Netflix Windows app is set to remove its downloads feature, while introducing ads

Y’all just need to cancel your Netflix, they are too expensive for far too little

"What killed streaming?" - article from 2026

What's the point of the windows app if you can't download stuff with it? Might as well use the browser at that point

And I am set to remove Netflix subscription, while introducing torrents.

Ads are the one thing I won't tolerate on a paid service.

Pirated movies don’t have this problem.

I’m just saying, ruin your own service, and lose to pirates who can provide a better one for free.

These companies are gonna complain about piracy being so rampant while making their service so awful that piracy becomes a better choice

I got Netflix stock, and i can tell you guys that stock is just going up and up.

People rly are fking stupid

Install an android emulator. Problem solved.

Start pirating again. Problem solved.

Make your own movies and shows. Problem solved.

Start a company, get rich, buy Netflix, problem solved.

Stop watching stuff, do something else. Problem solved.

Found a secret society, infiltrate politics worldwide, stir chaos and destruction, let the world burn and built a new Netflix from the world's ashes where you still can download stuff. Problem solved.

See? It's not that hard!

(In case it wasn't clear, I am joking.)

Meanwhile with piracy, you have none of these issues.... Good job, convenience wins.

..... Yarrrrr mateys

its like they want you to turn to piracy

They've gone full circle at this point: it's like paying for TV channels and piracy is looking really attractive again, even though Netflix was the reason many people stopped doing that initially (I assume)

So they are introducing ads and removing the download option, both moves unfriendly to consumers. Sounds like they plan to do a "We've listened to consumers and" shelving one of those moves for later (probably the download option) when the hubbub over the worse option dies down.

My wife and I unsubscribed a few months back. I've not noticed.

Enshittification follows its course.

Took me a minute to figure out why these 2 updates would be bundled together. Must be cause if you downloaded something you'd be able to bypass their ads

A quick reminder : you don't need to watch Netflix.

"While downloads will no longer be supported, you can continue to watch TV shows and movies offline on a supported mobile device," the Netflix document says

So essentially Windows devices are no longer "supported" wrt this particular feature.

It essentially means the Windows app will be little more than a wrapper for the Netflix website.

It's possible that the move means Netflix can save some money on licensing, which may cost extra if downloads are included – enabling users to take shows and movies around with them and watch them without an internet connection.

So once again everything devolves down to licensing - i.e. it sounds like they were pressured into this hard choice to leave those users in the cold, which they did. Probably bc the user base of Windows phones is so tiny? (Edit: bc they are discontinued, though more likely they meant the desktop - i.e. laptops - sorry if I caused any confusion).

Though that is one of the main advantages of Netflix these days, as opposed to e.g. piracy.

TLDR: Ultimately it is yet more enshittification, and while due to licensing rather than Netflix, still it is Netflix users (on Windows devices) who will bear the burden.

My advice would be to disable automatic updates and coast for a long while on the current app version, though that can be easier said than done due to multiple locations of automatic update settings. I have zero experience with Windows lately, but good luck if you want to try it!:-|

Capitalism breeds innovation

How is this not considered false advertising? They literally market offline viewing as a feature

this is part of the reason why the stock market does what its doing

my internet is too shitty to watch without downloading though so it's not because of me

Guess people are gonna have to sail the seven seas.

Guess it's time to use the other download feature.

The people on your man o' war
Are treated worse than scum
I'm no flogging captain
And by God I've sailed with some
Come with me to Barbary
We'll ply there up and down
Not quite exactly
In the service of the Crown

🏴‍☠️

🏴‍☠️ 🏴‍☠️ 🏴‍☠️

Netflix living long enough to become the villain I see

This is no big deal because Windows users are used to ads. Sorry feeling snarky.

Permanently Deleted

I just hope this does not affect WEB-DLs 🥲

the televisionification (good grief, what?) of the internet is truly one of the most monstrous and monumental failures of creativity the world has ever seen.

Cramming this square peg into that round hole no matter the fucking consequences

nothing matters but money, right? (kys pos)

I'm laughing in Plex

who the hell would ever use the Netflix windows app? And for that matter, at this late date, who the hell is still paying for Netflix to actually watch what little is still on there?

The problem is power dynamic. It is a DRM service built round closed apps. You will take what you are given and like it. You can not view their cultural work without agreeing to these terms (Legally). The deal will keep getting worse until it starts losing money.

Edit: English fixes

Cancelled last month. Don’t miss it. Entertain myself by downloading and installing Linux distributions instead. They usually can be downloaded using torrent/magnet links.

Downloads on my Surface for the sake of my vacation were the reason I resubscribed. Seems fitting it should be the reason I unsubscribe. I only worry about finding a good point of communication to let them know about this reason.

Jellyfin + rip your movies off the dvds. You can even invite your friends to watch your movies too.

You know. Like we used to be able to.

Fuck late stage capitalism and every greedy little pig out there. Hope you lose your mansions, cars, and expensive toys. You can live down here with the rest of us at a perfectly reasonable level.

They are doing extra work to change the product in ways that customers don't want.

Can someone explain to me again how "free markets" and "competition" are supposed to work?

Boycott!

It's possible that the move means Netflix can save some money on licensing, which may cost extra if downloads are included – enabling users to take shows and movies around with them and watch them without an internet connection.

Maximize profit. Good for them. Never good for us. Never.

Why is it so terrible to build a company that people love?

I use a Netflix download app or a video capture app to store Netflix videos for offline viewing. They are charging a lot and not meeting my needs so I take matter into my own hands.

honestly every single headline about how shitty streaming is getting, wantonly, willfully, feels like a hit of crack. nothing better than owning your own library.

The Enshittification will continue while our profits soar.

There is a windows software for Netflix? I have been using my browser on all platforms tbh

I got not long after they stopped DVDs and the selection plummeted in the areas I was interested (a lot of niche films and foreign films for language practice, so not super common). Have not regretted it.

z

Z

You lost when you got roped into the Windows monopoly and compounded your loss by paying for Netflix.

Better luck next time.