When I bought my new Android phone, the salesman said I could watch Netflix shows on it, even if I’m in airplane mode. How the heck do I do that? I can’t find Netflix on my phone at all! I’m also really new to Android, which might be obvious.
Remember when a phone had one purpose in life and that was to let you talk to other people? Yeah, that was about a million years ago. Nowadays those tiny devices are powerful computer and multimedia entertainment systems able to run complex 3D games, connect you to anyone on the planet, scan documents in foreign languages to translate them and, yes, watch movies and TV shows. But unless the app you need is already pre-installed on your phone, you’ll need to learn how to find, download, and install apps to begin to explore this exciting new digital world.
The gateway for all of it is the app on your Android phone with the somewhat unfortunate name of Play Store. Why is that unfortunate? Because it’s the same program you use to install utility apps, calendar programs, and so much more than just games. That’s where you find the Netflix application, which you’ll then need to download and install before you can proceed.
HOW TO INSTALL NETFLIX ON AN ANDROID PHONE
To start out, tap on the Play Store icon on your phone, tap on the search box at the top, then tap in the letters “netflix”. You’ll be shown the app:
That’s the one – notice it’s been downloaded over a billion times! – but you still have to download and install it on your phone. Tap on the green “Install” button and it’ll do just that. This process might take a minute or it might take a few minutes depending on your network speed. Once it’s done the “Install” will change to “Open“.
Now go back to your phone’s home screen and swipe from the bottom towards the middle. A new screen that shows all your apps will appear. This is a key tactic for navigating your phone, particularly as you add new apps. Look for “Netflix”:
Can you spot it in my array of apps? A tap on the icon and it’s launched.
Hopefully, you already have an account, in which case it’s easy, tap on the “SIGN IN” link on the top right. If not, tap on the big red “GET STARTED” to sign up. I already have an account so I’m going to sign in…
Netflix does make it easy: Enter your phone number or email address, then your secret password, and you’re logged in. Forgot your password? Tap on “Need help?” to get a reminder. Since I have multiple profiles set up in my own Netflix account, I am now prompted to pick a profile before I proceed:
I’m “the boss” (of course!) so I’ll tap on that.
HOW TO DOWNLOAD OR WATCH A NETFLIX SHOW ON ANDROID
Once you choose a profile (which you skip if you don’t have any set up) you’ll be on the Netflix home screen and it’ll show you what’s new in both movies and TV shows:
In the above, I’ve tapped on “ANON” to see more about it, as shown in the lower portion. Notice that I can download the movie by tapping on the “Download” button (the arrow pointing down). I’ll watch it right now, however, which is done by tapping on the “Play” button on the left side.
And boom! I’m watching a Netflix movie on my Android phone:
Netflix doesn’t allow you to take screen captures of the actual movies or shows, which is why the above is blank other than the controls, but you can take it from here, I’m sure!
Pro Tip: I’ve been writing about Android since the beginning. Please check out my extensive Android help area while you’re visiting for lots more useful tutorials and guides! Thanks.