Netflix might not be planning to let users of its new ad-supported tier download shows and movies to their devices for offline viewing, according to a code found inside the company’s iPhone app, Bloomberg reported. The move suggests the streamer is trying to distinguish the upcoming AVOD version from its current offerings. “Downloads are available on all plans except Netflix with ads,” according to a text in the app that was discovered by developer Steve Moser and shared with Bloomberg News. The code also suggests that users will not be able to skip ads, and playback controls will not be available during ad breaks.
Given that the service’s launch is several months away, it is likely that the company’s plans are not yet final, and its approach could still change. Still, the early clues suggest that Netflix strictly limits the ad-based service's frills.
With its regular plans, users can download content for viewing in places without reliable internet access, such as airplanes. The lack of that option could help Netflix upsell users to its higher-end tiers after it hooks them on the ad-supported version. The company has already said that it will not offer all of its content on the ad tier.
Netflix, which has been struggling to retain and add subscribers in the last quarters, announced in April that it was planning on rolling out an ad-supported tier after years of resisting the move. In July, the streamer confirmed that Microsoft had been selected as its technology and sales partner to help power its first ad-supported subscription offering.
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