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Anonymous User
Not applicable

Too many devices - but I'm not!

So I have NOW via my BT contract. 

I have been using NOW on 2 x FireTV. 

Today I added my BT TV box, tried NOW for a while then then turned the box off. 

 

Currently only one device has NOW running(others powered down) and it's still reporting too many devices. Really?! I can't manage my devices from the NOW app as it states it is managed by BT and will automatically update.. But it's not working.

 

Poor..

I hope there's a reliable and easy solution or I may be removing this service. 

8 REPLIES 8
Anonymous User
Not applicable

So it looks like the device refresh may happen every 5 or 10 minutes.

The FireTV eventually worked.

I then went to my BT TV, tried NOW and it worked.. Went back to FireTV and failed again.

 

I'm trying to test both for AV quality from both devices with a quick switch but no luck with this. I hope the device refresh can be made much better i.e. Instant like most quality streaming services. 

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @Anonymous User 

 

Is the message maximum simultaneous streams or something along those lines rather than maximum devices ?

 

If so and you are a BT TV customer you can watch on two devices (one needs to be the BT Youview box and need to be started in the order on this link article below).

 

Or if you have NOW Boost you can have three streaming devices of your choice if they support NOW.

 

https://www.bt.com/help/tv/learn-about-tv/channels-and-packages/now-tv-on-bt-tv/get-started-with-now-tv 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Hi @schnapps, thanks for the reply.

 

It definitely states 'too many devices' on screen via my FireTV. 

 

The BT site via your link states 'you'll need to leave NOW channels to start watching on the App'.

I would have thought powering off the BT box would be sufficient?

 

Also the FireTV starts working after around 5 mins of turning off the BT box. 

 

Thanks

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @Anonymous User 

 

I am not a BT TV customer to test unfortunately, but maximum devices should not occur anymore, because the six registered devices on your list is dynamic and the last device should drop off the list if you introduce a new seventh device.

 

Maybe contact BT TV support or post on the BT Community (if you haven't already) for further assistance & help.

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @Anonymous User 

 

Forget to mention, did you stop the stream and press the back button until you get back to the NOW App main page before trying a different device.

 

https://help.nowtv.com/article/managing-my-devices 

 

 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Thanks for your advice on this.

Yes I did read it is meant to be dynamic.

No I didn't quit the app but powering down in this day and age is usually sufficient to kill a running app/process.

Maybe it's the 'SMART' power feature of the BT box keeping the app running for fast resume.

 

On top of this I'm only switching between two devices - maybe it's seeing my phone app at times too. 

 

Thanks seems I may have to refer to BT 

RoyB
Legend

@Anonymous User 

 

Powering down will indeed kill the process, but Now aren’t polling everybody’s devices every few seconds to see if this has happened, only every few minutes. And only then will Now decrement the stream count, the thing that will enable you to stream on a further device.

 

Whereas if you exit the stream cleanly before powering down, it will send a message to Now that will decrement the stream count immediately, and so let you switch to another device almost instantly. Indeed, exiting the stream is enough, and you don’t even have to power down.

 

I’m slightly confused by your mention of two Firesticks, though; I’m presuming you can’t use both at once? As if you could, that would mean you had Boost, and so could watch on three devices simultaneously, so adding the YouView box would not be a problem.

 

OTOH, if you don’t have Boost, then as a BT TV subscriber to Now, you can watch on two devices at once, but one of them has to be the YouView box.

 

But the way you get this two-device watching started is pretty convoluted; and I still don’t know if the second stream, on the YouView box, is limited to the live Now channels in the 300-500 range, or if you can use the Now app on the YouView box and the Now app on a Firestick (say) simultaneously or not.

Set a Payment PIN on your account so that no-one but you can buy memberships on it. Check your bank accounts monthly for any other unexpected payments to Now. That way you can at least nip them in the bud, while you and Now figure out whose fault they are.
Anonymous User
Not applicable

Interesting reply. 

 

So yes if the total sign-ins aren't polled every few seconds then this explains the experience I'm having. Without a clean exit I have to wait around 5 mins till I can use it on the FireTV.

 

I've not tried both FireTVs at the same time. I sometimes quit on one and move to the other in another room but there is a time gap. I may test to see if both can work at the same time when the BT box is off - it does have two maximum connections.. But you state it's not possible with a very basic package..