Shame my 2015 Samsung smart tv will have app removed in September

[Geluk]

Disappointed to see message on screen that NOWTV withdrawing this app soon.

Why are they doing this I wonder whilst other apps remain functional..hopefully.

[chilli2]

Youv'e done well to get this far with a 2015 "smart" TV

What you will find is that over time the various apps on your TV will stop functioning, however the Tv itself will be fine for manyyears to come.

 Fortunatly you can get various devices that will make your TV smart again - and there not too expensive, i own both a roku and (amazon) fire  streaing device, however one pf those will do for you and oth support now 9as well as amazon prime)

 My preference is the Roku as i prefer its UI over the firestick, but whatever you choose i would avoid the entry level devices and get the next one up - or splash out and get the top model

 either which way it will save getting a new TV

[nst]

@Geluk   ive said this many many times in there and ill reiterate what @chilli2 replied too..

build in apps on TVs are just ticking timebombs frankly.. waiting to implode at any moment with no notice when the supported app's developer deems the platform to no longer be worth developing for,

This happens most frequently with TV OSs as they are often updated and rarely if ever upgraded for old TVs they are just left to rot.

Best bet is to not come to rely on inbuilt apps at all and take the plunge with an external device.  Bonus being the external device has a much better chance of being kept up to date by the developers especially if its a 'biggie' like the Amazon Firestick..... the TV will carry on working for many years and should you need to upgrade your smart experience in the future you just need an inexpensive replacement for the Firestick etc and it can and will always be the best it can be without having to worry about replacing a TV.

The more cynical amongst us would almost think that TV manufacturers have little interest in updating their OS because it will just encourage you to buy a new TV years before you actually need to.

[schnapps]

The ITV Hub App is also being removed on older Samsung Smart TV's at the end of September (including 2015 models).

https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/itv-hub-removed-samsung-tvs/ 

[RoyB]

@nst 

Even the less cynical among us will note that there is no revenue for TV makers in updating the OS on their older TVs, beyond that which is necessary to give them a respectable six-years, or better, lifespan.

They will also have some sympathy with those who, if they want to upgrade an OS, or an app, have to grapple with the hardware limitations of older TVs, and eventually cry ‘uncle’ when that becomes too complex, or would involve compromising the app on more modern TVs.

We’ve got a 2015 55” Samsung JS9000 hanging in our kitchen diner; it was our primary set until early 2021, when we got a 65” LG GX. But the JS9000 was never going out to grass; it’s our only 3D TV, and the curved screen helps with the off-axis viewing that every location in the room apart from the bar stools at the counter gets.

The Now app on this set, though, has been iffy for a couple of years; it sometimes loads, but mostly it doesn’t, an issue I’ve never been able to fix. And while the BBC iPlayer is still going strong, we are cruelly deprived of their UHD option.

So this TV is augmented with a Roku Streaming Stick+, plugged into the One Connect box on the floor, behind a small kitchen unit, where the Roku remote not needing line of sight to the Stick means this is no problem at all.

We’re going to keep this TV going as long as we can, and if the Streaming Stick dies, or starts losing apps, a new sub-£50 Roku or Amazon device will take its place. So - Now ceasing on this TV in a few days? We just don’t have to care 😀

[chilli2]

It would be uch easier if "smart" tvs never existed, or at least the "smart" bit was a replaceable module

It makes you wonder home many perfectly good screens are thrown away when the apps stop working , and people spend over £500 on a new TV when they could spend aroud £50 on a streaming device Roku or Fire?

[nst]

totally agree.

the 'smart' part has a much shorter shelf life than the actual TV.  To most people nowadays a TV is just basically a monitor anyway as many choose to add external sound systems, and external STBs such as Sky, Tivo, and many smart sticks and boxes.

I really hope people aren't tempted to ditch a TV just because the inbuilt apps become inevitably out of date and abandoned..... best to just ignore them and never use them in the first place.

[RoyB]

Well, trying to see if the Samsung would still get Now has borne fruit; I got my email today with a code to get a free HD Firestick Lite from Amazon, and have actioned that.

Now to watch the letterbox….

[nst]

proof if ever needed that NOW are favouring the Amazon fire stick as the device of choice now that the NowTV Roku branded sticks are a thing of the past.

[RoyB]

@nst 

I did consider that, but then I wondered if perhaps Roku wouldn’t give Now an advantageous bulk price, whereas Amazon would.

[nst]

@RoyB regardless... it happened.

Im sure that amazon had some significant leverage not least to do with content sharing.

But, as i say - its done.  Its been clear for a while that NOW sees the Firestick as its primary focus and platform of choice.

Without a doubt if a new version of the NOW app is developed with new features, you can be absolutely certain that the Amazon app is the first to be updated.