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Download movies and shows for offline playback

Last updated on Jul 10, 2026

Download movies and shows for offline playback

Use downloads when you want to watch supported Jellyfin media in Phyn without a live connection to your server.

Before you start

You need:

  • A signed-in Jellyfin user in Phyn.
  • Media that your Jellyfin user is allowed to download.
  • Enough free storage on your device.
  • Network access to your Jellyfin server while starting the download.

Downloads are stored on the device where you start them. A download on one phone, tablet, or computer does not automatically appear on another device.

Download a movie or episode

  1. Open the movie, episode, season, or supported media item in Phyn.
  2. Open the item menu.
  3. Select Download.
  4. Choose the download quality when Phyn asks.
  5. Choose the download version:
    • Default downloads the media as-is when possible.
    • Optimized asks the server to create a device-friendly version.
  6. Select Download.

When the download is queued, Phyn shows a confirmation. Select View Downloads to open the downloads screen, or select Dismiss to stay where you are.

Watch downloaded media

  1. Open the navigation menu.
  2. Select Downloads.
  3. Select the downloaded item.
  4. Select Play.

If the item is fully downloaded, Phyn plays the local copy from your device.

Delete a downloaded item

  1. Open Downloads.
  2. Find the movie, show, episode, or other downloaded item.
  3. Open the item menu.
  4. Select Delete download or Delete offline copy.
  5. Confirm the deletion.

This removes the local downloaded file from the device. It does not delete the item from your Jellyfin server.

Use Secure Downloads

Phyn includes a setting named Secure Downloads. When this is enabled, only logged-in users can access downloads on the device.

To change this behavior:

  1. Open the account menu.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Open Security & Privacy.
  4. Change Hide downloads when not logged in.

Use this setting on shared devices where another person might open Phyn without signing in.

Expected result

Downloaded items appear in Downloads. Completed downloads can be played even when the device cannot currently reach the Jellyfin server.

If a download fails

If this happens, check your network connection and make sure the device still has enough free storage. Then delete the failed download and start the download again.

If Phyn says the download cannot be resumed, delete that failed download first. The app will create a new download task the next time you try.

If an optimized download takes a long time, your Jellyfin server may be transcoding the file before or during the download. Server speed, file size, and selected quality can all affect how long this takes.

If the item does not show a download option, your Jellyfin user may not have permission to download that item, or that item type may not be downloadable.

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