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Door staff@engadget.com (Maddie Fisher) - 07 Nov 2026
If you have a lot of streaming subscriptions, you may not be aware that many of them have started to embrace letting you download content from them if you have a certain plan. Services like Amazon Prime and Apple TV+ have made a lot of strides in making content available for desktops and laptops, though more recently, Netflix and other major services have shifted more toward a focus on downloads only for mobile devices and Chromebooks.
When it comes to the actual act of downloading something you either purchased or is part of your streaming bill, it's important to understand which ones allow downloads to which device. More specifically, how each service defines the word "download." They're using the term rather loosely, but what they really mean is offline viewing on the app, whether that's on a computer or a mobile device. It's great for long plane or bus rides, or maybe in an area with a rough connection.
The major services that offer downloads to watch offline on a computer include Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and YouTube. They do also offer mobile, but if you're looking to download content to watch offline, those are about the only options available.
On YouTube, you can download any movies that you have purchased to watch offline on mobile. While YouTube Premium is a great deal, letting you get rid of annoying ads on videos, you actually don't even need it to download the movies you have purchased. Meanwhile, if anime is your thing, Crunchyroll allows you to download movies for offline viewing, but only on mobile. It has one of the biggest libraries in the streaming game, and if you're in the market for some great anime movies, Crunchyroll will let you download a huge portion of its library.
When it comes to the actual act of downloading something you either purchased or is part of your streaming bill, it's important to understand which ones allow downloads to which device. More specifically, how each service defines the word "download." They're using the term rather loosely, but what they really mean is offline viewing on the app, whether that's on a computer or a mobile device. It's great for long plane or bus rides, or maybe in an area with a rough connection.
The major services that offer downloads to watch offline on a computer include Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and YouTube. They do also offer mobile, but if you're looking to download content to watch offline, those are about the only options available.
On YouTube, you can download any movies that you have purchased to watch offline on mobile. While YouTube Premium is a great deal, letting you get rid of annoying ads on videos, you actually don't even need it to download the movies you have purchased. Meanwhile, if anime is your thing, Crunchyroll allows you to download movies for offline viewing, but only on mobile. It has one of the biggest libraries in the streaming game, and if you're in the market for some great anime movies, Crunchyroll will let you download a huge portion of its library.