The BBC has updated its iPlayer app for iOS (iPhone, iPad and iPod touch) to download programmes for later viewing.
iPlayer 2.0 app, which is free and available from the App Store, works in much the same way as before when it comes to watching programmes being broadcast live or from the last seven days over Wi-Fi or 3G.
Previously broadcast programmes, however, now have a “Download” button that allows them to be saved and viewed for up to 30 days.
Downloaded programmes don’t suffer from the stop-start playback that often plagues streamed video and can obviously be viewed even when there’s no internet connection.
Downloads can only be made over Wi-Fi, but multiple programmes can be queued to download (the iPlayer app must be running for this) at home and watched when out and about.
The only catch is that only TV programmes are available for download for now — radio programmes must still be streamed.
A similar update for the Android version of iPlayer is also in the pipeline.