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[Feature Request] External Downloader Support (1DM, ADM, etc.) via Android Intent #2561
Description
Describe your suggested feature
Problem
The built-in downloader fails frequently on slow or unstable networks. When it fails,
there is no resume support — the entire file has to be re-downloaded from scratch.
There is also no retry logic, making it very frustrating for users on mobile data
or in regions with poor connectivity.
Proposed Solution
Add an option in Settings > General > Downloads to send downloads to an external
downloader app via Android Intent instead of using the built-in downloader.
Two things needed:
- A toggle — "Use External Downloader" — in the Downloads settings section
- When enabled, fire an
ACTION_VIEWIntent with the download URL + headers
(referer, user-agent, cookies) so any installed downloader app can pick it up
Apps like 1DM (IDM+), ADM, and Download Navi all handle this Intent standard
and would receive the download automatically.
Why This Matters
- External downloaders support resume — if a download fails it continues from where it left off
- They have built-in retry logic and handle slow/unstable networks gracefully
- They support multi-segment downloading which is significantly faster
- This is a well-established pattern in Android media apps
Notes
- HLS/DASH streams could be excluded (they can't be handled by simple downloaders anyway)
- If no external app is installed, it should gracefully fall back to the built-in downloader
- The Intent extras needed:
title,filename,referer,extra-headers,userAgent
Other details
No response
Acknowledgements
- My suggestion is NOT about adding a new provider
- I have searched the existing issues and this is a new ticket, NOT a duplicate or related to another open issue.
Activity
fire-light42 commentedon Mar 11, 2026
There is resume and retry support
We already have ACTION_VIEW support, called Play in browser: https://github.com/recloudstream/cloudstream/blob/master/app/src/main/java/com/lagradost/cloudstream3/actions/temp/PlayInBrowserAction.kt#L35
We already support all of this
There is not an established format for specifying these intent extras. The best I could find was EXTRA_HEADERS which may work on chrome-based browsers and could be added.
anees-dahot commentedon Mar 11, 2026
There is resume button, but it doesn't work, clicking resume download does nothing.... also there isn't any retry logic too... only workaround for me is to delete that downloaded file and then redownlaod.
But it doesn't work, or am i missing some settings? which i am sure i am not...
But if we could just get download URL, it may work for most of the users..
PS: Currently i am using Cloudstream beta, and IT has these download issues or blunders..
anees-dahot commentedon Mar 11, 2026
Ok, i am facing serious download issues, i have posted bug issues here:
#2562
fire-light42 commentedon Mar 11, 2026
That's exactly what the 'open in browser' option does!
Shariqtechie commentedon Oct 13, 2026
External Download Manager Support Should Be the Top Priority
External download manager integration should be the first priority.
I know we can extract download URLs and manually send them to a download manager, but that isn't a clean or seamless solution.
It should work like Firefox, where users can configure an external download manager, such as 1DM, in the settings and have download requests automatically redirected to it.
Suggested Download Flow
Please also consider implementing the following workflow:
Expected Behavior
The goal is to make external download manager integration seamless, similar to Firefox, rather than treating it as a secondary feature that requires manual URL handling.