QUICK FLIX!
Clever Netflix button saves storage and makes using TV app so much faster – it’s free to press but so easy to miss
But there's bad news on Netflix prices in the UK
AN easy-to-miss Netflix button could change the way you watch telly on your phone forever.
It's a handy trick that can save you storage – and even help your phone work a little faster.
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The feature is called Smart Downloads, and it's an extension of the regular Offline Viewing that you might have used.
Offline Viewing lets you download content to watch offline, which is handy if you're going to be without signal.
But the problem with Offline Viewing is that you'll need to plan ahead and download content manually, which isn't always ideal.
Netflix figured that this was indeed annoying and built two Smart Download tricks to help you out.
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NETFLIX SMART DOWNLOADS
First, you'll want to launch your Netflix mobile app and then go into Settings.
Look for the Smart Downloads section and you'll see a few different options.
The first feature is called Download Next Episode.
This will automatically download the next episode of shows that you're watching – and delete the old one if it was already saved.
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It'll happen on a rolling basis in the background so that you've always got the next download ready and waiting.
This means that whenever you're trying to watch telly without Wi-Fi or phone signal, you'll have your next episode available to watch offline.
Netflix Price Rise in the UK: What You Need to Know
It's perfect if, for instance, you're on a train where signal is patchy.
Instead if having a slow process where your TV show keeps pausing to load, it'll just play perfectly because it's already saved to your phone.
This should make it a much faster and more seamless experience.
The second feature to look out for is called Downloads For You.
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This is very similar, but it downloads things that Netflix thinks you'll like – rather than just new episodes of what you're watching.
Netflix will use your watch history to guess at what TV shows and movies you might want to watch.
And it'll save them to your phone so that they're available if you ever need something to watch offline.
Now you're probably thinking that this all sounds like it'll use up a lot of data from all of the downloading.
NETFLIX PRICE HIKES!
Netflix recently revealed price hikes for the UK this week. Here's how much more you'll pay...
Netflix's Standard with Ads plan is going up from £4.99 to £5.99 a month.
The Standard without Ads plan will rise from £10.99 to £12.99.
And the Premium subscription will increase from £17.99 to £18.99 a month.
If you've added another member to an ad-free plan, it'll now cost you £5.99.
And the fee to add a member to the ad-supported plan is £4.99.
Read more about the Netflix price rises.
Picture Credit: Netflix
The good news is that the downloading only happens when you're on Wi-Fi, so it shouldn't use up any mobile data.
And if you're worried about phone storage, there's a solution for that too.
The settings page lets you allocate exactly how much storage you want to be assigned to these Smart Downloads.
That way, Netflix won't download a mammoth amount that uses up all of your phone's storage.
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You can even set different amounts for each of your Netflix profiles.
It means that rather than downloading a load of content manually, Netflix will manage your Offline Viewing content for you – sticking to a strict "storage budget".
This should save you storage in the long run because you've got an easy way to control how much space is being used up.
If you change your mind about either of these features, you can turn them off.
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And you can delete the downloads that Netflix has saved for you at any time.
For more app tricks, check out The Sun's guide to other little-known Netflix perks.
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