When I first used the DISH Anywhere app, I found it easy to use and feature-rich. I loved being able to watch my DISH live channels, on-demand movies, and DVR recordings when traveling or stuck waiting somewhere. Three years later, I like DISH Anywhere just as much, maybe more.
I’ve used the app on four devices (three phones and one PC), and navigation and controls have been consistently intuitive. Improvements seem steady—DISH ditched the clunky method of transferring DVR recordings, and now supports downloads for offline viewing (it’s not perfect, but it’s here). Ultimately, DISH Anywhere’s main benefit—adding flexibility and freedom to a typically sedentary activity—is what I like most about the app.
Read on to learn about how to download and use the DISH Anywhere app (and more).
What can I do with DISH Anywhere?
DISH Anywhere is mainly for watching TV when you’re on the go—but you can use it at home, too. It’s also a handy way to set and manage DVR recordings and parental controls when you can’t access your Hopper DVR/receiver. Here’s everything you can do with DISH Anywhere:
DISH Anywhere features
- Watch live TV, on-demand, DVR recordings, rentals, and purchases
- Download movies for offline viewing
- Set and manage DVR recordings
- Set and manage parental controls
- Create up to five user profiles
- Stream on up to five devices at once
- Create watchlists
- Use your smartphone as your DISH remote
The DISH Anywhere home screen on mobile. (CableTV.com)
DISH Anywhere is easy to access and use
Nobody likes fighting with family or roommates over what to watch. Ordinarily, to watch DISH on multiple TVs, you’d need another TV (what are you, rich?) plus a DISH Joey receiver ($5 a month) for each additional screen. With DISH Anywhere, up to five people can use DISH Anywhere at a time using a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. Just log in with your DISH account credentials and you’re all set.
That should bring some peace to your place.
Watch DISH Anywhere on the go—almost anywhere
Again, watching TV when you’re not home is DISH Anywhere’s reason for existing. The only difference between using DISH Anywhere at home and using it on the go is how you connect to the internet. At home, you’ll use your Wi-Fi network. Away from home, you’ll use someone else’s Wi-Fi or your mobile data—both subject to availability, of course.
Download movies—but not shows—to watch offline with DISH Anywhere
The ability to download movies and shows to watch offline is one of our favorite TV mobile app features. DISH Anywhere used to allow only “transfers” of DVR recordings—a more complicated process than downloading. Now you can download movies (sorry, no shows) from select movie and premium channels in your subscription. It’s more limited, content-wise, but its way easier than the old way.
Note: We recommend downloading or transferring content on DISH Anywhere on your home Wi-Fi network to conserve your mobile data.
Unfortunately, DISH Anywhere doesn’t let you select download quality like other streaming TV apps (Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, etc.). You can still conserve data by setting DISH Anywhere to download only over Wi-Fi (Profile > Settings > Download Settings). You can also set DISH Anywhere to download only while charging, which keeps your battery from draining.
How to download movies on DISH Anywhere
- In DISH Anywhere, tap the circled letter in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.
- Select “Downloads.”
- Choose a channel or network.
- Choose a movie.
- On the movie page, tap “Add to Downloads.”
- When your movie is ready, it will appear under “Downloads.”
Filter content with DISH Anywhere
Since DISH Anywhere lets you watch so much content, you’re gonna need some content filters. You can sort your DISH Anywhere content by these categories:
- On Demand: You get all of the free on-demand content available with your DISH subscription, with additional filters (featured, movies, TV shows, purchases, family, and Latino).
- Watchlist: This is the best filter of all because it’s content you picked out.
- Networks: Use this filter when you want to watch content from a particular channel.
- My Purchases: Did you buy a movie or show on DISH? They’re here.
- Transfers: These are the movies and shows you’ve downloaded—or “transferred”—to your device from your DVR.
- Downloads: This is where you’ll find downloaded content from your premium channel subscriptions.
Manage parental controls with DISH Anywhere
Wielding parental power over what your children watch is easy with DISH Anywhere. Under More > Profiles, tap Activate Parental Controls to set a maximum content rating for your children.
We wish, though, that DISH Anywhere allowed us to access the full range of DISH’s parental controls, which are the best in the business. Unfortunately, full parental control settings are available only at home on your DISH Hopper DVR/receiver.
Pro tip: DISH Anywhere allows you to set parental controls for multiple children in your home. That way, you can adjust the content to their age. Therein lies another fail: I set parental controls for my partner. She didn’t appreciate the joke, so don’t try this at home.
How to watch DISH Anywhere: What you need
DISH Anywhere supports an array of devices, including desktop and laptop web browsers, smartphones, and tablets—but owners of smart TVs and gaming consoles will be disappointed.
DISH Anywhere system requirements
Besides a supported device, you need the following things to use DISH Anywhere:
- An active DISH subscription
- A Wi-Fi internet connection (or 3G/4G mobile connection)
- Your DISH username and password
DISH Anywhere supported devices
| Device | Supported |
|---|---|
| Amazon Fire TV/Fire Stick/Fire HD tablet | Yes |
| Amazon Fire OS | Yes |
| Amazon Kindle, Kindle Fire | Yes |
| Android | Yes |
| Android TV | Yes |
| Google Chrome browser (Mac or PC) | Yes |
| Google Chromecast | Yes |
| iOS (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch) | Yes |
| LG Smart TV | Yes |
| Mac OS X | Yes |
| NVIDIA SHIELD TV Pro | Yes |
| PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 | Yes |
| Roku devices | No |
| Safari browser | Yes |
| Samsung Smart TV | Yes |
| Windows | Yes |
| Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S | Yes |
Data as of post date and subject to change.
How to cast DISH Anywhere to your TV
Google Chromecast and Roku device owners: while you can’t run the DISH Anywhere app on your devices, you can cast DISH Anywhere from your phone to your TV. Here’s how to make it happen:
- Open DISH Anywhere on your mobile device.
- Click the DISH Anywhere cast icon.
- Watch TV.
Yup, it’s that easy.
DISH Anywhere FAQ
Is DISH Anywhere free?
The DISH Anywhere mobile app is included in your DISH plan.
Do you have to have the Hopper for DISH Anywhere?
For full functionality, DISH Anywhere must be paired with an internet-connected, Sling-enabled* DVR/receiver—either the Hopper 3 or the Hopper with Sling. If you have a different Hopper model, you can still watch limited live channels from your DISH TV package.
(*Although DISH owns Sling TV, “Sling-enabled” refers to Sling technology, which is different from the live TV streaming service.)
What is a Sling adapter?
The Sling adapter is a device that DISH used to sell that enabled older DVR models to work with DISH Anywhere. It is no longer supported by DISH. To use DISH Anywhere, you’ll need a Sling-enabled DVR/receiver like the Hopper 3 or Hopper with Sling.
How many users can use DISH Anywhere?
DISH Anywhere allows up to five users to stream at a time.
How do I get DISH Anywhere to work?
Once you’ve downloaded the DISH Anywhere app, open it and follow the prompts to pair the app with your internet-connected Hopper 3 DVR/receiver. You can also use your DISH login info to watch DISH Anywhere on your PC or Mac computer.
Does DISH Anywhere use data at home?
DISH Anywhere will not use your mobile data as long as the mobile device you’re using is connected to your home Wi-Fi network.
Why you should trust us
Our TV experts have logged dozens of hours watching DISH satellite TV at home and on the go with the DISH Anywhere app—as well as other cable and satellite TV providers’ mobile apps. We compared them based on content, features, functionality, user experience, and value. For more information on our process, read our “How We Rank” page.
