How to download movies to your iPhone - all ways

Sometimes a spare minute comes up and you want to watch a movie on your iPhone. And then there is a difficult choice: to download a movie or watch it online. On the one hand, why bother downloading videos to your iPhone when you can go to the website and play your favorite movie. On the other hand, if you are going on vacation on the train, flying on a plane, or just going to work on the subway, this method is not suitable because you do not have access to the Internet. Maybe there is a quick way to download a movie and not bother? Let's look into it.

Article updated on 03/01/2023.

Video Formats

Before we learn how to download movies, we need to look at the video formats that the iPhone can play. These include MP4, MOV, M4V, and AVI. If the movie you are going to download is in a different format, then you need to install either a universal video player or a video converter. Converters, unlike video players, are free and do not require any special skills. So if you need to, choose one of the suggested ways and convert your video into the format you want.

Free ways to download videos to iPhone

There are both paid and free ways to download and watch your favorite movie or series on your device. Free:

• iTunes
• Torrents
• Applications
• Downloading from another device
• Downloading from YouTube
• Using Cloud Storage

How to download videos for free - 6 ways

iTunes

The first thing you do is download the desired movie to your computer. If it is not in MP4 format, you need to reformat it. As a result, you will get video in MP4 format with m4v or mp4 resolution.

After that, connect the device with a wire and open the iTunes program. In the iPhone control panel, go to the settings and check the "Manually process video" checkbox. After that, click "Apply".

In the "On this device" section, open the "Movies" tab. Drag and drop the downloaded video here and you're done.

You can use the standard way of working with iTunes. If you don't want to go into the settings, then instead of the second step, add movies to your media library, connect your device by wire, check the "Sync" box in the "Movies" tab. After that, sync your gadget with your media library and enjoy watching on the plane.

Torrent (at your own risk)

If you don't have a torrent client installed, this is pretty easy to fix. Follow this link emu4ios.net. Press "Install". After installation, find the iTransmission program and open it.

Find the movie you want to watch in the browser installed on your device, and download it in the desired quality. After the torrent file is uploaded, the gadget will offer to choose a program with which to open it. Choose iTransmission, the download will start. The movie is downloaded, you can watch it.

This method can be punished in some countries, for example, in Germany the use of torrents is prohibited at the state level. Those who use it face a rather tangible fine.

Apps from the AppStore

There are quite a few video download applications, but I want to tell you about one of the best applications - Documents.

Download for free Documents from the AppStore

The program is convenient because you can download various documents, not necessarily video files, from the Internet, copy them from your computer, cloud service, any device, forward documents to other gadgets, archive and unpack archives, save web pages for viewing without connecting to the Internet and so on. The application performs many other functions, but the main thing is that it is perfect for downloading a movie or TV series.

The program is free. However, you must be over 17 years old to download it, such a strange protection :).
How do I use this app to download videos? Here's a little instruction:

• Open the website, find the video, movie or TV series you want and copy the link to it.
• Open the Documents program. Use the built-in browser (bottom right) to open the site through which you can download videos. For example, hoower.net, savefrom.net or YooDownload.
• Paste the copied link, choose the video quality and download. You can rename the video or save the title.
• Locate the Downloads folder in Documents. Select the downloaded file, click on the three dots and the context menu appears. Tap Move. When your device prompts you where to move the video, select "Documents", then "All photos" and confirm to move the file.
• The downloaded video will appear in the Photos app, from which it can be conveniently viewed.

What other app is suitable for downloading and watching a movie? For example, Video Manager for Cloud Disks.

Download for free Video Manager from the AppStore

Unlike Documents, the Video Manager works only with media files. It can play, copy videos, transfer, delete, and export video and audio files. With the program you can both watch a movie online and download it - a double benefit.

The application is free, which is a big plus. It is available in Russian and English.

After opening the program, press the button in the upper right corner, the "Add files from" menu will open. You must select the browser installed on your device.

Search in a search box or on a particular site for the necessary video to watch online.

Turn it on and a download button appears. You download the movie and watch it without the Internet.

Downloading from another device

There are third-party players that can be used to play any video format. You can also download videos through these applications.

Connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes. In the section of your device, find the "Apps" section.

Then you have to scroll down to the "Common Files" heading and select the program VLC for Mobile.

After that, you need to transfer the video using the "Add" button or simply drag and drop into the application window.

If for some reason this program is not installed on your device, you can download it.

Download for free VLC for Mobile from the AppStore

Downloading movies from YouTube

To download videos from YouTube, you can use the previously described method - Documents or Video Manager applications. Both programs are suitable for downloading the desired movie from YouTube. However, you can also use another download method - Workflow.

Download for free Workflow from the AppStore

Among its many features, this app can be used to download a movie. In addition, it is free.
Find the video in YouTube or your browser, click "Share," and select the Run Workflow extension.
The Workflow will open and start processing the video, which will be saved to "Photo" after processing is finished.

If you need to download regular files, Workflow prompts you to open them in any of the compatible applications.

There is another way to download a YouTube movie to your iPhone. It also uses the Documents app, but the download method itself is slightly different.

1. Find the movie you want in the Safari browser and copy the link.
2. When the screen prompts you to turn on the video using the proprietary app, tap Cancel and enter the link again.
3. The movie will start playing. Press pause and add two English letters "SS" before youtube.com in the address bar. You should get the following: m.ssyoutube.com/. Press Enter.
4. The SaveFrom.net page opens. Now you have to choose the quality of the video. The movie will open in a new tab.
5. Open the Safari browser, click the "Share" menu and select the "Copy" option. The link will go to the clipboard.
6. Open the Documents program. Then switch to browser mode. Then add the copied link to the address bar. Choose a name and click "Save". The movie will start saving and go to the "Downloads" folder.
7. In Documents, using the file manager mode, open this folder, click on the movie with the hold and move it to the "Photos" folder. Or select the downloaded video, click on the three dots and when the context menu appears, click "Move", select "Documents" from the suggested list, then click "All photos" and confirm to move the file.
8. Go to the Gallery (Photo app) - your movie is there, you can watch it.

Using cloud storage

For example Google Drive, Apple iCloud or Dropbox.

• Upload the movie to cloud storage (e.g., Dropbox or Google Drive).
• Open the Documents application, find the downloaded video.
• Download it to the memory of your device. You can also watch videos online.
• The method is quite convenient, but you need to have space on the cloud.

Paid ways to download movies to your iPhone

There are several paid methods by which you can watch or download the desired video on your iPhone:

• Viewing without downloading
• Paid applications
• Program for downloading from another device

Premium subscription to Youtube

This is probably one of my favorite ways to download movies from YouTube. The premium costs only $5 a month, or $8 for a family of 5, which is just a cup of coffee a month. For that, I get to download any Youtube video to watch later, no ads, and more Youtube Music - a great competitor for Apple Music. These clips are then available in the same YouTube app, only they will be viewed offline. Convenient for trips on the subway or flights.

I did find one disadvantage. You can't download clips that are available only through a link. But such videos can't be downloaded with anything at all. Oh yes, and the second one, if the movie is not on Youtube, you can't download it.

And then there's another way to do it. You can download the movie in advance and upload it to YouTube. Everyone who has a Google account has their own channel, and it can become the video exchange that you need. You upload movies, shows, and then download them to your own app. Bingo!

Viewing without downloading

If you need to watch a short video and are too lazy to download it, you can use the online viewer on any website. But you may be charged for this, since you are using mobile Internet.

Paid applications

A prime example of such an app is Netflix, an app for iPhone and Andoid with which you can watch movies and TV shows.

Download for free Netflix from the AppStore

Netflix shows movies and TV shows all the time, so you can pick the movies you like - and there's a big selection - and watch them whenever and wherever it's convenient, even if you don't have Internet access.
The first month the app runs for free, then a one-month subscription is automatically issued - $ 10.99.

Program for downloading from another device

Another way to download videos is to do it with another device. AnyTrans software will help with this.

Download AnyTrans

AnyTrans is designed specifically for transferring videos, music, files and apps from your computer to your iPhone. It is even possible to transfer data from an old iPhone to a new one. You can choose what to transfer and what not to transfer. So it's a multifunctional program that even does things that iTunes can't.
However, the program also has disadvantages. If you are linked to iCloud and try to sync something, AnyTrans will automatically warn you that you cannot continue without cancelling the connection with iCloud. But if you want to transfer videos individually instead of syncing files, the program will handle that just fine.

Once you connect your iPhone to your computer, it will give you various options. The program will display all the media files on your device and you can easily transfer them by clicking "Import" in the lower right corner or by selecting "Import All" and importing all the media into your iTunes media library or into your computer.

If you want to quickly transfer a movie to your iPhone, you need to:

• Download it to your computer
• Connect your gadget to your computer and AnyTrans will automatically optimize the resolution for smooth viewing at the right resolution on your device.
• Transfer the downloaded video to your iPhone and watch it at your convenience without access to the Internet.
• If you need to download a big video, this is the way to go. You don't have to wait a long time to download a movie on your phone, especially if you use mobile Internet and you get charged for it.

These are all the best ways to download and watch a movie. There are both paid and free options. Whichever is more convenient for you - choose and enjoy.

Oleg Tsegelnik

Hello! I am the founder of Apps4Life. It started as a hobby, but turned into a great and useful project that helps people get acquainted with the digital world of mobile games, add-ons, webservices and crypto-industry.