Netflix has managed to annoy a good number of its users with an announcement about an upcoming update to its Windows 11 (and Windows 10) app: support for adverts and live events will be added, but the ability to download content is being taken away.
Netflix must realize that it’s a huge frustration for people who relied on offline downloads to watch content without internet access: on planes, trains, and campsites, and anywhere else where Wi-Fi is unavailable or unreliable.
There’s a small chance that Netflix will change its mind if it gets enough complaints, but the streaming service seems determined to add as many money-making features as possible, while taking away genuinely useful ones.
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)
To be honest, I like watching SciFi and superhero movies yet cinemas are too expensive in my country. So, my fiance (Netflix) and I (Amazon Prime) bought thsse services and using together.
But guess what:
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No HBO in my country, so no DC for me. Yet they are not selling DC to Turkey neither. So no DC movie for me after 2018(?)
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Both Netflix and Prime just puts their content, and forget the rest for Turkey. For example I couldn’t watch Mad Max: Fury Road one month ago
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They are doing some kind of censorship? You cannot watch too bloody, too sexual, too whatever content while there is no legal censorship on internet content. For example I can watch “Barda” (“at pub”) on Youtube but not on Prime.
So yes, why I am paying for TV channels wtih ads?
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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
its like they want you to turn to piracy
Plot twist! Now the pirate pay costs subscription fees, and is owned by Netflix!!! Ohhhhh, what a twist!
Y’all just need to cancel your Netflix, they are too expensive for far too little
Yup.
They told me I could choose between ads and a 35% price rise.
I replied “I have a better idea”
Can honestly say I’ve not missed out watching anything I wanted to watch
If I could figure out an easy way for my partner to download content to my Plex library, I’d dump Netflix and Hulu in a heartbeat. I’m picturing an app where they can search for any show or movie, hit download, and it will grab it from my private tracker and toss it on my server. AFAIK something like this just doesn’t exist.
I setup overseerr to auto add users added to my plex server and auto approve anything they request or add to their watch list, they just need to login once to my overseerr for their plex account to be linked after that as long as they have the online media thing enabled that is enabled by default they can just search for anything through plex and add it to their watch list and overseerr will auto add it to the arrs and begin the search and download. I have to get in there from time to time to manually do shows that are low quality or in a different language some times but other than that it’s all automated, you can even setup another tool that auto deletes things after a certain time so you can manage your storage easier
Very slow reply, but do you have a guide for setting this up?
One of those -arrs can be setup to download automatically when someone adds a movie or show to their watchlist.
You can use the plex watchlist feature to do this. Add the plex watchlist to the arrs and then when anything is added to the watchlist on plex the arrs will see it and add it to the queue. Works great.
I’ll second Ombi. It has a slick interface to search for any movie/tv show and when the user presses a download button the backend interfaces with other apps to download the media and provide it to Plex. Having your partner interface directly with Radarr or Sonarr just isn’t as user friendly
Canceled mine.
Sailing the high seas works just fine.
I cant, i share an account with my mom :(
I spun up a Plex server for myself, built a NAS, then started inviting friends and family. If I can get multiple users to drop their subs, I’ll be making a larger impact. Fuck streaming subscriptions, I’m pirating content until I die. Now I can pirate for multiple users 🏴☠️
I share my jellyfin with my mom
Must go through a lot of batteries.
A quick reminder : you don’t need to watch Netflix.
This is no big deal because Windows users are used to ads. Sorry feeling snarky.
Guess people are gonna have to sail the seven seas.
“What killed streaming?” - article from 2026
“millennials are killing the streaming industry”
The next season of Bridgerton is cancelled because you selfish millennials wouldn’t drink your verification cans
Actually, that’s probably the one excuse that wouldn’t fly. The only company that cancels more stuff randomly and with no reason than Netflix is Google.
People have been making this comment for so long, with every anti-consumer change, and it’s never been true.
Killing VPN usages didn’t do it, canceling shows didn’t do it, the splintering of offerings across multiple platforms didn’t do it, killing password sharing didn’t do it, raising prices didn’t do it, including an advertising tier didn’t do.
And this will not do it.
Hell, this is barely going to tweak the dial. The overwhelming majority of people don’t watch Netflix on the desktop app, why should they fear kick back from the few that do? All they’ll say is the mobile versions will still let you download (because those file systems are sealed away from the user).
Consumers will accept anything if there’s no where else to get what they want. It’s why the “free market” has no power in the tech space: consumers are so addicted to their chosen platforms, apps, devices, and services that they will accept literally anything before they entertain the idea of using anything else.
That’s partially why enshitification is getting so bad: there’s no punishment for it. Users will not move.
Not enough uses for sure. I canceled all the shitty ones once they implemented these stupid as fuck changes.
Greed, same as everything else
These companies are gonna complain about piracy being so rampant while making their service so awful that piracy becomes a better choice
As they always did and continue to do in all businesses.
Look at food prices: Supermarket - We’re raising prices on 95% of items by 200-300%. People: Steal because they can’t afford basic food Supermarket: Shocked pikachu face
Supermarket: Shocked pikachu face
Actually, supermarkets typically factor theft and other types of damages (ex. product broke in transit, came open, etc.) into their projected sales.
Oh yeah? I didn’t know that (not sure why you were downvoted for stating a fact, people are weird here)
Netflix living long enough to become the villain I see
I got Netflix stock, and i can tell you guys that stock is just going up and up.
People rly are fking stupid
Yep, it’s why everyone is raising prices, introducing ads and stopping password sharing, Netflix was the case that proved it works, there was a dip but now they have more users than before it.
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.)
Best comment so far
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.
Yeah, Plex downloads work fine still, on all devices.
Lol downloads is the one thing that definitively does not work for Plex
Capitalism breeds innovation
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
Well that’s mighty selfish of you isn’t it, won’t you think of the Microsoft shareholder who want to make more money from harvesting your data and Netflix for wanting to serve you ads to increase profits.
Microsoft doesn’t care if you use the app or the browser
You’re still on their OS
I’m certainly no desktop developer, but I would imagine a native application gives you access to more intrusive data than a browser, especially considering modern browser protections. Just a theory though
You mean you’re not Edging?
Depending on the browser, you won’t get 4k. IIRC only works with Edge cause of DRM.
You know what doesn’t have shitty DRM? Torrents.
