# BFI Player — See something different > Independent film streaming service curated by the British Film Institute. (iPhone/iPad app by The British Film Institute.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bfi-player/id720208055 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [The British Film Institute](https://appshunter.io/developer/699793649) - Category: Entertainment, Education - Price: Free - Rating: 4.28/5 from 857 App Store ratings · 20 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 12+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 99 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2013-10-22 - Data updated: 2026-09-10 - Monetization: subscription - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bfi-player/id720208055/reviews.md ## What is BFI Player? Stream great independent movies hand-picked by the British Film Institute (BFI). Finding great films from the around the world has never been easier with BFI Player, the ultimate destination for independent cinema lovers. With the BFI Player app you can explore award-winning movies from the world’s best directors and acclaimed new discoveries from emerging filmmakers. Additional information: UK customers only. BFI Player Subscription renews until cancelled. For streaming content mobile network and/or Wi-Fi charges apply. For more info, contact your Network Operator. To view our terms of use, visit: player.bfi.org.uk/terms-of-use ## Key features - Curated independent films - Award-winning movies - Emerging filmmaker discoveries - International cinema - Hand-picked selections ## Recent user reviews (10 of 20) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bfi-player/id720208055/reviews.md ### 3/5 — Patchy performance *2026-03-08* So my review is not about the BFI or the quality of the films; that's not in question at all. My problem is the performance of the app. It's so very patchy and often doesn't stream properly, especially to Chromecast. It's really frustrating because this is my only way that I can actually watch stuff. I wish that this would be fixed. It makes me want to have to cancel my subscription, which I've had for a couple of years now. ### 4/5 — Excellent films but glitchy app *2025-05-21* I’m writing this in the hope it can help the tech team improve. I’ve only recently got the app on my smart tv, and as much as I love the films, the subtitles sometimes get stuck-as in the same words will stay up long after the dialogue has continued. I often have to start the film again and fast forward back to that point. Also, the app doesn’t have memory of what you’ve watched before, or mark your spot if you want to come back to it, again you have to forward to your spot which is very tedious. I know the app is in its infancy so really hope these issues can get sorted quickly because I really love the films! **Developer response:** Hello, thank you so much for the feedback! I would find it really useful if you can reach out to bfiplayer@bfi.org.uk so we can explore it more. ### 3/5 — great films, but wrong about devices *2025-01-17* There are a lot of outstanding films available on the BFI player. There was a problem with English subtitles to films in English not appearing - subtitles are essential to the hard of hearing - but this has cleared up recently. There is still a problem with a pop up appearing, usually every five minutes, stopping the playback claiming incorrectly that 'Your device limit has been reached'. It has to be removed and the film reset, including subtitles. I have not seen any film unaffected by it. There are other error messages, but they are infrequent. **Developer response:** Hello, thank you so much for the feedback! Please reach out to bfiplayer@bfi.org.uk so we can investigate it further. ### 1/5 — Ideal for Cinephobes *2025-01-15* Disappointing. Film selection is excellent, but try finding them ! The movie I wanted WAS there, but the search algorithm is atrocious. Despite inputting most of the film title, it would not appear as a suggested title. I had to trawl through pages of titles to find it. As others have said, the forward, rewind and pause tools are ‘basic’. If you select subtitles then pause or rewind playback, it resets without subtitles. Can someone explain the on-screen timings? Watching a film for ten minutes and the elapsed time (or is it?) was 1hr16 mins ? The app crashed 2 hours into a 3 hour film, so playback continued but was unable to pause playback or…anything! There’s more , but I’m boring myself now….. **Developer response:** Hi AndyCole, thank you for your feedback. We would find it really helpful if you could message bfiplayer@bfi.org.uk with all the feedback you've provided and any additional comments you may have so we can start investigating it. ### 4/5 — Great service but has interface issues *2025-01-14* The range of films and value for money is excellent but I don’t understand why what I see on the BFI iPad app is different from what I see on the BFI Apple TV app. For instance on Apple TV, I can’t see the ‘Mark Kermode presents’ feature, or the playlist feature. Nor does it remember how much of a film you have watched if you don’t complete it all in one sitting. It makes it quite frustrating to use at times. **Developer response:** Thank you for your review. We currently have an early version of BFI Player live on the TV apps and are looking to roll out more features this year. If you have any other feedback, please contact us on bfiplayer@bfi.org.uk ### 4/5 — For the film connoisseur *2024-12-19* I have only just discovered this service and I am impressed with the content and especially for me the catalogue of vintage films and shorts which gives a look at life as it was in say the 50s. True, the TV apps are still in development but I will certainly hang on as I believe updates are due in the new year. **Developer response:** Thank you for your feedback and I'm glad you hear that you're impressed with the catalogue. We currently have an early version of BFI Player live on TVoS, Fire TV, Android TV, LG TV and Samsung. If you have any other feedback, please contact us on bfiplayer@bfi.org.uk ### 1/5 — A Frustrating and Unreliable Viewing Experience *2024-09-29* The BFI Player app is, unfortunately, plagued by issues that make it almost unusable. Despite a decent-looking user interface, the experience of actually playing rented or purchased content is frustratingly inconsistent. Casting, for example, was riddled with errors. On numerous occasions, I encountered issues when trying to cast content—either it wouldn’t start or, after watching for an hour, it would suddenly stop casting altogether. Switching to AirPlay didn’t improve matters, as it presented its own set of problems. I tried casting to Chromecast, which eventually worked after multiple failed attempts, but not without the AirPlay functionality cutting out beforehand. Even trying the BFI Player app on my Samsung TV was a disaster. The app wouldn’t play the movie at first, and when it finally did, fast-forwarding more than a minute caused the app to crash every time. To add to the frustration, the app failed to sync my progress across devices, so I had to manually scroll through the timeline to find my place. Moreover, the lack of an option for offline viewing is a major downside. You’re forced to have a stable internet connection to watch anything, which makes it highly impractical for anyone with inconsistent internet access. In the end, my experience was overwhelmingly negative. Unless absolutely necessary, I will avoid using the BFI Player app in the future. This time, I only used it because the film I wanted to watch (I Am Love) was unavailable elsewhere. **Developer response:** Thank you for your feedback and sorry for the issues that you're encountering. It would be really useful for us to get more information on this in order to help resolve this, please contact us on bfiplayer@bfi.org.uk. ### 2/5 — Great Movies, but dreadful Apple TV app! *2024-08-26* BFI movies are excellent, vast and varied. It’s a delight for any movie buff. However the app falls down massively. 1. You can’t search categories other than the few on the main welcome/menu page. Why? 2. It doesn’t have a saved list section (even though on the phone app there is). Why?? 3. It doesn’t have a continue where you left off option. So basically you have to type search again for a movie you are half way through as it doesn’t show on the Home Screen. Why??? 4. You can’t view all movies A-Z. Why???? 5. You can watch the TV app on another device and then come back to it on another device and it doesn’t remember than you have even been watching (back to the start?). Why????? The fast forward options are terrible on the TV app so when you try and fast forward second by second it won’t let you it just keeps skipping 10 minute chunks instead. Why?????? I’m actually speechless that somebody is making an app so poor then expecting you to pay £6.99 a month for the privilege of the app doing your head in. It’s like the Netflix app but Made by Temu. Such a shame as the content is awesome. But the apps rubbish. Sort it out or you will continue to lose subscribers like myself. **Developer response:** Hello, thank you for your feedback. We are looking at these features for future iterations of the tvOS app and will be sure to update this review once we release them. Please feel free to contact us on bfiplayer@bfi.org.uk if you have any other feedback on either the Mobile or TV apps. ### 2/5 — Like everybody says, nice films but not a great app *2024-06-12* How is it possible there is no 'continue watching' section for movies you've started playing? Especially annoying since the app closes the video player if you pause your video for too long. You have to scroll all the way through your watchlist to find the film again, which kicks you back up to the top if you click into something by mistake. Then you have to hope that it at least saved your place in the video (sometimes but not always). **Developer response:** Hi, thank you for your feedback! If you have any other bits of feedback, please get in touch with us via bfiplayer@bfi.org.uk ### 3/5 — Finally a tvOS app for the UK *2024-05-29* Really great to get a developer response today to let me know that an app for UK subscribers is now available for tvOS. It is a little basic and needs more work, but awesome to finally be able to watch BFI content on a big screen. The app doesn’t provide any information about the video or audio formats and it is not possible to connect it to the TV app for integrated browsing. The TV app still shows the BFI as a separate purchasable channel even when you signed into the new app with your subscription. Hopefully we will see updates to address these things in the near future. **Developer response:** Thank you for your feedback. I am happy to confirm that we have released a tvOS app. If you have any other feedback or comments, please contact us on bfiplayer@bfi.org.uk ## Frequently asked questions about BFI Player ### What is BFI Player? BFI Player is a streaming service that offers a curated selection of independent and international films, including award-winning movies and discoveries from emerging filmmakers. ### Who can use BFI Player? BFI Player is available exclusively for customers in the UK. It supports streaming on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, and iPod. ### How much does BFI Player cost? BFI Player operates on a subscription model that renews until cancelled. Specific pricing details are available upon subscription. ### Does BFI Player have ads? No, BFI Player does not contain advertisements. It is a subscription-based service focused on delivering uninterrupted film viewing. ### When was BFI Player last updated? The latest version of BFI Player, version 5.2, was last updated on April 27, 2026. ### What is the age rating for BFI Player? BFI Player has an age rating of 12+, making it suitable for viewers aged 12 and above. ### How do I cancel my BFI Player subscription? BFI Player subscriptions renew until cancelled. For detailed instructions on cancellation, please refer to the terms of use available at player.bfi.org.uk/terms-of-use. ### What are the data charges for streaming on BFI Player? For streaming content, mobile network and/or Wi-Fi charges may apply. For more information, it is recommended to contact your Network Operator. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 5.2 — 2026-04-27 Minor improvements and fixes ### 5.1 — 2025-10-29 Improvements and bug fixes ### 5.0 — 2024-12-12 - Improved help pages - Change in UI - Improvements to error reporting ### 4.9 — 2024-08-22 - Improved analytics - Change in UI - Improvements to casting ### 4.8 — 2024-03-25 Improvements to our customer support module ## More apps by The British Film Institute - [Sight & Sound](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sight-and-sound/id548664090) - [BFI Sci-Fi: Days of Fear and Wonder: The Sci-Fi 60](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bfi-sci-fi-days-of-fear-and-wonder-the-sci-fi-60/id937838994) - [BFI Player (US)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bfi-player-us/id1564438447) - [BFI LFF DVL](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bfi-lff-dvl/id1585907723) All apps by The British Film Institute: https://appshunter.io/developer/699793649 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-10.*