Apple TV+ rumored to support downloads for offline viewing, may limit simultaneous streams

Apple TV+ is expected to launch sometime before the end of November of this year, and a new report states it could support downloading content for offline viewing.

MacRumors has the report on Tuesday, detailing a few new tidbits regarding the upcoming streaming service from Apple. The discoveries were made within the latest beta of macOS Catalina, and suggests that while Apple may limit some aspects of the subscription service, it may also meet at least one major bullet point.

First, watching content offline. While nothing is confirmed just yet, and things could change by the time Apple TV+ launches to the public, it looks like the service will support downloading the original TV shows and movies for offline viewing. However, there are some caveats:

According to code strings found in macOS Catalina, Apple will apparently allow videos to be downloaded for offline viewing, but with limitations on the total number of downloads, downloads per show or movie, or the total number of times a show or movie can be downloaded. For example, if a user tries to download the same video on multiple devices, the Apple TV app will inform them that “To download this episode of ‘The Morning Show’, delete it from another device and try again,” for example.

If the Apple TV+ subscriber does reach one of the limits for downloaded content, they will see a message that reads, “You have reached your limit of [preset number of] downloads”. And there will be a warning for individual episodes, too.

There will be a limit on simultaneous streaming, too. This isn’t different than other streaming services, though, so it isn’t too surprising. If the user starts streaming on too many devices, they’ll see a warning like, “To stream this movie, stop watching ‘The Elephant Queen’ on another device”.

The limitations may come down to this:

The different limits on downloading and streaming content could be based on the type of Apple TV+ subscription, family sharing configuration, or registered devices.

In related news for Apple’s upcoming Apple TV+, rumor has it that the service will cost $9.99 per month and will launch before the end of November. A separate report detailed how Apple’s spending on original content has essentially skyrocketed as it aims to compete against Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+, spending more than $6 billion for the year.

Are you looking forward to Apple TV+ at all?