Netflix to remove offline viewing in major update for Windows 10 and 11 apps

Netflix has notified several users that it will soon be rolling out a major update to its Windows 10 and Windows 11 app, which will remove the option to download films and series for offline viewing. The update will also introduce tiered Netflix ads and live events. The decision to remove offline viewing has been met with dissatisfaction from users, especially on Reddit.

The update will turn the Windows app into a basic web wrapper for accessing Netflix content, which will significantly decrease the service quality on Windows tablets. There are suggestions that Netflix may be moving towards a Progressive Web App (PWA) model, which could explain the removal of the download feature, but the company has not yet provided a clear and official reason for the decision.

The feature will still be available on mobile devices, of course. So technically, users can use the Netflix Android app on Windows via an emulator as a possible workaround, but this restricts video resolution to 720p and offers a lower-quality experience than the previously available native download feature.