Chromeboxes. Netflix downloads are set by default to only use Wi-Fi, though you can change that in your app settings.
TV shows can be downloaded individually by clicking the download icon next to each episode. On Android devices, you can download an entire season of a show by tapping the separate Download Season button next to the My List, Rate and Share links near the top of a movie or show listing.
Netflix allows you to keep a maximum of 100 downloads on as many devices as are included in your subscription plan. Each of the downloads has a different expiration date based on its content license -- some expire as early as 48 hours after you first start watching. Downloads can be renewed, but some have a limit on how many times per year. If a movie or show leaves the Netflix service, all downloads for it immediately expire.
You can delete individual movies and shows by unselecting the check box next to each title. You can remove all of your downloads by going into your App Settings and clicking "Delete all downloads" under Downloads.
A "Downloads" tab (called "My Downloads" on Windows) that sits at the bottom of the Netflix app shows you which downloads are in your library and lets you play them. It also lets you customize your download settings, such as Smart Downloads.
When turned on, Download Next Episode will automatically delete TV show episodes once you've watched them and then download the next episode in the season. It's a no-brainer for anyone who downloads TV shows, which is probably why the feature is turned on by default in Netflix apps.
Downloads for You expands the automatic downloading and deleting options for Netflix that are used in Download Next Episode. The feature is available in the iPhone, iPad and Android versions of the Netflix app, as well as some Chromebooks and Chromeboxes.
After Downloads for You is turned on, Netflix uses your viewing habits and preferences to download movies and TV shows that the service thinks you will like. Once you watch them, they're automatically deleted.
If you don't want to watch a downloaded title, you can delete it the same way you would delete downloads that you initiated manually. You can also click the icon of a square surrounded by a broken circle to cancel downloads in progress. Downloads for You only works over Wi-Fi.
Turning that feature on will then open up options for limiting how much data Netflix will automatically download for each user profile, anywhere from 0.5GB to 9.5GB. (Netflix notes that one hour of video at normal quality is about 0.25GB.)
Whether a movie or TV show can be downloaded on Netflix depends on its content license, and licenses vary from title to title. Netflix says that it tries to make as many titles available for download as possible, and when a movie or show is not downloadable it's usually because of three reasons:
In my informal survey, the titles I found mostly likely to be excluded from downloading are popular TV shows from cable or broadcast networks. "Grey's Anatomy," "Gilmore Girls" and "The Walking Dead" are three shows you can stream on Netflix, but not download.
Geographical restrictions that limit streaming titles in certain countries also apply to downloaded movies and TV shows. If you're traveling in a country where Netflix is not showing the title you downloaded, you won't be able to watch it, even though you already downloaded it in your home country.
Trying to watch a downloaded movie in a country where Netflix doesn't show it will result in an error message in the Netflix app: "Download Not Available in This Country -- Not all downloads are available to watch in every country."
VPN software that create virtual private networks can be used to get around geographical restrictions, but Netflix makes a strong effort to block VPN from working with its service. Using a VPN to bypass geo-blocking could also be considered a violation of Netflix's terms of use.
Atlas was just entertaining enough, but there's only one way I would be interested in watching another movie set in this world. As a sci-fi fan with a special place in my heart for a good mech battle, the Netflix movie had me intrigued. The project was especially interesting given Jennifer Lopez's involvement since this isn't the genre this star is typically associated with. However, Atlas didn't quite fulfill its potential. The big AI twist left more questions than answers, meaning that Netflix needs to go backward before proceeding with another sequel.
Atlas picks up with an intro that explains how AI-powered robots have rebelled against the human population, causing the largest genocide in history. This all started with a bot named Harlan, who belonged to genius scientist Dr. Val Shepherd, the inventor of this advanced AI and a Neural Link device that allows unparalleled connection between humans and robots. The big question of Atlas is why Harlan turned on humanity, and the disappointing answer was that his Neural Link connection with Dr. Shepherd's daughter, Atlas (Lopez), made him realize the risk humans posed to themselves. It's the oldest trick in the book.
Atlas spent a lot of time setting up the big reveal that Lopez's character was the one who made Harlan aware of humanity's threat to the environment, but it didn't commit to the bit. This is an overused AI trope, and though I enjoyed the mech battles and the heartwarming (albeit cheesy) connection between Atlas and Smith, the movie seriously lacked a foundation because of this. All we know is that a young Atlas allowed a two-way Neaural Link with Harlan, and the AI suddenly believed that the vast majority of humans had to be killed to save the species as a whole. Unfortunately, I'm not sold.
Netflix's 2024 sci-fi seemed to think that audiences would accept this age-old trope without question, but the genre has come way too far for this. If Atlas was set up as a standalone film, it might have gotten away with this superficial explanation for Harlan's big change, but the movie heavily implied that the villain would return to threaten humanity again in a sequel. While I wouldn't mind seeing Atlas and Smith again team up to save the world, a prequel adding more substance to Harlan's villain arc would need to happen first.
Of course, a significant draw for Atlas was Lopez's leading role, and since Harlan turned to evil while her character was only a child, the actor couldn't return for a prequel movie. However, with the promise of more Atlas and Smith movies, Netflix might be able to get away with focusing instead on Lana Parrilla's Val Shepherd. The scientist would be the key to Harlan's change since it was her Neural Link prototype that Atlas used to create a two-way connection between herself and the bot. There is clearly a lot we don't know about Dr. Shepherd and her creation, and a prequel would hold the answers.
Parrilla isn't as big a name as Lopez, so going from a minor role in Atlas to a leading role in a prequel would be quite a stretch. However, as a fan of Once Upon a Time, I'm confident that the actor would be up for the challenge. Parrilla was both a phenomenal villain and hero in the ABC series, and this could be applied to a more focused look at the Dr. Shepherd character. Once Upon a Time might have been a little cheesy, but this kind of drama isn't outside the realm of sci-fi. In all, Parrilla is just the actor to set the stage for future Atlas movies.
Though Harlan's weak backstory was a disappointment, this isn't to say that Atlas didn't have promise as a longer movie franchise. The film carried some interesting themes about the connection between living beings and what these ties mean when a person dies. Atlas' AI-powered mech mentioned that he believed all beings, whether organic or artificial, live forever through the profound links formed during their lives, and his theory was proven correct in Atlas' ending when Smith was seemingly brought back from the dead. Of course, this teases that Harlan will also return, thus setting up a sequel.
I'm a sucker for a sci-fi story with some deeper moral or theological themes, so I'm certainly intrigued by the concepts that future Atlas movies could explore. Moreover, Atlas and Smith have an almost buddy-cop appeal that could be fun now that they have been fully synched. My main reluctance to continue with the franchise is that it would almost certainly feature Harlan as a returning villain, and compared to the deeper themes of Atlas, his story was too shallow and unoriginal. So, if Netflix repairs this issue with an exciting prequel, I'm far more likely to hop on board for more movies.
Netflix has always been known for its volume of titles. Few streaming platforms have libraries that compare to Netflix's when it comes to the output of both originals and licensed content. The two latest additions to our best movies list, Godzilla Minus One and Hit Man, represent the best of both worlds. Licensing the Academy Award-winning Godzilla Minus One is a major get for the service, given that most American Godzilla flicks live on Max. And Richard Linklater's Hit Man, starring Glen Powell and Adria Arjona, could very well be Netflix's best original film of 2024.
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