How to Watch Netflix on Your Phone: From Sign-Up to Sofa

Netflix lets you watch thousands of films and TV shows on your phone for a flat monthly fee, with no adverts on most plans and nothing to rent or return. The Netflix app is free to download, and you only pay the monthly subscription, which starts at roughly $7 to $8 a month for a basic plan and rises to about $23 for the top tier. One subscription works on your phone, your tablet, and your television, so you set it up once and watch anywhere.

The steps below cover both an iPhone and an Android phone, because the app looks almost identical on each. Where they differ, both versions are spelled out. By the end you will have Netflix installed, signed in, and playing a show full-screen.

Step 1: Download the Netflix app

The app comes from the store built into your phone. On an iPhone that is the App Store, a light blue icon with a white A. On an Android phone it is the Google Play Store, a colourful triangle that looks like a sideways play button. Tap whichever one your phone has.

1. Open the App Store (iPhone) or Play Store (Android).
2. Tap Search at the bottom right, then type "Netflix".
3. Find the app with the famous red N on a black background.
4. Tap GET or Install, and confirm with Face ID, a fingerprint, or your passcode if asked.
5. Wait for the button to change to OPEN, then tap it.

The red N icon now lives on your home screen. From now on, that single tap is all it takes to start Netflix. You never have to repeat the download.

Step 2: Sign in or start a membership

When the app opens, it shows a red "Sign In" button and a way to join. If someone in your family already pays for Netflix and has said you can share, tap Sign In and enter their email and password. The same account can be used by several people in the household, each with their own profile.

If you are setting up your own membership, tap the join option and follow the prompts. You will choose a plan, enter an email and password, and add a card. Pick the plan that fits how you watch. There is no contract, and you can cancel at any time from the account settings without a fee or a phone call.

Step 3: Pick the right profile

After signing in, you may see a screen with several coloured boxes, each with a name. These are profiles, and they keep everyone's viewing separate so the app remembers where each person stopped watching. Tap the one with your name, or tap "Add Profile" to make your own.

Your profile remembers the shows you have started and suggests new ones based on what you watch. If a grandchild set up the account, making your own profile means your screen fills with your kind of programmes rather than cartoons. You can change profiles any time by tapping the small round picture in the top corner.

Step 4: Find something to watch

The home screen scrolls up and down with rows of shows grouped by theme, such as "Comedies" or "Because you watched...". Swipe a finger up the screen to see more rows, and swipe left across a row to see more titles in it. Tap any picture to open that show's page, where you can read what it is about.

To look for something specific, tap the magnifying glass labelled Search at the bottom of the screen. Type an actor, a film title, or even a mood like "feel good". Results appear as you type. This is the quickest way to find a particular film a friend recommended.

Step 5: Press play and use the controls

On a show's page, tap the large "Play" button. The film starts and fills the screen. If you tap once anywhere on the picture while it plays, a row of controls appears for a few seconds, then fades away so it does not block the view.

The controls are simple. A pause button stops the picture so you can answer the door. Two arrows let you jump back ten seconds (handy when you miss a line) or forward ten seconds. There is a back arrow at the top left to leave the show. If you want words on screen, tap the speech-bubble icon and choose subtitles in your language, which many people find makes quiet dialogue much easier to follow.

Step 6: Download shows to watch without internet

Netflix can save many shows onto your phone so you can watch on a train or plane with no internet. On a show's page, look for a downward arrow labelled Download. Tap it while you are on Wi-Fi at home, and the episode is stored on your phone.

Downloaded shows live under the "Downloads" tab at the bottom of the screen. They play exactly the same way, but use no data and need no signal. When you have finished, you can delete them to free up space. This feature is included at no extra cost on the ad-free plans.

Watching Netflix on your television

The same membership works on a smart TV, so the film you started on the bus can be finished on the big screen. Most modern televisions have a Netflix app built in, reached through the TV's apps menu. Sign in there with the same email and password, choose your profile, and your shows are waiting exactly where you left them.

If your television is older, a small device such as a Roku, an Amazon Fire TV Stick, or an Apple TV (roughly $30 to $150) plugs into the back and adds Netflix to any screen. Set one up once and you control everything from a small remote.

Casting a show from your phone to the television

If your phone and your television are on the same home Wi-Fi, you can start a show on the phone and send the picture to the big screen, using the phone as the remote. This is called casting, and it works with most smart TVs as well as a Chromecast, a Fire TV Stick, or an Apple TV. The film plays on the television, not on the small phone screen.

1. Check that the phone and the TV are connected to the same home Wi-Fi network.
2. Open Netflix on the phone and start playing any show.
3. Look for the cast icon, a small rectangle with curved lines in one corner, near the top of the screen.
4. Tap it, then tap the name of your television in the short list that appears.
5. The show jumps to the TV. Use the phone to pause, rewind, or choose the next episode.

To stop and bring the show back to the phone, tap the cast icon again and choose "Stop casting". Nothing extra is charged, because casting only borrows the bigger screen for a show you were already watching.

Settings and questions when you are starting out

Netflix has settings that make watching more comfortable, and they are simple to reach. To turn subtitles on so you can read along with the dialogue, start any show, tap the screen once, and tap the speech-bubble icon. Choose your language under "Subtitles", and from then on it remembers your choice for every show.

If the sound is too quiet, the volume buttons on the side of your phone raise it, and a small pair of headphones plugged in or connected by Bluetooth makes speech much clearer without disturbing anyone else. To stop a show pausing because your phone screen dims, you do not need to do anything, since Netflix keeps the screen awake while a film is playing.

Does watching Netflix cost extra each time? No. Once you pay the monthly fee, you can watch as much as you like at no further charge, the same way a library card lets you borrow any number of books. Can you cancel easily? Yes, from the account settings on the Netflix website, with no phone call and no penalty, and you keep access until the end of the month you have paid for.

What if you forget your password? On the sign-in screen, tap "Forgot password?" and Netflix emails you a link to set a new one. Keep that new password written down at home with your other important notes. With the app on your phone and a screen of your choice, Netflix becomes one of the easiest pleasures your devices offer.