
The 30-day expiry date isn't marked in the download list, you're just given a seven-day countdown as the date approaches, which makes it more difficult to manage your offline library before a long trip. As it is, you're in danger of wasting a lot of time and data downloading offline content that's still going to leave you in the lurch.Īfter chasing Netflix for more details I learned that all downloads expire after 30 days, even if you haven't watched them - something which isn't included in the FAQ but that Netflix should have explained.

Sometimes the expiry timer starts from when you press play, but again there's no way to know this up front - which is especially frustrating if you're downloading content for young children who tend to want to watch the same things over and over. The problem is that the expiry limits aren't listed alongside each movie and TV episode, so if you're planning for a long trip there's absolutely no way to know how long the movie or TV show you're downloading will stay on your phone. Instead, the download option seems to be intended as a short-term feature, requiring you to plan ahead when you expect to need it in the near future. If you can't keep downloads on your device indefinitely then Netflix offline isn't very practical as a "break glass in case of emergency" library, keeping a few episodes of Archer on standby for those times when your flight is delayed. Once you have started playing one of these titles, you will see how many hours you have left before the title expires on the "My Downloads" page. Titles that are expiring from your device in less than 7 days will display how much time you have left on that title on the "My Downloads" page of the Netflix app.įor some titles, viewing offline must be completed within 48 hours of starting the play.


The amount of time you can view a title depends on individual licenses and can vary by title. Netflix downloads are more fleeting than you might hope for.
