Charlie Monroe has updated his Downie video downloading utility to version 4.12.13 with a handful of improvements (see “Beyond Streaming: Why and How to Download Videos from YouTube,” 12 July 2026). The release improves the detection of download failures due to lack of free space, enhances HTTP header detection in case of custom integrations using resource detection, resolves an issue with multipart downloads where all parts could end up being the same, and improves connectivity with YouTube, Facebook, Douyin, iQIYI, Xiaohongshu, and Kick. ($19.99 new, free update, available on Setapp, 42.7 MB, release notes, macOS 11+)
Hah! Hard to keep up with Charlie’s updates. Just after reading this TidBITS post I checked and Downie 4 v. 4.12.14 (build 5243) was available…
Gotta say Downie is a superb app and Charlie Monroe is ever vigilant to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of media providers as well as adding new features along the way. HIs tech support is always timely and responsive, offering detailed suggestions for resolving pesky issues.
Before finding Downie I used various video downloading ‘tools’ (mostly Firefox extensions) but most were focused on YouTube only, whereas, Downie offers support for 690 sites! IMHO Downie reigns supreme in this arena.
One of the, perhaps overlooked, features is the ability to download transcripts (.srt) of the media. (Downie > Settings > Subtitles & Audio. Being an information junkie with many areas of interest, I find transcripts extremely useful when searching for media (Audio & Video) related to whatever ‘area of interest’ I’m looking for. I use DEVONthink Pro to index transcripts and show notes I’ve collected. I often use Downie to “Download Only Subtitles’“ for media I’ve downloaded via iTunes for example. One could use Audio HIjack to transcribe AV media but that takes as long as it takes to play the whole file, whereas Downie can snag a transcript in seconds.
Wow, transcription is a great feature that I didn’t realize was available… and indexing transcripts in DEVONthink is an awesome tip. Will definitely give this a whirl.