# The Criterion Channel

> Watch classic movies and more

Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/com.criterionchannel](https://chrome-stats.com/d/com.criterionchannel)

## Overview

- **ID:** `com.criterionchannel`
- **Platform:** Android
- **Type:** Android app
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** The Criterion Collection
- **Category:** ENTERTAINMENT
- **Downloads:** 313,029
- **Rating:** 4.54 / 5 (5,182 ratings)
- **Version:** 10.303.1
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-02
- **First published:** 2019-04-08
- **Publisher country:** US
- **Size:** 75 MB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-07
- **Store listing:** [Google Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.criterionchannel)
- **Website:** [https://www.criterionchannel.com](https://www.criterionchannel.com/)
- **Privacy policy:** [https://www.criterionchannel.com/privacy](https://www.criterionchannel.com/privacy)

## Description

The Criterion Channel is a dream streaming service for movie lovers, featuring a vast library of over 1,000 classic and contemporary films from Hollywood, international cinema, and art-house collections. With thematic weekly programming such as director spotlights, genre retrospectives, and curated series by notable filmmakers, the service provides a rich exploration of film history and culture.

Subscribers enjoy exclusive original series, behind-the-scenes content, scholarly analyses, and full access to the renowned Criterion Collection's Blu-ray and DVD editions. The subscription-based platform continually refreshes its offerings, providing new discoveries every day along with unique features like Observations on Film Art, making it ideal for cinephiles seeking depth and context in their viewing experience.

## Rankings

- #127,228 — Overall
- #164 — Entertainment (Gross)
- #8 — channel

## Permissions and access

### Permissions

- `android.permission.ACCESS_ADSERVICES_AD_ID`
- `android.permission.ACCESS_ADSERVICES_ATTRIBUTION`
- `android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE`
- `android.permission.AD_SERVICES_CONFIG`
- `android.permission.BLUETOOTH`
- `android.permission.CAMERA`
- `android.permission.DOWNLOAD_WITHOUT_NOTIFICATION`
- `android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE`
- `android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_DATA_SYNC`
- `android.permission.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_MEDIA_PLAYBACK`
- `android.permission.INTERNET`
- `android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS`
- `android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED`
- `android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO`
- `android.permission.WAKE_LOCK`
- `com.android.vending.BILLING`
- `com.criterionchannel.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION`
- `com.google.android.c2dm.permission.RECEIVE`
- `com.google.android.finsky.permission.BIND_GET_INSTALL_REFERRER_SERVICE`
- `com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID`
- `com.google.android.providers.gsf.permission.READ_GSERVICES`
- `com.huawei.appmarket.service.commondata.permission.GET_COMMON_DATA`

## Review summary

Overall, users praise The Criterion Channel for its exceptional film selection and thoughtful curation, easy-to-use interface, and ad-free, affordable experience. It shines for lovers of classics, arthouse, and international cinema, with strong discovery tools and offline downloads for travel. A recurring caveat is occasional playback and resume issues that disrupt watching and progress tracking, suggesting reliability improvements would further boost satisfaction.

### Pros

- Curated, broad catalog of classics, arthouse, and international cinema.
- Clean, intuitive interface with quick access to watching and minimal searching.
- Ad-free experience with strong value pricing.
- Offline downloading for travel.
- Pause/resume capability and viewing of credits, with country/director search for discovery.

### Cons

- Playback/continue-watching issues: streaming can stop, progress may not be saved, and the resume feature can be unstable.

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Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/com.criterionchannel)