Identify the exact recording and downloaded device
Record the programme, episode and which mobile device prepared the offline copy. A second recording of a similar programme can be easy to confuse with the one being requested. The relevant unit is the actual downloaded video.
For a practical household example, one person prepares a recording on a tablet for travel while another later tries the same recording on the television. The missing playback may follow the download restriction even though the television has free storage and both devices can stream unrelated material.
Choose between preserving the copy and releasing the lock
The official instruction says the download must first be deleted before that video can play from another device. Decide whether the local copy is still needed before removing it. If connectivity will soon disappear, releasing it casually can undermine the traveller’s viewing plan.
Use the app’s supported download-management route rather than moving protected files manually. Also confirm the current 4K Plus or other eligible offer on the account and the title’s download availability. The help says a greyed-out download action indicates an unavailable download; that is a different state from a copy already held elsewhere.
Keep the device and entitlement evidence together
If the restriction remains unexpected, tell support which recording is involved, where its copy exists and which receiving device is blocked. Do not assume every playback limit on the account has the same cause. A simultaneous-stream condition and a single-video offline lock answer different questions.
The help also requires periodic connected app use to preserve downloads, so inspect the actual copy and displayed state before travel. This guide reports Google’s published recording-download mechanism and contains no deletion, offline preparation or cross-device playback test. No permanent file ownership or Australian availability is implied.
Questions about this guide
Can a download affect playback of the same recording on a TV?
Yes. The help says other-device playback waits until that download is deleted.
Is this simply the phone running out of storage?
No. It is a specific downloaded-video access condition.