The PBS KIDS Video app now supports downloadable videos for offline viewing.
To begin downloading videos, a network connection is required. Once videos are downloaded, they can be watched with or without a network connection.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- How to download a video
- How to watch a downloaded video
- How to remove a video you have previously downloaded
- What devices can I download content on?
- What shows support downloadable content?
- How much content can I download?
- Do downloaded videos expire?
- What video quality can I download?
- Can I choose to download videos over Wifi or Cellular?
How to download a video:
- Open the PBS KIDS Video app on a supported device. Click to see supported devices.
- On the right-hand side of the app, tap or swipe the icon of four colorful squares to open the shows menu.
- On the left of the menu, tap the show you’re interested in downloading. Click to see shows available for download.
- At the top of the screen, you’ll see a blue banner that says WATCH NOW and DOWNLOADS. A switch in the middle indicates if the app is set to WATCH NOW or if it’s set to DOWNLOADS. Tap the switch to select DOWNLOADS.
- The screen will update and a download icon will appear on the show’s videos that can be downloaded. The download icon is a green arrow facing downward.
- Tap a video’s green arrow to begin downloading that video.
- The video image will display a circular loading icon indicating the download is in process. If more than one video is queued for download, only the current downloading video will display a circular loading icon. Other videos in the download queue will display a curved green arrow icon until they are ready for download. You can cancel a download at any time by tapping the X icon.
- Once a video has been downloaded, the video image will light up and a sound will play to confirm the video has successfully downloaded. The download arrow icon will also be replaced with an X icon.
How to watch a downloaded video:
- Once a video is downloaded, it can be watched with or without a network connection.
- Tap the show you’re interested in viewing and have previously downloaded.
- At the top of the screen, you’ll see a blue banner that says WATCH NOW and DOWNLOADS. A switch in the middle indicates if the app is set to WATCH NOW or if it’s set to DOWNLOADS. If you have already downloaded content, a number appears next to DOWNLOADS indicating how many videos have been downloaded for that show. Tap the switch to select DOWNLOADS.
- Tap the downloaded video to begin playing.
How to remove a video you have previously downloaded:
- Downloaded videos can be deleted at any time.
- Tap the show you have downloaded.
- At the top of the screen, you’ll see a blue banner that says WATCH NOW and DOWNLOADS. A switch in the middle indicates if the app is set to WATCH NOW or if it’s set to DOWNLOADS. If you have already downloaded content, a number appears next to DOWNLOADS indicating how many videos have been downloaded for that show. Tap the switch to select DOWNLOADS.
- A list of videos you have downloaded previously will appear. In the bottom right corner of each video, an X icon will appear. Tap this X icon for the video you wish to remove from downloads.
- A prompt will appear over the video asking you if you would like to remove the video from your downloads. Tap the blue trash can icon to continue, or tap the orange X icon to cancel the removal.
- A confirmation prompt will appear asking if you’re sure you wish to delete the downloaded video. Tap the blue trash can icon to confirm, or tap the orange X icon to cancel the removal. You will not be able to download the video again while offline.
- The selected video is removed from your list of downloads.
What devices can I download content on?
- Apple iPhones and iPads (running on iOS 11 and above)
- Android Mobile (running on Android Lollipop 5.0 and above)
- Amazon Tablets (running on Android Lollipop 5.0 and above)
What shows support downloadable content?
At this time, downloadable content is available for these PBS KIDS shows:
- Alma’s Way
- City Island
- Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
- Donkey Hodie
- Dinosaur Train
- Elinor Wonders Why
- Jelly, Ben, & Pogo
- Let's Go Luna
- Nature Cat
- Odd Squad
- Peg + Cat
- PBS KIDS Talk About
- Rosie's Rules
- Sesame Street
- SUPER WHY!
- Wild Kratts
- WordWorld
- Work It Out Wombats!
- Dot’s Spot
- Xavier Riddle & the Secret Museum
Don’t see your favorite show listed above? We’ll be adding more shows in the future!
How much content can I download?
You can download up to 5 GB of content at one time. Full episodes are 150-180 MB in size, so you’ll be able to download around 27-33 episodes at a time. Clips are 20-30 MB in size and also contribute to the 5 GB download limit.
If you have already downloaded 5 GB of content, please remove videos from your downloads by following the directions above in order to download more content.
Do downloaded videos expire?
Full Episodes
New episodes are periodically added to the PBS KIDS app over time. This can be different per show, so on some shows you may see new episodes more frequently, while others may have a larger selection of episodes for a longer period of time. Overall, we try to bring you the most episodes we can for a show at any one time.
A few PBS KIDS shows will not have new episodes added for streaming unless they air new seasons on PBS KIDS.
Once an episode expires from the app, you’ll be unable to watch it - even if it's been downloaded prior to its expiration time.
When a video approaches its expiration time, a message will appear over the video image indicating the video will expire within 5 days or will expire later that day.
Clips
Shorter video clips are also available for download on the PBS KIDS Video app. While these clips are shorter than full episodes, they are also available for a longer period of time, and many clips are not set to expire from the app. Once a clip is downloaded, it can be watched offline for 90 days. After 90 days, the clip will be removed from your downloaded videos.
Clips can be re-downloaded at any time with a network connection. When a clip is re-downloaded, you will have an additional 90 days to watch it offline.
What video quality can I download?
At this time, videos are restricted to 480p when downloaded. We plan to offer an option for higher quality downloads in the future.
Can I choose to download videos over Wifi or Cellular?
By default, videos will download using the current network connection the mobile device is set to use.
Parents can set the app to download only using Wifi by tapping the Grownups setting on the app and tapping Use Wifi Only
Parents can revert back to using a Wifi or cellular option in the same settings menu and tapping “Use Cellular Data” - this option requires a grownup to verify they’re an adult to prevent kids from enabling cellular data-usage on their own.