Paramount+ Downloads Not Working Offline? 67 Reviews (2026)

You download a few episodes of a show before a flight, open Paramount+ in the air, and the app tells you it needs an internet connection. Or it opens, and the downloaded episode stutters so badly you give up.

Both are common enough on Android that we counted them. We read every Google Play review about downloads from mid-July to 1 November 2026 to see how often each happens, whether it is getting better or worse and whether anything helps.

Quick Answer: Why Won't My Paramount+ Downloads Play Offline?

67 US Google Play reviews from 17 July to 1 November 2026 say Paramount+ downloads fail on Android. 39 say the app will not open or will not play downloads without an internet connection, and 33 say downloaded episodes stutter, freeze or play out of sync. The share of negative reviews about it has more than doubled, from 1.6% in August to 3.7% in October. None of the reviewers who cleared the cache, reinstalled or downloaded again says it fixed the problem. Paramount+ answered almost every one, usually with the same link to its downloads help article.

How We Counted

We pulled the 6,000 most recent US Google Play reviews of Paramount+, going back to 17 July 2026, plus the most recent reviews from the Mexican, Brazilian, French, German and Italian stores, 9,227 different reviews in all. The UK, Australian and Canadian stores returned the same reviews as the US one. Paramount+ holds 4.13 stars from 516,254 ratings on Google Play and 4.64 from 938,837 on the App Store. Every review below is from the Android app.

We searched them for download, offline, airplane mode, flight and the Spanish and Portuguese words for download, then read the matches. We kept reviews that say downloads will not open or play without a connection, or that downloaded episodes do not play properly. Complaints that streaming buffers, or that the download button does not appear on a cheaper plan, are left out. Every review we kept came from the US store. The other stores returned almost nothing about downloads in this period.

It's Getting Worse

The count rises every month: 13 in August, 19 in September, 28 in October (and 6 in the last two weeks of July). The total number of negative US reviews stayed roughly flat across those months, so this is a real increase, not just more reviews.

Version 17.2.0 reached Google Play reviews on 19 October and accounts for 17 of the reviews since. The problem is older than that version, though, so updating is not likely to fix it, and 17.2.0 has not fixed it either.

Problem 1: The App Needs Internet to Open

This is the more common one. The downloads are on the phone, but Paramount+ will not get past its loading screen, or will not play them, until it can go online.

bought the most expensive plan to be able to watch downloads when internet is not available. tried to open the app offline and was met with error: internet required to open the app. can't even access my downloads offline. Will be switching to a competitor!

No Offline Viewing of Downloads! Content is great but as for this app, when I travel I like to watch shows on long flights. However, even though I downloaded what I wanted to watch, without an internet connection the app gives me an error and won't go past the paramount loading screen before saying there is an error with the application.

Downloading stuff makes you think you can watch stuff offline. WRONG. You need an internet connection or the app wont even open.

idk how you have paramount levels of money and your app is this bad. plus one of the most expensive monthly fees and even the ad free sub has ads... absolute trash. as soon as south park is done I'm done. update. downloaded some stuff for a plane ride only to find that the app can't launch without an internet connection... it remains the worst of all the streaming apps.

Some reviewers find that the app gets confused by a weak connection rather than no connection. One says the app only shows downloads in full airplane mode with Wi-Fi off too. Another says that when there is internet, the app streams the episode instead of playing the downloaded copy.

Unable to open app without Internet to access downloaded content. If you do have Internet and then try to watch downloaded content it doesn't seem to actually use the downloaded content and instead streams it causing buffering.

Problem 2: Abroad, the Location Check Gets in the Way

Two reviewers say downloads fail outside the US, including on an international flight. They say the app checks your location when it opens, and that the check blocks the app before they can reach their downloads.

performance and stability is okay when connected to the internet. Will not let you watch downloaded content if it connects to a foreign region, like on an international flight, which defeats my main purpose of downloading content.

Problem 3: Downloaded Episodes Stutter

When downloads do open, 33 reviewers say they play badly: stuttering video, choppy audio, lips out of sync. Some say streaming the same episode works fine. Four of the 33 name a Google Pixel phone.

Downloads have unwatchable stutter on Pixel 10 Pro, not fixed by disabling battery optimization, smooth display, or anything else I tried. Streaming works fine for the same show.

Massive disappointment. I downloaded a show for offline watch, it is so choppy it gives me a headache I can't watch it. Their mouths don't line up with their words. This is so ridiculous. Never experienced this with downloads from other aps.

The biggest problem with this app is that when you download programming, it plays back choppy. You pay extra for downloading capability but then you have to stream it live. I know it's not my phone because Amazon, Peacock, and Hulu all work fine.

When UFC first transferred things were fast, you could actually watch downloaded material, and the app as a whole would load. Now if I download an episode or fight, it takes two full minutes for it to even access the 'downloaded' page, then if you are lucky you can open one, then when it finally opens after another FULL minute it plays with a stutter and looks like it is being STREAMED via dial-up, despite being downloaded on high definition.

Eight of the 67 bring up what they pay, usually the Premium plan, which they bought because it includes downloads.

The downloaded videos are stuttering on my phone. I paid for premium to watch on flights, and it's miserable.

Not everyone has trouble. One reviewer in October says downloads always work for them, on every device their family uses.

abuse this app al the time with no issues. download stuff and it always works for me. my family and I habe it on everwe have from tablets to Xbox. Great app

What Paramount+ Says

Paramount+ replied to 65 of the 67 reviews. 32 of those replies are the same message pointing to its help article on downloads: "Here's all the info you need to download your shows and stream offline." None of the replies we read says the problem is known or being fixed. One reviewer says support told them to stop using downloads, and another says the only suggestion was to download again.

ad-free tier still has promotions prior to viewing (they are skippable, for the moment). I took several devices on a trip recently, and downloaded TV and movies in advance. Consistently, the audio stutters during playback on downloads. Even after reconnecting, viewing the downloads had the same issue. Regardless of device, the only resolution was to delete the download and stream the content.

Takes 5 minutes to load my downloads page, then when they finally load, none of my episodes play. They all stutter like crazy and the only solution suggested is to just redownload them.

What You Can Try

Test before you leave. Turn on airplane mode at home, open Paramount+ and play a few minutes of each download. If the app will not open, you find out on your sofa and not on the plane.

Try full airplane mode. One reviewer says downloads only show up with airplane mode on and Wi-Fi off. If the app is stuck on a weak hotel or plane connection, cutting the connection completely may get you further.

Don't count on reinstalling or clearing the cache. Seven reviewers describe clearing the cache, reinstalling or downloading again. One says clearing the cache made things a bit better, and none says it fixed the problem.

Have a backup. If you are travelling abroad or on a long flight, reviewers in this sample say downloads from other streaming apps worked where Paramount+ did not.

Related Reading

For the wider Paramount+ crash and black screen problems on Android, see Paramount+ not working. For the same kind of download trouble on another service, see Disney+ downloads not working offline, and for live sports, see ESPN, NFL, NBA, MLB, Peacock and Paramount ranked.

Read the Full Breakdown

You can read the full negative review breakdown for Paramount+ on Android and Paramount+ on iOS, or go to the Paramount+ trust check, how to cancel Paramount+ and apps like Paramount+.