How can I watch movies on my iPad?

If you’re lucky enough to unwrap a sparkling new iPad this Christmas, you’ll probably want to kick back and watch some movies on it at some point. 

Whether you’re the proud new owner of an iPad Mini 3, iPad Air 2 or an older Apple tablet, the screen gives the perfect mobile viewing experience and with a wealth of video streaming services and apps to get the latest content on your device in minutes, it’s worth investigating all avenues.

How can I watch movies on my iPad? – iTunes

The obvious place to download content is via Apple’s own TV and movies store via iTunes. The service offers some massive blockbusters and other less-known films, ranging in price from £2.49 up to £13.99 depending on whether you want to rent it for 30 days or purchase it to keep and whether you opt for standard definition or high definition.

Films are available in both 720p or 1080p so it’ll be crystal clear whatever the size and resolution of your iPad’s screen.

One bonus of iTunes films is that many include iTunes Extras, which are additional features. It may include behind-the-scenes footage or galleries, deleted scenes or interactive timelines that no other service (bar maybe the actual DVD) offer.

When you’ve bought or rented a film from iTunes, whether on your computer, Apple TV, iPhone, iPod or iPad, it’ll be added to your iTunes Cloud account so you can watch it across devices. If you start watching it on your iPad, you can carry on watching it on your computer or Apple TV when you get home if you mostly use your iPad for your commute. It’ll save your position, meaning you won’t have to note down where you stopped watching or fast forward through to find out where you left off.

If you rent a film, you have 30 days to decide when you want to watch it. As soon as you start playing it on your iPad, you only have 48 hours to watch it before it disappears from your tablet.

However, you can watch it as many times as you like in that time. If you buy a film, it’ll stay in your library until you decide to delete it. It’ll still be stored in the cloud though, so you can just re-download it when you wish.

How can I watch movies on my iPad? – Netflix

Whether you want to catch up with the latest box sets or exclusive films, such as The Hobbit, Netflix ensures you can keep up to date and entertained while on the move or at home.

The Netflix app is available for iPad, but you’ll need a subscription to the service to start watching content, costing £5.99/month for the basic service (one device only, with standard definition streaming). That gives you access to thousands of films and box sets that can be instantly streamed on your tablet for free.

However, if you want to watch Netflix on multiple devices, you’ll have to make sure your plan allows. The standard streaming plan allows you to watch HD on two screens for an extra £1, but for £8.99/month you can double that to watch on four devices.

If you want to try before you buy though, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial of the service, but you’ll have to put your billing details in first, so make sure you remember to cancel if you don’t want to commit to the ongoing service after the 30 days.

How can I watch movies on my iPad? – Blinkbox

Blinkbox is Tesco’s video streaming and download service. Like Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, the app can be downloaded onto your iPad, giving you access to thousands of films on demand.

You’ll need to download the app first, which is available from the App Store for anyone with an iPad running iOS 7 or later. You’ll then need to sign in with existing account details or sign up for one online before logging in on your iPad.

The Blinkbox for iPad player only allows you to watch the content you’ve already purchased from Blinkbox, rather than buying them on the move, which is a shame. However, that doesn’t been that’ll limit the video you can watch, as long as you’re prepared to use your computer to buy them.

Once you’re logged in, you’ll be able to see all the content you’ve paid for and either stream it or download it for watching when you don’t have a connection. You are not able to download videos over your network,so you’ll need to prepare in advance if you’re heading out on a commute and download them over WiFi before you go.

You can watch films across five devices if you buy them, but rentals will only be available on the iPad if you decide to download them onto the tablet.

How can I watch movies on my iPad? – Amazon Prime Instant Video

Amazon Prime Instant Video, like Netflix, features thousands of films and TV series to get watching on your iPad.

You’ll need to sign up to an Amazon Prime account, which costs £79 a year, including free

shipping on many of Amazon’s physical goods, but that gives you free access to Amazon Prime Instant Video. Alternatively, you can buy a monthly subscription for £5.99/month.

Once you’ve signed up to an account, you can download the app and start accessing more than 15,000 popular movies and TV shows for unlimited streaming.

You’ll have to pay to buy or rent films on Amazon’s service, with them costing from £2.49 to rent standard definition movies up £12.99 for the HD purchase, but most of the content is included in Amazon Prime’s free streaming service if you have a solid internet connection.