Update Now TV app for apple TV

[Anonymous User]

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.

[MrZippy]

I don’t like the Amazon interface, but it works better than NowTV. Native is best.

[nst]

its all gone a bit quiet again hasn't it 🙂

That promised survey hasn't appeared.. but then last time it took over a month instead of a week.

Keeping specifics out of it.... version 2 seems a bit more stable but with a couple of things that still need fixing.

I must admit i have only used it to watch one show all the way through but that was a struggle as I find the difference between 'boost' HD and standard to be very noticeable on my TV at least, and I dont really want to be watching stuff in 720 when I have paid for 1080 and 5.1.

[MrZippy]

Well it must be a week since I sent an email to the trials manager, no response yet. 

Pandemic or not this is way too slow. 

[nst]

@MrZippy me too - no reply from trials manager.  a bit odd as normally hes pretty good.

[MrZippy]

I wish I knew why this was such a low priority, Apple made it easy for them with universal apps. Yet they choose to write a custom UI at extra time and cost to themselves.

Worse still form the visuals the super buggy version is actually released in Ireland!

It’s a shame as they do have some good content. It’s still saved me a fortune cancelling sky 6 years ago, and due to the old poor app I only binge box sets periodically on nowtv when I can get a discounted pass - never paid full price yet!

[nst]

@MrZippy 

I totally agree with you.  The whole thing is just odd.  Of all the platforms that NowTV "support" - the AppleTV (and therefore customer base) has been unbelievably poorly treated - for all the reasons we've gone over in these threads a multitude of times already.

But now, as of today, the appleTV desperately needs this update and also the boost function (yes I know some dont want it if they are using iPhones or iPads but we are taking about the HD and 4K AppleTV boxes here) - and that will only bring NowTV into line with what other streamers such as Amazon and Netflix have been doing for years. 

Even with boost, their service is way behind Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon as they have routinely been streaming in 4K for a while now.

NowTV is generally great... I mean that.  As a lifelong SkyTV subscriber I wouldn't be without the Sky one, and Sky movies services and having switched to NowTV as a money saving exercise it is tantalisingly close to being a fantastic alternative to those who do not want to commit to a high monthly fee, or necessarily want a dish on the house.

That being said, I understand that Sky intend to launch a dish-less service which will be a streaming service - but I wonder surely thats just NowTV isn't it?  Interesting to see what that is, and what happens to NowTV when it launches.  I suspect that you will get a 2 tiered service offering - either the Sky branded streaming service without the dish... which will miraculously be a 4K service with Dolby atmos level sound..., and then the NowTV service which is a lot cheaper per month but I suspect maxing out at 1080p and dolby 5.1.  I guess the Sky service would be a longer contract and more expensive too.

NowTV should be a major player in the UK market.... in fact they are but embarrassingly low-rent compared to others and at a similar if not more expensive price point.  The shame of it is, that NowTV have the content.. and they know it.  I dont know why that means that they think they can rest on their laurels and not provide a first class compelling proposition.

Again, this is to a tiny degree changing.  Now that Disney+ exists, some of the Disney movies such as Star Wars and Maleficent etc have released simultaneously on both platforms in the UK - the shame of it being that the same movie on Disney plus is a 4K stream and best you can hope for on a supported platform with NowTV is 1080p.

So lets hope that the new app is ready soon, and launched soon... i imagine those not on the beta trial are beyond fed up waiting for this and understandably cant imagine whats taking so long - its been 3 months in Beta so far with dare I say very little forwards progress.  I recall back in November last year we were all taking about the imminent release of the new App - and here we are half a year later 🙂 

[dr_necessitor]

@nst 

“i imagine those not on the beta trial are beyond fed up waiting for this and understandably cant imagine whats taking so long - its been 3 months in Beta so far with dare I say very little forwards progress”

Not only them, according to my email history on this subject I’ve been on this beta trial since at least August 2018 & I’ve been thinking the same for about a year now... 😡

[nst]

@dr_necessitor 

Your experience fills me with despair!

But It does feel, to me at least, that instead of getting nowhere fast... we are getting somewhere slowly....

I'll take the latter.

[dr_necessitor]

@nst 

“Your experience fills me with despair!”

😂

“But It does feel, to me at least, that instead of getting nowhere fast... we are getting somewhere slowly....”

Agreed

[nst]

Forgive me for taking the 26th January with a pinch of salt... being that its a Sunday and I dont think thats a very common day for apps to receive updates in the iOS app stores.... and today is the day but no joy.

However, worth nothing that we are in the last week of January. 

A couple of sources have mentioned a late January release... so I guess we wait and see.

Just don't hold your breath for the next week.

I would re-iterate that this is such an important release... at least as far as i'm concerned.

I think its fair to say that the AppleTV box is probably the best out there... now I know that things like the Fire Stick 4K are all well and good... and considerably cheaper than the AppleTV.... however in my experience the AppleTV is truly the one box you'll need.  

Why?  well its the only Box that I can see that has:

iPlayer, All4, ITV, Demand5, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, AppleTV, and NowTV.

Plus, the 'up next' function on the AppleTV app is excellent (but a real shame that Netflix doesnt play nicely with it)

From the above list... the NowTV stick is missing Amazon.  The FireTV stick is missing NowTV... etc etc. and thats not to even mention the Boost add-on that should be universal but isn't.

Personally I want to choose the best box to sit under my TV and i want to avoid the clutter with multiple boxes, multiple cables, and multiple remotes....

Its frustrating as we are almost there.... but I refuse to use the 4 year old NowTV app on the AppleTV as its basically unusable.

I feel we are almost there.... surely this cant be delayed much further.

Ever the pessimist... my next concern will be that they dont bother to keep it updated going forward... so the AppleTV app will stagnate again and not get the attention it deserves as they demonstrated last time.

[moroboshi]

No idea where this January thing came from, but based on Sky's behaviour over the past five years (!!) I'd say the chances of the ATV app ever getting updated are essential zero. For whatever business reason they decided years ago the the UK ATV market is irrelevant.  

Just use Netflix, Amazon, ATV+ and the soon to be released Disney+. They're in 4K with HDR and Dolby Atmos. And they have good apps which are regularly updated. In short, support providers which actually give a damn. Sky don't, and after five years they clearly never will. 

[nickmorc]

The Roku Plus has all those apps. A little cheaper as well. 

[Anonymous User]

https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/now-tv-ireland/id1190333186#?platform=appleTV 

The app has already been developed, approved and released in Ireland. I imaging the core base is 99% identical to the UK version so the app is basically done.

The apple tv non update and lack of boost stops me using NowTV. Their is no excuses the app hasn't been updated and released with boost support in the UK yet.

[Anonymous User]

All I want for the 3rd gen app is to add a watch list. Seems like a bizarre omission compared to the Prime and Netflix apps on the platform - unless I’m missing something?

[nst]

You aren't.

A watchlist is a vital function for me, and the fact that NowTV had one was the ONLY way I was able to use the service.

Basically, I ditched SkyQ and needed some kind of pseudo recording-queue.

The watch list, when functioning correctly, is adequate.  Although it does not highlight in the 'continue watching' section shows that have a new series starting... it does highlight the next episode when youve started watching a series.

This will do.  just.

However, the AppleTV is years behind such technological advancements.

This has been allowed to happen, and its not really acceptable as a "fully supported device".

[djt]

I contacted NOW TV to ask them about the app (thinking / hoping that the more people that are asking, the more urgency there may be....) and I got this response today:

"We understand your concern about the NOW TV App update but we do not have a specific time frame and we are also aware that the NOW TV App requires an update and the technical team are currently working on this. As mentioned before you will either be notified or you will have to keep an eye on the NOW TV Community page."

I know its years late which is ridiculous, but at least they've acknowledged that the app needs an update and that they are working on it. I responded asking why we can't just use the app that is available in Ireland, I'll let you know if I get a decent response. 

[nst]

Thats the key... and thats the question that we are really asking.

We aren't ignorant or stupid... this is 2020, and theres a thing called the internet... we can easily find out that the universal app has been released in Ireland and Italy.... and not the UK

We are simply asking, as subscription paying customers, why this is and why we cant have the same app released in the UK.  Its not as if it doesnt exist...  but whats the reason that it CANT be released in the UK yet.

If someone would just answer that question... although I sure its not going to be an answer that satisfies us.... its the least they can do at this point.

For example "our appleTV app requires specific amendments for the UK customers... this is still in development and we are hoping to have a UK version of the app ready by xxxx"

[_eMa_]

Hi. Where you found support for AppleTv in Italy ???? 

[nst]

Apparently, the new universal app is available on the Italian, and Irish app stores.

Just not the UK one.

[MrZippy]

Do google search you can find the Irish one easily, it has screenshots too. Same version as U.K. iOS non universal app, I created an Irish account and installed, it fully worked but would not accept my U.K. login details. 

[Anonymous User]

When I google it nothing ever comes up, am I searching for it wrong what are you typing into google