I have been a fan of Asian television content for years already. I spend most of my free time watching Korean and Chinese dramas and Japanese anime. However, it is difficult to find a platform where all Asian content is available.
In 2019, iQIYI launched its app that became a platform for all of the popular Asian content like dramas, movies, and anime. iQIYI also offers popular variety shows from different countries, making it one of the platforms with the most Asian content.
Learn more about the iQIYI app and its features below. Discover the most popular Asia drama and binge-watching-worthy shows on iQIYI.
- Introducing the iQIYI App
- Subscribing to iQIYI VIP Premium Plan
- Starting with the iQIYI App
- Checking iQIYI’s Home Tab
- Finding a Show to Watch on iQIYI
- Watching a Show on iQIYI
Introducing the iQIYI App
I fell in love with Asian dramas because of their unique content and quality production. They usually offer an interesting storyline that showcases their culture, beliefs, and current conditions. It also felt like they continuously produce new and exciting dramas worth watching.
Before, I had to constantly look for a platform where the new Asian dramas were available, and most of the time, they were all on different apps or platforms. Fortunately, the iQIYI app came to life and offered a platform that houses the most popular Asian dramas.
iQIYI is an on-demand video streaming service that provides Asian entertainment content to international viewers. It is a platform that contains the most popular Asian drama series, anime, variety shows, and movies.
The iQIYI app is a great platform for international viewers because it offers multiple languages and subtitles. Guided by its company’s mission to make joy accessible at people’s fingertips, iQIYI provides quality content that may be ad-supported or accessed through a VIP subscription.
Installing the iQIYI App
When I first discovered the iQIYI app, I immediately installed it because of the excellent reception and reviews of people on the app. iQIYI has over 50 million downloads and has consistently high user ratings.
The iQIYI app is free to be downloaded on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. It uses the “freemium model,” which means certain content can only be unlocked via the VIP subscription.
The app asks to be installed on devices running on Android 5.0 or up and iOS 11.0 or later.
Subscribing to iQIYI VIP Premium Plan
The iQIYI app is free to install which means I can access and watch some shows for free. However, free version users are not guaranteed the best viewing experience due to intrusive ads and lower video quality.
To have a great user experience, I subscribed to a VIP plan on the app. There are two plans: Standard and Premium. The Standard VIP plan costs $3.99 per month, while the Premium VIP plan is $5.99.
There is a 30-day trial period for the premium plans with which I can test out if the premium features are worth it. The premium plan can be paid using PayMaya or any debit and credit card. It is also possible to cancel the subscription anytime.
Moreover, iQIYI has limited time offers for new subscribers. There are also voucher codes that can be used for discounts on premium plans.
iQIYI VIP Premium Perks
The Standard and Premium VIP subscriptions have almost the same VIP privileges except for the number of allowed devices and video quality. The Standard VIP subscription allows me to watch on two devices simultaneously, while I can use four devices with the Premium VIP subscription.
Moreover, I can watch the shows in 1080P in Standard VIP, but the 4K resolution is supported on a Premium VIP subscription. However, the other premium perks are the same such as the VIP skip ads, Dolby Cinema, and Blockbusters.
In addition, I liked that I can get an advanced viewing on the app as a VIP user, especially if I cannot wait for the next episode of the drama I am following. It is also possible to download the content so that I can watch it anytime and anywhere.
Starting with the iQIYI App
Upon installing the app, it asks permission to access different functions and features of my mobile device so that the app will run smoothly. It wants to access my Wi-Fi connection information, device & app history, camera, media files, storage, and calendar.
In addition, the app wants to read the Home settings and shortcuts, receive data from the Internet, view network connections, reorder running apps, allow Wi-Fi Multicast reception, control vibration, disable screen lock, control flashlight, draw over other apps, and much more.
After granting permissions, I immediately signed up on the iQIYI app even though it is not required for free version users. The free version users can still enjoy the app’s content even without an account on iQIYI.
I created an account to ensure I can access my profile, which has a premium subscription on iQIYI when using another device. I just needed to provide my email address, set a password, and indicate my birthday to sign up. I may also choose to use my mobile number to register.
Exploring the App
One thing I liked about the iQIYI app is its organized user interface. It is easy for me to explore the available content on the app.
There are four main tabs on the iQIYI app, which are found at the bottom of the screen: Home, Explore, Download, and Me. The Home tab shows the recommendations for popular dramas or anime at present.
The Explore tab shows the content according to the categories. Meanwhile, the Download tab is only available or will have content if the user subscribed to iQIYI’s premium plan. Lastly, the Me tab shows my profile and other settings to customize my experience on iQIYI.
Checking iQIYI’s Home Tab
The Home tab shows the following categories of content: For You, K-Drama, Drama, Movie, Anime, Variety Show, and VIP. The For You page displays all the recommended shows for me by the iQIYI app.
Moreover, the app shows all the trending shows on the Home page, further categorized into high popularity and top score.
The HIgh Popularity shows are the ones that have received many views recently, while the Top Scored dramas are those that gain high ratings from viewers.
I can also check the upcoming dramas on the iQIYI app by scrolling on the lower part of the Home page. I can also search for a specific show on the app through the search bar.
Searching Content on the Explore Tab
The Explore tab shows all the available content on the iQIYI app. It is also called the app’s library, which contains drama, anime, variety shows, and movies. The library can be sorted according to region categories, VIP or free content, and date of release.
I can sort the library based on the show's country of origin, such as South Korea, China, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, and even America. For the release date, I can choose a specific year range like 2015 to 2020.
The categories options are for the genre or theme of the dramas, which is helpful because I like specific genres of shows only. Some of the categories on iQIYI shows are Youth, Mystery, Friendship, Sweet Love, Marriage, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, and Crime.
Finding a Show to Watch on iQIYI
It may be difficult to find a show to watch as there is much available content on the iQIYI app. If I do not have anything specific in mind, I try to explore the shows in terms of their genre and country of origin since I love K-Dramas.
Before diving into the show, iQIYI provides the trailer video of the show so that I will have an overview of what the show is about. In addition, there is also a short description of the show’s summary or plot.
iQIYI also provides the show's rating based on other viewers, so the higher the rating, the more interested I become.
The names of the actors and directors are also shown. Lastly, the app displays the number of episodes and if there are premium videos.
Bookmarking and Sharing an iQIYI Show
There are times that I do not have the time to watch a show that I recently discovered on iQIYI. Thus, it is great that the app allows me to bookmark the show so I can easily access it in the future.
I love sharing the dramas that I watch with my friends by recommending them to watch them, especially if I know they will be interested.
iQIYI supports sharing a show's link or an episode to any social media and messaging app.
Watching a Show on iQIYI
Like any other video platform, I can customize my watching experience on iQIYI. Once I play an episode of a drama that I want to watch, I can easily rewind and fast forward it by double-tapping on the left or right screen.
To skip major parts of the episode, I can swipe the screen horizontally to find the part I want to see. Meanwhile, swiping vertically on the screen has two functions: one on the left and one on the right.
If I want to adjust the screen’s brightness, I just have to swipe the screen vertically on the left. Swiping the screen vertically on the right will adjust the audio’s volume accordingly.
In addition, I can pause and play the show by simply tapping the center of the screen.
Knowing the Other Options while Watching a Show
There are available subtitles for the shows on iQIYI for international viewers. I can check the available subtitles for the show on the “Subtitles” option below the pause/play button.
I can also change the speed of the video with the following options: 0.75x, 1.0x, 1.25x, 1.5x, or 2.0x.
Most of the time, the iQIYI app adjusts the video quality based on the internet speed. However, I can still manually set the video quality.
Conclusion
The iQIYI app is home to the most popular Asian content like dramas, movies, anime, and variety shows. It offers premium subscription plans for users to have a great watching experience. This is a great app to watch movies online!
Spanish version: Aplicación iQIYI: mira los dramas asiáticos más populares
