New Apple TV 4k - "Sorry, Now TV is currently unavailable"

[Anonymous User]

Just bought the new Apple TV 4k, in an attempt to be rid of the wretched Samsung TV apps. So far I've got as far as "Sorry, Now TV is currently unavailable", with a Retry button that does nothing.

I bought the Entertainment package too, but can't watch anything due to this. I refuse to use the Samsung TV app as it constantly crashes or flat out doesn't work. So far, I'm starting to think that it's just an issue with Now TV being a trainwreck.

The only other threads I found suggested removing PiHole, adblock, and something to do with a BT Smart hub. None of these apply to me as it's all on stock settings with a Virgin Hub 3.

What tops it all off is the fact that this very website has a chat button that does not work. Sky have blatantly added a fake chat button just to make you even more angry at the lack of support for their products. 

At this point it would be less frustrating to just buy an iPhone and stream shows from dodgy sites. This is about as calm as I'm capable of being given the ineptitude of the company.

[Anonymous User]

Just unboxed/connected by new Apple TV 4K and get the same issue

[Anonymous User]

Same problem here on new Apple TV 4K arrived today.

[schnapps]

This is the latest tweet reply from NOW over on Twitter (see screen shot below).

[nst]

dont hold your breath.

Ridiculous and embarrassing MISTAKE they have made.

Today, the new 4K boxes arrive and the app they provide needs a tweak.  This should have been done before today... whatever was needed.

How long till this is fixed?

My replacement 4K box will stay in the box till I know this works.

Sadly... these responses from Twitter are always unreliable.

[schnapps]

This has been posted on the NOW Community Red Service banner in the last few minutes.

[dr_necessitor]

“So that’s all good then” #W1A

[Anonymous User]

DO we have an ETA on when this will be fixed, so I that I can decide whether or not to cancel my subscriptions until the app is working?  Its not worth subscribing to all the packages if I cannot use the NowTV App on my new Apple TV 4K to watch them!

[Anonymous User]

I have the same issue. Bought a brand new 4K Apple TV box yesterday predominantly because my 2nd gen app was about to become obsolete !

If this issue persists past the 27th I will not be happy...

[nst]

I share everyone’s irritation with this.

Another issue with the AppleTV platform - rubbish half baked app that was never updated to include the bare minimum of 5.1 and now this.

This, on the face of it, seems totally ridiculous and unacceptable and also should surely be easy to fix.

The app, for its faults, should work just the same on the new hardware.  There’s no way that TVOS would require a new version of an existing app to be made to run on the new 4K box - this is a fact of course as all the other apps work fine.  Therefore its something server-side at NOW’s end - something as simple as recognising a new model of hardware… and surely this is just a tweak on a bit of code on a server.

GET ON WITH IT NOWTV…… DO THIS FIX. N*O*W!!!!!!  Many, like myself, now have a new AppleTV as they were available from YESTERDAY and we of course expect the same app to work on it that worked on the old 4K box.  This is not an unreasonable expectation!!!!!

At least, the more complaints they have the more they realise that there are indeed AppleTV customers out there who pay for Now’s service and expect it to work.

[Anonymous User]

Unbelievably I’ve had to go back to using the original garbage green ‘NOW TV’ app to get access to the NOW service, when using this new 2021 device. 

How is it that every single other app, you can reinstall onto the new device and it works flawlessly. How hard can it be? Now tv really is the unwanted illicit child of Sky it seems. 

[nst]

I just tweeted Nowtv help - and they replied with the party line of its prioritised blah blah.

I asked for an ETA but that was ignored.

I’d encourage as many as possible to keep the pressure up as this situation is just unbelievable and totally avoidable.

Meanwhile my new AppleTV sits in its box as there’s no point plugging it in if I find I can’t use all the apps I want on there.

[Anonymous User]

Bought the new 4K Apple TV specially because Now won’t support 2nd generation box beyond the 27th. To see this “unavailable” message defies belief!

[nst]

It certainly does when this seems to be a relatively simple oversight on their part.

Obviously hardware has an identifier and they haven’t allowed for the new Box with a different identifier to work with the app.

Simple to fix one would assume.  Every hour this isn’t sorted is an insult to their paying customers who remain without a service on a box they supposedly support.

The proof here will be how long they take to fix it.  As I say this should be something thats should be identifiable in seconds by their development team and once someone has been well and truly sold off for not sorting this sooner and inconveniencing a large number of customers…. They should make the necessary amendments and get on with it.

Day 2 and counting.

Let’s hope this doesn’t drag on.  Could be 5.1 audio all over again.

After all… if they have an AppleTV app… there’s no point in having it if its not supported on Apples flagship AppleTV box.

[Anonymous User]

I've just realised I can use the old Now TV app on my new Apple TV until May 27 when the old app is to be shutdown. (Hopefully, the new app will be fixed by then). @Anonymous User  and @Anonymous User  mentioned this. But, I thought I'd spell it out in case somebody else, like me, hadn't put two and two together.

I'd deleted the old app from my home screen. Unfortunately, the old app is no longer 'on sale' in the app store. However, it is still listed in my Purchased apps - I looked under 'Not on This TV'. It's a light green background with blue NOW TV text.

I'm less miserable now I can watch the PGA championship on my new Apple TV. Thanks @Anonymous User  and @Anonymous User .

[Anonymous User]

@Anonymous User I thought we’d seen the last of this awful app, but it’s come to the rescue now! Just even more painful to use than the ‘new’ app! 

just be warned, using the old app will count as a new device in your ‘three device changes per month’ limit. 

[nst]

So, here we are over 24 hours since NowTV acknowledged the problem…. (I note after initially blaming apple).

This cannot be anything more than some kind of server type configuration issue their end… or at the very least they need to amend and recompile the app and re-release it on the App Store.

Isn’t the problem glaringly obvious and why are we still waiting for this to be fixed.

For info this is the “updated” page that we should be following:

https://help.nowtv.com/service-status

This has been updated several times however it just says the same thing.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks for this. Found the old app using your suggestion. You are a true hero.

[Anonymous User]

Day 3: still not working. 

[Anonymous User]

Well its the weekend innit - in the world of NOW TV it seems OK to use the word prioritise without qualification to hide the fact that resolution of the problem has been given a low priority and will only be dealt with when the issue gets to the top of someone’s in tray during normal working hours.

[Anonymous User]

Try uninstalling the app and reinstalling this has worked for me this morning.. And I am now able to watch on my new Apple TV 4K

[Anonymous User]

Yep seems to be working after a reinstall. Good of them to let us all know…(!)