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Anonymous User
Not applicable

Update Now TV app for apple TV

Will the Now TV app for Apple TV ever get an update?

 

The current version is complete rubbish and makes me regret ever getting a Now TV pass.

 

Unless there is an update my Now TV experience will be very short indeed.

2,755 REPLIES 2,755
Anonymous User
Not applicable

Whoever is developing the app to which I’ve been told is sky R&D surely must take responsibility. They have allowed the nowtv app to stay on platforms for 4 years without an update. As I’ve said before they clearly looked after there core buisness and the TV side and ignored the steaming side. As you have said you was a beta tester and judging by the looks of things it doesn’t sound great.  Amazing though how they can bring out Hd boost and increase picture quality but not update an app. 

nst
Elite

I have to say, ive been a user on and off of NowTV for a few years and only recently decided to re-purchase a pass having heard of the (FINALLY!) 1080p and Dolby 5.1 functionality.

 

I wasnt too surprised that they are charging extra for this but would expect in time for it to be rolled into the main price and be a standard feature.

 

With regards to the App, I was very surprised to see my original AppleTV app still languishing in its 1.0 years old version.  Having done some research I discovered this was intentional and the app itself hadn't  been updated in years.

 

All we can deduce from this is unsurprisingly NowTV offers their app on a number of different platforms and without a doubt their own platforms (i.e. the stick and box) will always come first - though the PS4 is a bit random to also include, as is the smart TV apps on Samsung.

 

My criticism here is that when you have a product such as this, and one of its main attractions being that it is (or should be) available across a whole range of hardware devices to encourage as large as possible user-base, you cannot or shouldn't neglect one platform over another otherwise you get to the situation you have now where certain platforms are vastly inferior to others.

 

For myself, I succumbed and purchased a new NowTV box and am enjoying the 5.1 and 1080p - but i really dont want yet another box and remote cluttering up the place so I am anxious to be able to use the app on the Apple TV at the earliest opportunity.

 

It just seems like the AppleTV platform is very far down the list of priorities for the NowTV development team.  What I would say is that when launching a new product such as NowTV Boost, they should have held back or put far more effort into all the platforms they support, and updated all the apps across the board to be compatible with Boost from day 1.  Unless of course they are cynically trying to force people to have no choice but to buy a NowTV box or stick.

 

Although its still early days I would have expected far more support from launch.

 

Given that I want to be rid of my new NowTV box as soon as I can, I do wonder though if it took them this long to update the AppleTV app from version 1.0, whether it will just be left to gather dust in the future and any further new functions or updates to the NowTV service will again leave the AppleTV in their wake.

 

Id like to think that the NowTV development team take the AppleTV app seriously and make an effort to keep it up to date going forward.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

I fully echo those words. The Apple 4k box is a great device and like others have mentioned I’m having to watch the hd boost on a nowtv black box which is very sluggish. I also have firetv 4k device but of course you can’t get nowtv on there. Simply put I just want one device to watch all streaming content on and can only hope the development team get a move on. As I said in a previous post a user on avforums spoke to someone the other day from sky and it is believed the app will be rolled out January 2020 how credible this is I don’t know. 

For me, that device should be my Apple tv 4k.but in fact I’m having to use the Roku Streaming Stick+ because I refuse to revert back to using the old v1.0 app on the Apple tv 4k. I’m told that another Beta of an improved version of the new Apple tv app is “coming soon”.

nst
Elite

Agreed.

 

As I said earlier, the AppleTV is hardly to be considered a 'marginal' device and is far more ubiquitous than almost any smart TV's built in app.  Its hardware is fast and capable and although my 4K appleTV is now 2 years old, it still performs way faster than my brand new NowTV box (which I grudgingly bought)

 

I dont understand why its so far down the priority list.

 

Personally speaking I want my AppleTV 4K to be the only set top box i have, and its frustrating as it SHOULD be - its just the woefully neglected NowTV app thats letting it down.

 

Again, Im surprised that NowTV have allowed this situation to happen, and that they should be making sure that practically EVERYONE has the option of opting for the Boost add-on.  Think of all those extra £3 per month they are denying themselves whilst they have left some platforms behind. Very strange business decision to be fair.

nst
Elite

One further thought (and im not biased as I have an appleTV!).

 

Personally, I would not rely on any Smart TV built in app.  There must be so many old TVs out there, who's Operating Systems haven't been updated in years, and the app ecosystem left in the dark ages.

 

If you have a (modern) set top box / stick, then you should feel a bit more comfortable that your apps will get a bit more TLC from the developers.  Also, should your device eventually become outdated its easily replaceable without having to change your entire TV.

 

If I were NowTV, I would not supply any apps for Smart TVs natively, and concentrate on other consumer devices.

 

Of course my list would start with an AppleTV, but I guess thats not the most common out there - but certainly apart from their own Box and stick, they should also support Roku, FireTV, Xbox/PS4.

 

There are other more obscure makes and manufacturers of streaming devices but I see no reason why they should not concentrate their efforts on the more popular ones.

 

They are clearly spreading themselves too thinly, and allowing some to be neglected badly (Apple TV!).

 

Surely its time to drop support for Native apps on smart TVs.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Quite right I much prefer the device over a built in app, everyday I’d choose that. Is there no way of finding out who’s in charge of nowtv development. We’re just sat here day to day thinking when the app will be updated, surely someone can give us an update. As I said I heard on avforums that a guy said it would be jan 2020 but how credible that is I don’t know.

nst
Elite

I think thats the crux of the problem.

 

Visibility, communication, and updates.  Nothing from Sky/Now TV.

 

There must be a reason why the AppleTV platform in particular is so badly neglected.  I would suggest in this day and age an app that has gone without an update in 4 years is a rarity (unless the app or company had gone out of business).  

 

I would suggest that the appleTV is actually one of the more popular 3rd party solutions apart from games consoles but personally I find the idea of watching NowTV through the PS4 rather clunky using a game controller to access controls.  Why its not on the FireTV stick is a mystery - thats probably the best value for money device out there at the moment.

 

Although I have a perfectly working PS4 I chose to purchase the NowTV box as a stop-gap as its a better experience than the console - however I will never use any other apps on the NowTV box as they are all faster and better served on my AppleTV.

 

Everyone expecting / hoping for answers seems to be a bit too optimistic as they clearly aren't getting any.  Maybe we should be pestering NowTV more publicly via twitter and Facebook to ask them whats going on.

 

The thing with developing for AppleTV is that it is on Apple's TVOS platform which shares a great many similarities to their iOS platform, and I dont understand when they can regularly update and improve the iOS app, they dont include the TVOS app also - i imagine the same developers can work on both with very little differences between the two.

 

The apps themselves even now aren't really up to par with other offerings - for example im disappointed to see that if we have a show in our watchlist, that when a new episode becomes available it isn't highlighted somewhere.... at least not reliably or something I have noticed.  All it needs is a little badge on the show to indicate theres something new available - would make a world of difference.

 

Anyway, I digress.  

 

There are whisperings of an update imminently (just give us the irish version??!!) - however im surprised that they seem happy to lose an important market for all the Christmas Movies that they use as a draw to NowTV, and also all those people who would be willing to pay the extra £3 a month for the Boost add-on simply cannot yet.  Surely you need to maximise your earning potential??

 

January is too late for a lot of people having missed the Christmas window.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

A New Year brings the opportunity to look back at ones progress compared to this time last year and to look forward to the coming year ahead - and the updating of the NOW TV app on Apple TV should be no exception.

 

So, as far as the end user is concern:

 

1. Progress over the last year - NONE

2. Likely progress over the next year - NONE

 

So, a not so Happy New Year for all those using NOW TV app on Apple TV!

Anonymous User
Not applicable

I'm rather amazed at the dedication you guys have to Now TV. I'm not really sure why. Why not just watch Netflix, Amazon, and Apple TV+? All have good apps with 4K Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and plenty to watch on them. And if they're not enough you'll get Disney+ in 3 months time, also in 4K Dolby Vision/Atmos. 

I don't really see the point of Now TV anymore. The era of Sky being relevant is over. They're a dinosaur, and we all know what happened to them.