How To Stream Video Without an Internet Connection

Streaming video is one of the great entertainment inventions of our time. Before streaming video, you needed a TV with an antenna/cable box/satellite attached or a portable DVD player with physical DVDs to see your favorite shows. Now, you can take them with you on small, convenient devices. This is perfect for those who do a lot of traveling. But what if you are on an airplane or traveling so remotely that there is no internet service? Or what if you are on a limited data plan and want to make sure you don’t get overage charges? Thankfully, most streaming services offer an offline viewing option for just these sorts of situations.

YouTube

Let’s start with YouTube, since it’s probably the most popular video service. In order to make content available for offline viewing, you must have a YouTube Premium subscription.

Downloading

  • Login to youtube.com or the YouTube app using your YouTube Premium account.
  • Go to the video and click “Download” below the video.
  • When the download is complete, the download icon under the video will turn black.

Viewing

  • Visit youtube.com or open the app while logged in with your Premium account.
  • Click/tap on Downloads in the menu to access the list. App users will need to click on Library to see the Downloads menu option.
  • To remove the video from Downloads screen, click/tap “More” next to the video and select Remove from Downloads.
  • Confirm by clicking/tapping delete.

After downloading a video, you can play it offline for up to 29 days. After that, you must reconnect to the internet so the app can confirm the video is still available for offline viewing. If it’s not, the video will disappear.

Netflix

It is important to note that ad-supported Netflix plans do not include downloads. You must change to an ad-free plan before taking these steps.

Supported devices are:

  • iOS devices running version 9.0 or later
  • Android devices running 4.4.2 or later
  • Amazon Fire tablet running 4.0 or later
  • Windows 10 (1709 or later), Windows 11
  • Chromebook and Chromeboxes using the Netflix app from the Google Play store.

The Netflix app has a dedicated tab for “Available to download” in the “Categories” section if you wish to browse. On a Windows device, open the app and select the menu to see the download option. If you know the TV show or movie you want to download, search for it and look for the download icon:

Icon with downward facing arrow pointing to horizontal line

The Fine Print

  • You can have 100 items downloaded across devices.
  • You can save the download to an SD card.
  • Some videos expire 48 hours after you start them, while others don’t.
  • Some titles limit the number of times you can download them, while others don’t.
  • If a title leaves Netflix, your download disappears.

Hulu

In order to download, you need to be a subscriber on the ad-free level using the mobile app. If you have add-on subscriptions (like Showtime), you won’t be able to download add-on content. Likewise, content available on demand through the live TV tier is not available for download. If you are logged in with an ad-free account, you will see a download symbol on any eligible title you search for. Tap the symbol to download.

Supported Devices

Hulu supports pretty much every type of device, unless it isn’t updated: https://help.hulu.com/s/article/supported-devices.

The Fine Print

  • You can only download a total of 25 titles at a time across 5 devices.
  • Unwatched downloaded videos stay on the device for 30 days.
  • After you start watching, you have 48 hours to finish before it is no longer downloaded.

HBOMax

Most of the HBOMax streaming catalog is available for download. Like other services, you need to be signed in with an ad-free level plan to download content. Downloading is only available in the app (phone or tablet), and is done by tapping the download arrow icon on the item. To view your downloads in a list, tap the download icon on the bottom edge of the screen.

The Fine Print

  • Be sure to confirm your preferred language before downloading. You can’t change your audio track once you download.
  • You can only have 5 copies of the same show downloaded across your devices.
  • You can have up to 30 downloads at a time across devices (does not include expired)
  • After you start watching, the download expires in 48 hours.
  • You can renew an expired download from the download list by tapping the ! icon, and then renew.

Disney+

Like other services, downloading is only available on phones and tablets. There are also very few restrictions, except only being able to download the same title on 10 devices. Once you download a title, you can play it over and over and it never expires. Every 30 days you need to connect one of your Disney+ devices and tap the arrow to download the item. You don’t actually need to wait for it to download again, it just refreshes the download that is already on your device. Just be careful not to logout, or you will need to download all of your titles again. If your subscription expires, you lose access to your downloads.

Download Settings

One thing that is different about Disney+ is that you’ll want to configure your download settings before you download anything. Tap your profile picture, then app settings to enter the settings menu. Scroll to the downloads section.

Select options for video quality, which networks can download content, and where to save the downloads.

Downloading

  • To download a movie, click on the download arrow icon.
  • For a TV series, scroll down to Episodes.
    • To download the entire season, tap the download arrow icon next to Season, then tap the confirmation prompt.
    • Or, tap the download icon next to an individual episode.
    • To view your list of downloads, tap the download arrow icon at the bottom edge of the screen.

Amazon Prime

You can download video using a Fire tablet or through the Prime Video app on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows 10. On Android and Windows, you can choose where to save downloaded content. Due to varying licensing agreements, which titles can be downloaded seems hit or miss.

Downloading

  • For movies, go to the detail page and click the “Download” button.
  • To download an entire season of TV show episodes, select “Download Season” from the season’s detail page.
  • To download a single episode of a TV show, Scroll down to the episode list and click the download arrow icon next to the episode you want.

The Fine Print

  • You can only download an item on up to three devices at a time.
  • There is no concrete answer to how many titles you can download at a time. Several factors come into play, including your location.
  • Once a title is downloaded, you have 30 days to watch it. After starting it, you have 48 hours to finish watching.

Apple TV+

Apple TV+ has a smaller streaming library than some of the other services, but the good news is that most titles are available for download. You aren’t limited to the number of Apple Originals you can download, but they do state some of the partner services (like Starz) may have limits on the number of titles you can download on how many devices. If you reach a limit, you will get a notification.

Supported Devices

It probably won’t be a shock to learn that only Apple devices are supported for downloading. You can do so using the Apple TV app on a Mac, iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.

Downloading

  • Open the movie or show in the app on your device.
  • Tap the download button, which is next to the episode title for a TV show or on the cover art for a movie.
  • There is no option to download an entire TV season at once.
  • To watch downloaded content, open the app and select Library (icon on the bottom edge), then Downloaded. Open a show to see downloaded episodes.

Deleting

  • To delete in the app, return to the Downloaded list and tap the edit button on the upper-right. Select the items and tap delete. Confirm.
  • To delete on a Mac, hover over the title card or episode title and select the three-dot icon. Choose “delete from library”, then confirm.

Paramount+

Once again, an ad-free plan is needed for the ability to download. Downloads can be done on iOS and Android phones/tablets, unavailable on iOS 12 and Android 4.4 and below. Use the download icon next to a movie to TV show episode title to download. To watch them, tap Menu, then more, then Downloads, and then tap on the title you want to watch.

To delete from the list, swipe left on the title and select Delete. You may want to select the option to auto-delete after you finish watching to save space on your device. This option is in Menu, then More, then Settings. Toggle the option on.

The Fine Print

  • Unwatched videos will remain in your download library for 30 days.
  • One a video is started, you have 48 hours to finish it.
  • Limited to 25 downloaded videos at a time.
  • Limited to 5 copies of the same video across devices.

Peacock

You must be logged in on the app with the Premium Plus plan to download on Peacock. To download, tap the download icon in the bottom-right corner. To watch downloaded content, you must be offline. When you open the app offline, you are directed to your downloaded content. To delete, open the app and select the download icon in the bottom-left corner. On the content to delete, tap the icon that says, “Downloaded” and delete.

The Fine Print

  • Unwatched videos will remain in your download library for 30 days.
  • One a video is started, you have 48 hours to finish it.
  • Limited to 25 downloaded videos at a time.
  • Some pieces of content can only be downloaded twice. Per account. Ever.
  • Logging out or uninstalling Peacock removes downloaded items from the device.
  • Peacock is not clear about which types of devices support downloading.

Other Popular Services

Acorn

This service is pretty vague about limits, stating that there may be some limits to the number of times a title can be downloaded a year, and that titles may expire after some time. Like most services, not all of their content is available for download. To download, tap the down arrow icon next to a movie or TV show episode. To watch a download, open the app while you are offline and tap “view my downloads.”

Britbox

Interestingly, Britbox only allows downloading if you subscribed through Apple TV. They do not allow it on their own app, though they say they are exploring more download options for the future.

Summary

Downloading streaming content can be a great way to save data or enjoy content without an internet connection. Do you ever download streaming content to watch offline? Did you even know you could? Let us know in the comments.

How To Make Your Home Screen More Manageable and Efficient in Minutes: Apple Edition

Depending on how long you’ve had your smartphone, your home screen may be pretty crowded and unorganized. Luckily, there are easy ways you can organize your home screen.

screenshot of an iphone showing the home screen.

A Home screen is the main screen or screens on a smartphone where you can tap app icons to access the apps you have installed on your phone. In this post, we will discuss the Apple home screen. Stay tuned for an Android home screen post.

Home Screen and Dock

By default, an iOS device (iPhone or iPad) automatically adds a newly installed app to your home screen.

Screenshot showing location of page indicators and dock on an iPhone.

There is a dot for each home screen page you have. At the bottom of the screen some apps are displayed regardless of which page you are on. This area is called the dock.

Moving and Deleting Apps

To rearrange apps, hold your finger down on an empty area of the screen. The apps will start to wiggle and each app will have a minus symbol next to it. From here, drag the apps into the desired order. If there is an app you use frequently, you can drag it into the dock on the bottom of the screen.

screenshot showing the screen with minus symbols next to each icon

Tapping on the minus symbol next to an app gives you several options. Delete app removes the app completely from your device. You will get a confirmation that verifies that you want to remove the app completely. The second option is to remove the app from the Home Screen. This removes the app icon shortcut, but the app is still on your device and can be accessed on the App Library screen.

screenshot show the message that appears when remove app is tapped. The options include delete app, remove from home screen, and cancel.

Using Folders

You can group your apps into folders. For example, if you have more than one weather app, you may want to put them into a folder called Weather. To create a folder, long-press a blank area of the screen until the apps wiggle. Next, drag an app to another app you’d like to group it with. This automatically creates a folder. A default name is given, usually related to the type of apps you are grouping. To change the name, tap on the folder, and then the name of the folder. To remove a folder, drag all items out of the folder.

GIF showing how to drag an app onto another app in order to create a folder.

Long Pressing an App

Holding your finger down on an app icon gives you quick app shortcuts specific to that app. For example, long pressing the Notes app has several options. You can write a new note, a new checklist, scan a document, and more. There is also the option to choose edit home screen to rearrange your app icons.

screenshot showing what happens when you long press on an app.

The App Library

Starting with iOS 14, there is also the addition of the App Library, which lists all of your installed apps in organized groups. With the addition of the App Library, you no longer need to have all of your apps on the home screen. Each screen where you see app icons is called a page.

The App Library is accessed by swiping through all of your existing pages until you get to the last screen.

GIF showing how to swipe through all the home screen pages to get to the app library

The App Library organizes all of your installed apps into categories such as social, utilities, and more. You can also search your app library to easily access any of your currently installed apps.

screenshot showing app library

If there is an app that is in your App Library and it’s not on one of your home screen pages, tap into the search box. You will get a complete list of all your installed apps in alphabetical order or you can search for a particular app.

screenshot showing an alphabetical list of the app library

If an app is in your App Library but not on your home screen, locate the app in the app library. Once you have located the app, long press on the app icon and tap on add to home screen.

Home Screen Settings

There are several home screen settings you can change depending on your preferences. Go to the Settings App, then Home Screen (Home Screen & Multitasking on a iPad). You can choose whether newly downloaded apps should be added to the home screen or only the app library and whether you want to see notification badges in the App Library. On an iPad, you will also get the option to change app icon size and whether you want to show or hide the dock. Also in iPad settings, you have the option whether you want to see suggested and recent apps in the dock. The image below is a screenshot of the iPad settings.

screenshot showing the home screen and multitasking settings screen from an iPad

Have you used any of these methods to organize your home screen? Let us know in the comments!

How to Stop Being Disturbed: Apple Edition

It’s probably happened to you at least once, it’s late and you’re just starting to fall asleep and then your phone either vibrates or chimes with some type of notification. Luckily, there are ways to easily avoid your iPhone or iPad disturbing you when you just want some peace and quiet. Android users: there will be a future post detailing how to use a similar feature on Android devices.

Apple has a built-in feature on their devices (iPhone, iPad, and Mac books) called Do Not Disturb or Focus, depending on which version of iOS or mac OS you are using. For devices running iOS 15 and later, Do Not Disturb is incorporated into the Focus app. When Do Not Disturb/Focus is active, you won’t get app notifications, texts, or calls.

Getting Started

To get started on an iPhone or iPad, go into the Settings app. Focus can be used on a schedule, or on an as-needed basis. Tap on Focus to begin.

screenshot of main focus settings

From there, you’ll see several options. If you tap on Do Not Disturb, you will get options for how you would like to use Do Not Disturb. Set up different options for general do not disturb, sleep, or when you’re at work. There is also the option to add a custom mode such as when you’re driving, working out, and more. For people who have more than one Apple device, you can share your Focus schedule across your devices. This schedule will be shared if Share Across Devices is selected.

To set up and use do not disturb on a mac, follow these helpful instructions from Apple.

Sharing Your Focus Status With Others

If your Focus Status is on and someone tries to message you, there will be a message stating that you have notifications silenced, and they will be given the option to notify you anyway, in case of an emergency. If the person messaging you taps notify anyway, you will receive a regular text notification.

screenshot of text message screen showing notify anyway

What if you don’t want to give people that option or you want to turn it off for certain contacts? MacReports has written a helpful article with instructions on how to turn off that feature or turn it off for certain contacts.

Do Not Disturb Options

Tapping on Do Not Disturb will give you various options. You can select which people or apps you would still like to receive notifications from. For those with iOS 16, you can have a different lock screen picture when Do Not Disturb is on, as well as a different set of home screen icons.

Screenshot of main do not disturb screen

Scheduling Do Not Disturb

If you’re like me and you’re a set-it-and-forget-it kind of person, you can set a schedule for when Do Not Disturb turns on each day. You can even set a different schedule for different days of the week. Simply scroll down and set up your custom do not disturb schedule.

screenshot showing example of Do Not Disturb schedule

Smart Activation is basically Apple using past device behavior to determine when you would like to activate Do Not Disturb. Diving in even deeper, you can control the behavior of certain apps when Do Not Disturb is on. For example, you can choose which messages you would like to see, select if you’d like dark mode to come on, turn on low power mode, or more.

Driving, Fitness, and More

For more information about Do Not Disturb, Sleep, and Work modes. Apple has written up a thorough set of instructions. Included in those instructions is how to set up a custom mode that can include while you’re driving, exercising, and more.

screenshot of other types of focus modes

Have you tried out Focus? Let us know in the comments!

Learn About an Easy Way to Share Items

Have you ever been in the room with someone and wanted to share something: a photo, a web link, something from an app, but didn’t want to text or email it? For Apple users, there is an easier way!

All Apple devices come with a built in feature called AirDrop. AirDrop can be found on Macs, iPhones, and iPads. AirDrop allows you to wirelessly share documents, photos, map locations, webpages, and more.

Setting Up on an iPhone and iPad

To get started, make sure that AirDrop is enabled on your device. On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings–General–AirDrop. From there you have the option to turn receiving off, to allow only contacts to AirDrop something to you, or everyone in range for 10 minutes. Note: if you are using iOS 15 or earlier, your options will be receiving off, contacts only, or everyone. AirDrop is available on iOS 7 and later and Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and later.

Screenshot of choosing who can share things with you via AirDrop

Setting Up on a Mac

Mac users, click on the control center icon in the taskbar.

Screenshot of setting up AirDrop on a Mac

From there, click the AirDrop icon to turn AirDrop on or off or control who can send you items. To turn AirDrop off completely, click the selector in the heading. If it is turned off, you will not see the Contacts Only or Everyone options.

Screenshot of AirDrop in its on setting on a Mac

Once you have turned on AirDrop, you can send and receive items from other Apple users in the area who have enabled AirDrop.

Sending an Item with AirDrop

To send something using AirDrop, tap on the share icon. This is found anywhere something can be shared. In the Safari app, it is in the toolbar. You can share from most apps, including TikTok, Zillow, Instagram, and other places where you see the share icon. Alternatively, some apps have their own Share option. You can tap AirDrop after tapping on the share option in any app that has a share feature.

Screenshot of showing share icon circled in red

Once you tap on the share icon, you will see your sharing options. This is also an easy way to share an item via text, email, or the other options listed. Tap on the AirDrop icon. If you don’t see the AirDrop icon you may have to tap on more or the three-dot icon, depending on the app.

Screenshot showing the AirDrop icon highlighted in share options.

Choosing Who to Send an Item To

After you tap on the AirDrop icon, there will be a list of people you can send items to. If there is no one available, you’ll get a message saying no people were found. Sometimes it takes several seconds for contacts or people to appear. When there is someone nearby and they are not appearing as an option, confirm they have AirDrop enabled, and if you are not a contact, that they have “everyone” selected as an option.

Screenshot showing people you can AirDrop an item to.

Tap on their name. If the person has a picture set in their contact info, or if you have a picture set for them on your device, you will see their picture. Otherwise, it will be the grey generic person icon. You can also share with more than one person at the same time by tapping their name on the same screen. Just a reminder, AirDrop is only available for Apple users.

On the other person’s end, they will get an option to either accept or decline the AirDrop.

Screenshot showing the option to accept or decline an AirDrop request.

If they accept, you will see a waiting status, then a circle with the progress, and then a sent status. If they decline, you will see “declined” in red under their name. When you are AirDropping something to yourself between two different devices (for instance if you share a photo from your iPhone to your Mac), you won’t have to click accept. It will automatically be shared. A website will open in Safari, a picture will open in the Photos app, and shared items from other apps will open in their respective apps. If an item is being shared from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac, by default, it will go into your Downloads folders.

Have you tried AirDrop? Let us know in the comments!