We’re all used to watching movies, songs, records, and even video games from the cloud. However, there are periods that it is beneficial to use any of your phone’s local storage. Having files downloaded on your computer means you won’t be cut off on long airplane or railway trips if you don’t have access to the internet, you won’t have to wait forever for huge files to download, and you’ll save money on your data plan if you’re away from home.
You can save just about every file to your phone if you need it if you’re preparing for a trip without a secure internet connection, or simply want a backup in case your Wi-Fi goes down.
Saving files from Windows or MacOS to phone
You can simply connect your phone to your device and move files that way, but iPhones are more limited than Android phones in terms of what you can and can’t do. A plugged-in iPhone can appear in Finder if you’re using a Mac. You can drag and drop files over by clicking the iPhone entry in the navigation pane on the left, then opening the Files tab.
You’ll need Google’s free Android File Transfer app to transfer data between a Mac and an Android phone. You’ll be able to see a linked Android phone and drag and drop files between it and your Apple device once it’s installed.
Plug an iPhone into a Windows device, and it will appear in File Explorer within a few seconds. However, you’ll only be able to move files to the picture and video folders. When you plug in an Android phone, on the other side, File Explorer gives you access to all of the device’s folders. If your mobile does not appear, go to your phone’s Android machine update and select the file transfer option.
Saving from cloud services
Using a cloud storage provider and app to move data to and from your phone is also a more convenient option—all you have to do is make sure the correct app is available on both your phone and your device, that syncing is allowed, and that the files you need are labeled as being saved on the phone.
Click and hold a file in the iOS Files app, then select Download to sync it to your computer. Tap the three dots next to any file in Google Drive for Android and iOS and choose to make available offline. If you use OneDrive, choose to Make available offline from the three dots next to every file in the Android or iOS app.
Dropbox is another well-known cross-platform cloud storage solution for Android and iOS applications. When searching the software, tap the three dots next to any folder or file to see a Make accessible offline toggle button that you can use to sync data to your computer.
Downloading large files such as movies or TV shows
You should also sync videos and TV shows to your tablet to watch offline, even though you’ve completely welcomed the streaming boom. This functionality is included in all of the popular video streaming apps, it’s just a matter of finding it.
If you have a Netflix subscription, check for the Download button in the Android or iOS version when you pull up the entire listing page for a movie or TV program. The Downloads icon will then show you all that is downloaded on your tablet. The same Downloads button also takes you to Netflix’s Downloads for You feature.
Downloads are also possible on YouTube, but only if you have a YouTube Premium subscription. To save a video when searching in the app for Android or iOS, press the three dots next to it and select Download video. When you open up a video, there is also a download button underneath it. Tap Library and then Downloads in the YouTube app to see your saved videos.
