Smartphones have become so prolific that almost everyone has one in their pocket at any time. These devices are making it extremely easy to access all kinds of information in an instant. However, they aren’t without their flaws.
One of them is the fact that you can’t really do much with them if there’s no internet. More importantly, you can’t access videos online without the internet. To watch your favorite show or music videos offline, you’ll have to download them first. Here’s how you can do that without breaking a sweat.
How Can I Download a Video Directly to My Phone?
You can’t. It’s not that it’s technologically impossible, it’s that neither Google nor Apple wants anything to do with it. Downloading videos is a massive headache in terms of copyright.
Because of that, you won’t find any legitimate apps that allow you to download videos from places like YouTube.
Instead, you’ll have to first download the video to your PC, and then transfer the video to your phone. Although it might sound complicated, it’s not. All you really need are the right tools for the job.
Downloading the Video
As of yet, most video streaming sites such as YouTube don’t have a download option. They only allow you to stream the video. To go around this issue, you’ll need to get yourself a video downloader of some sort. Speaking of which, not all downloaders are created equal.
You’ll need to dig into different features this type of software offers. The people behind Viddly YouTube Downloader say that choosing the right file parameters is essential when downloading a video from any source. After all, the idea is to get a video of optimal size and resolution for your phone.
Choosing the Right Format and Resolution
When you decide to download a video using video downloader software, you’ll be presented with various options in terms of video format and resolution. Both of these are important as they directly impact the size of the file, as well as the picture quality.
Phone screens are way smaller than your average TV or computer screen. There’s no need to run a 4k video on your phone since it most likely won’t support it. So far only Sony has seriously dabbled in 4k reproduction with their Xperia line.
If your source video is 4k, you can save a lot of room on your phone by downgrading the resolution. In fact, you can go past full HD, if storage is an issue for you or if you plan on downloading more than one video.
As far as video format goes, you’ll want to select the right one for your phone. Both iPhones and Android phones will run a variety of formats, so make sure to select the one that works for your device.
Download and Transfer
Once you’ve selected the resolution and format you want, go ahead and download the video to your PC. Once it’s on your hard drive, you can proceed to transfer it to your phone.
- For iPhone
If you run an iPhone, you’ll first want to sync up your device with your computer using a cable or WiFi. Keep in mind that the procedure is different depending on the type of computer you have. Macs offer native syncing with iPhone, while Windows machines don’t.
When your iPhone syncs up, open the Finder feature and select it in the dropdown menu.
Next, select the Movies tab in your button bar and click “sync movies to (name of your device)”. Lastly, check the box next to the video you’ve just downloaded, and click apply.
- For Android
If you have an Android phone, simply hook it up to your PC using the USB cable. Once the connection is established, you’ll get a prompt where you can select the “Use USB for Transfer” option. This will open up the file manager on your PC, allowing you to transfer the file to your phone by dragging it over.
All you need to do is select the right folder where you want your video to be transferred to. To do so, just navigate the folder tree until you find the right location in your phone’s memory.
Practice Makes Perfect
If you decide to make a habit of downloading videos and saving them on your phone for offline use, you’ll quickly figure out the settings that work for you. We’ve given you a brief rundown on how to transfer video to your phone.
However, if you want to, there’s a lot more information out there that could potentially make your experience even better. Over time, you’ll optimize the entire process and make it even easier.