Downloading music videos to your iPad from services like YouTube can be better than streaming in certain instances. If you watch the same videos over again, then it makes sense to download those videos rather than stream. Here’s how to download music videos from YouTube Premium, Netflix, and Starz.

Advantages of Downloading Music Videos

There might be times when you don’t have access to the internet (or your cellular network, if your iPad connects to one) and can’t stream music videos. Having your favorites stored on your iPad lets you watch those videos practically anywhere.

These instructions apply to devices with iOS 11 or later.

Other advantages of downloading music videos include:

  • Reduce the strain on the iPad battery. It takes more power to stream than it does to play a file locally.
  • Save time by not having to go online to find your favorite videos.
  • Watch music videos that are no longer available online.
  • Free up bandwidth on your internet connection.
  • Save on your data plan, if your iPad connects to a cellular network along with Wi-Fi.

Downloading instead of streaming is a useful option. However, the iPad doesn’t come with any built-in facilities to capture video streams from the web and turn the streams into files. For this, you’ll need to use a dedicated app. The App Store has free, simple-to-use apps that download content from YouTube.

Download Music Videos With YouTube Premium

YouTube has its own, home-grown option for downloading videos from its platform: YouTube Premium. This service includes a free trial period, but after that expires, it charges a monthly fee.

Don’t distribute downloaded files, and adhere to the streaming service’s rules. For more information on copyrights, read our article on the legalities of downloading videos from YouTube.

Here’s how to use YouTube Premium to put videos directly onto your iPad:

  • Open YouTube and find the video you want to keep.
  • Tap the Download button below the video.
  • If you aren’t a member of YouTube Premium, you’re prompted to start your free trial. Tap Try It Free to set it up.
  • To cancel the service and avoid the monthly fee, learn how to cancel subscriptions on your iPad. You’ll still be able to use Premium for the full trial period.
  • Use Touch ID or your Apple ID password to make the purchase.
  • Tap Download beneath any video you want to download while your membership is active.
  • The downloaded videos appear in the Downloads section on the Library tab in YouTube.
  • You can watch downloaded videos with or without an active internet connection.

Download Videos From Netflix

Movie streaming services also offer downloads for some or all of their offerings. Here’s how to make content from Netflix available to watch offline.

Open YouTube and find the video you want to keep.

Tap the Download button below the video.

If you aren’t a member of YouTube Premium, you’re prompted to start your free trial. Tap Try It Free to set it up.

To cancel the service and avoid the monthly fee, learn how to cancel subscriptions on your iPad. You’ll still be able to use Premium for the full trial period.

Use Touch ID or your Apple ID password to make the purchase.

Tap Download beneath any video you want to download while your membership is active.

The downloaded videos appear in the Downloads section on the Library tab in YouTube.

You can watch downloaded videos with or without an active internet connection.

  • Open Netflix and tap Downloads at the bottom of the screen.
  • Tap Find Something to Download to see a list of compatible series.
  • To download an episode or movie to your iPad, tap the Download icon.
  • Your downloads appear on the My Downloads screen. Netflix also has a Smart Downloads option that automatically deletes episodes of shows you watched and downloads new ones. To turn it on, tap Smart Downloads on the My Downloads screen and switch it on.

Download Videos From Starz

Starz makes anything on its service available to watch offline. Here’s how to do it.

Open Netflix and tap Downloads at the bottom of the screen.

Tap Find Something to Download to see a list of compatible series.

To download an episode or movie to your iPad, tap the Download icon.

Your downloads appear on the My Downloads screen. Netflix also has a Smart Downloads option that automatically deletes episodes of shows you watched and downloads new ones. To turn it on, tap Smart Downloads on the My Downloads screen and switch it on.

  • Navigate to the page of the movie or TV episode you want to download.
  • Tap the Download icon.
  • Choose the quality of download you want. The window shows how much space each version takes up on an iPad.
  • Downloaded movies appear under Downloads on your My List page.
  • To delete movies you downloaded, tap Edit, select the files to remove, and then tap Delete.

Navigate to the page of the movie or TV episode you want to download.

Tap the Download icon.

Choose the quality of download you want. The window shows how much space each version takes up on an iPad.

Downloaded movies appear under Downloads on your My List page.

To delete movies you downloaded, tap Edit, select the files to remove, and then tap Delete.

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