Tales of an offline Netflix: ‘This title can only be downloaded one more time’

Perhaps the most annoying aspect of Netflix’s new offline functionality is the opaque limits to the feature.

Take this message I received this morning as an example. I gather it means that there can even be limits to the amount of times a user downloads a show, despite similar obscure and inconsistent limits to the amount of time a video will stay offline on your device. If I don’t watch this video within, say, 48 hours and then try to download it again, this message seems to suggest that I will be instead forced to buy it from iTunes or some other service.

As Netflix figures this kind of lingo out in their licensing arrangements I’m sure its new offline mode would be worthwhile, though strange errors like this are user-hostile and just plain dumb. Especially when the show is available to stream via my subscription but apparently limited when it comes to avoiding terrible mobile data pricing.