We’ve covered the cord-cutting-friendly live TV app “Channels” several times over the years, and it keeps getting even more powerful. A new update to the app this week adds support for offline downloads on iPhone and iPad, so you can download movies and TV shows directly to your device.
Channels is one of the most useful apps for users who want to transition away from traditional cable subscriptions. The app allows you to stream local over-the-air programming to your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV using the HDHomeRun tuner. In addition, the “TV Everywhere” feature allows you to sign in with your cable or streaming provider account and access that content through the Channel app.
For example, if you subscribe to something like DirecTV Streams, you can sign in to your DirecTV Streams account with Channels, then use the Channels app to access DirecTV Streams content. This allows you to bypass the DirecTV stream app (which is awesome) and use the channel for viewing, DVR recording, skipping commercials, and more.
So what’s new with the channels this week? The Channels app for iPhone and iPad now allows you to download your movies and TV shows to your device for offline viewing. You can download recorded TV shows and movies to your device, then watch them whenever you are offline.
One of the most notable aspects of this change is that, unlike many dedicated streaming apps, downloads will not “expire” across channels. Some additional details about how the feature works:
With the latest channel for iOS releases, you can now queue up anything in your library to download to your device. It could not be easier.
Your videos will be downloaded to the app and available anytime, anywhere. Your downloads do not expire and will not be removed from your device until you delete them.
You can get some additional details about this new feature through the channel website. The latest version of the Channel app for iPhone and iPad is now available to download on the App Store. The app is free and plans run $8 per month or $80 per year. I use the channel on a daily basis, and it’s one of the best subscription prices out there.
FTC: We use income generating auto affiliate links. More.
For more Apple news, check out 9to5Mac on YouTube:
