With the ability to stream movies to smartphones, tablets and laptops, it’s never been easier to watch movies on the go. However, at times you might find yourself away from a Wi-Fi connection or beyond the reaches of mobile broadband, meaning streaming isn’t an option.
Thankfully, all is not lost in such situations, as most streaming services now let you download movies onto your devices to watch them when you're offline. This is a great way to watch your favourite films without consuming your mobile data.
Like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, Sky Cinema also lets you download movie and TV shows for offline viewing on a phone or tablet, provided you know how to do it. And through the Sky Go app or the Sky-owned Now TV service, there are multiple ways for Sky TV customers to download their favourite flicks to watch offline.
If you’re unsure of how to do this, then read on to find out how to download Sky movies onto your tablet or phone.
READ NEXT: The best films on Now TV and Sky Cinema
Get Sky TV
How to download Sky movies on your phone or tablet using Sky Go
Things to know before getting started
Before we kick things off, let's run down a list of things you’ll need before you start downloading movies to watch offline using Sky Go:
A Sky TV subscription with Sky Cinema (obviously)
Free Sky Go app ( Android or iOS )
Sky Go Extra (free if you have Sky Q, or are a Sky VIP member); otherwise £5 extra a month
iPhone or iPad running iOS 8.1 or higher (Open Settings, tap General, then About)
Android phone or tablet running Android 4.1 or higher (Open Settings, then tap About)
READ NEXT: Subscribe to Sky Cinema for £11 a month
Download Sky movies on your phone or tablet using Sky Go
Step 1 : Open the Sky Go app and select the movie you want to download.
Step 2 : Find the download button and choose the option to “Download to phone/tablet” (depending on the device you’re using).
Step 3 : Wait for your film to finish downloading.
Step 4 : Downloaded films will appear in the Downloaded section of the Downloads menu, ready to watch at your convenience.
Sky TV Offers and Deals
How to download Sky movies on your phone or tablet using Now TV
Things to know before getting started
The Sky-owned Now TV offers its content in the form of passes, which grant you access to movies, TV shows, sports and kids shows, depending on the pass(es) you’ve purchased.
Sky Cinema usually has a setup fee and ties you to long-term 18-month contracts. The only way to access everything that Sky Cinema has to offer without these setup fees and long-term contracts is by choosing the Now TV Sky Cinema Pass .
Here's a list of everything you need before downloading movies to your device using Now TV.
Now TV Sky Cinema Pass
Free Now TV app ( Android or iOS )
iPhone or iPad
Android phone or tablet
A few other things to keep in mind...
Not all Now TV films are available for download (some are subject to rights restrictions)
Movies can only be downloaded twice
You can't transfer your downloads to other devices
Downloaded movies are only available for 30 days
After playing the movie, you have 48 hours before its removed from your device
During these 48 hours, you can watch the film as many times as you like
Get Now TV Sky Cinema Pass
Download Sky movies on Apple and Android devices using Now TV
Step 1: Open the Now TV app, tap the three lines at the top left, select Movies, then tap All Movies.
Step 2: You'll now see movies in different categories, or you can search for something you want to download.
Step 3 : Once you’ve found the movie you want, tap its icon and look for the small round Download icon (to the right of Add to My TV).
Step 4 : If you don't see this Download icon, it means you can't download the movie to your device.
Step 5 : Tap the Download icon to start downloading the movie to your device.
Step 6: To see the status of the download, return to the main menu and go to the “My TV” section.
Step 7 : From there, select Downloads and you’ll find the movie you’ve downloaded, ready for you to watch.
READ NEXT: How to download Sky Go on your PS4