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.

[ukbobboy]

@Anonymous User 

Hi Chaos

You asked, "I don’t understand why people are so happy to pay NOW TV ... and another streaming apps that cost less."  Well, it's different strokes coz' you can't look into another man's head. You just got to keep on doing you and leave the next man, or woman, to get on with it and do themselves.

I've been drinking too much, time to get a cup of coffee.

UK Bob

[Hooba]

I'm pretty much past the point of caring. Particularly since the BT / NowTV tie up. It's been flawless with BT supplying the channels directly through multi-cast. I'll say this though - the picture quality at 1080P / 50FPS through the Apple BETA is very impressive, will be such a shame if this all comes to nothing (again).

[Anonymous User]

People paying for the boost service have the option of not paying for the
boost service then the service would be usable for those people. The app
does work without the boost feature. Paying extra is a personal choice.

Now TV are essentially just trying it on with their customers with the
boost pass and if people didn’t pay NowTV/Sky wouldn’t be able to use this
cynical cash grab on us.

They are way out of step with the competition all which charge less and
feature 1080p and 5.1 sound or above. Yes, there is a Netflix option at
£5.99 but £8.99 (£4 less than NowTV with boost) Comes with full 1080p and
5.1 sound. APV is £7.99 and that includes 4K on Amazon exclusive content. I
could go on with Disney+ etc etc.

It is crucial that the Now TV app fully supports the Apple TV remote or
what is the point of it being on the Apple platform. It’s just too awkward
and cumbersome to use.

[Anonymous User]

Agree. It’s about time NowTV drew a line under all this business.

[gavs82008]

@Anonymous User @Hooba 

All I can say is patience, light is at the end of the tunnel. 

[MrZippy]

Yes, by dropping Apple TV support!

[Gizmo]

It makes me wonder whether Now TV are waiting for Apple to release an updated Apple TV device (so proving it is not a dead platform) before releasing their own app.

[nst]

No.  Thats completely wrong.

The AppleTV cannot possibly be seen as a dead platform - although the 'current' hardware has been out a while its still as fast and capable as it was on day 1 - and I would even argue there is no need for a new model at all.  We are still streaming 4K video and atmos sound and the technical requirements for this haven't changed.  We suspect a new one is coming if you look at rumours but that's only going to have a souped up processor to support increasingly complex Apple Arcade games.

You also cannot suggest a dying platform when Apple continually update the software and TVOS is an important part of the Apple ecosystem.  In fact.. launching this month is Apple Fitness+ which relies on phone/ipad/AppleTV as its main view screen - and of course in context the AppleTV is probably the best and most sensible device to use for it.

Its going nowhere.

And also.. the app IS coming.  There can be no doubt of that.  Why the continued delays nobody knows or understands and lack of information from NowTV is frustrating when they last publicly announced on Twitter it was due in September.

Remember, the window we were given was Autumn.. and that doesn't expire until 21st Dec so lets hope its coming in the next few weeks at the latest.

[Gizmo]

I'm not saying that Apple TV is a dead platform although Apple may decide to deliver something completely different such as something based on the M1 Mac Mini to create a credible gaming platform. I'm just saying that NOW TV may be waiting for some/any signal from Apple before they commit to supporting another platform.

NOW TV don't even have the resources or drive to qualify their ready to go Android TV app on other Android TV products. I think any new platform support creates a major strain on their resources.

If Apple withdrew support for the compatibility container that the current app runs in (also used by the Sky New app), I think NOW TV would just walk away rather than pushing out a more complicated app with all the support that entails.

[MrZippy]

This is all silly, Apple made it easy to create a universal app to allow easy tvOS support. What nowtv have done is create a complicated custom interface and controls, that’s their choice. And it doesn’t make the app better, it actually looses native remote support as they haven’t implemented that. Plus it’s clunky to scroll around.

[Enapace]

There is not a chance at all that TVOS is dead even the new HomePod mini speakers run on TVOS. They wouldn’t be investing in allowing Home Pods to work with Dolby Atmos either if Apple TV was dead. 

There is clearly a new Apple TV Box coming there has been way way to many rumours leaking about it. Apple just have focused on the iPhone iPad and new MacBook Pro’s. If TVOS was dead it wouldn’t get regular updates like iOS but it does. 

Android TV has been far more disjointed then Apple TV by far across the board it has had far far less support from developers and platforms if any platform is dead it’s that one. Half the issue with Android TV is that it’s not unified half the reason I expect NowTV is currently only on Sony. 

NowTV will certainly release the new app I’m expecting on the 24th. 

[MrZippy]

I’m not holding my breath.

[nst]

I decided it would be fun to ask on Twitter again....

And they responded.  The response being:

"we do not have a confirmed date yet but we can advise it is due at the end of the month"

So... i take everything with a pinch of salt of course...as this twitter account is the same one promising it in a couple of weeks when asked in August.  Remember "is due" is not the same as "is coming" as I'm sure its been "due" for at least a year now.

However what this does tell us is that it is still coming, and maybe even in the next week or so.  There are only 10 days remaining of this month after all.

[Anonymous User]

Completely agree. It’s so cumbersome to skip back 10 seconds for when I
have misheard something for example so I’ve gone back to using the old app,
whilst it’s worse in a few ways at least it fully supports the Apple TV
remote which makes skipping forwards and backwards a breeze. And I can
pause and scroll forward whilst seeing Picture in Picture

[Enapace]

I understand the UI changes as they want to make all the platforms appear similar but there is certainly something to be said about needing to tailor each app for each platform as well. 

But one of the big surprises for me is that NowTV didn't even get a App ready for the PS5 in time for launch that should of definitely happened.

[Anonymous User]

I use the app on the BT/Youview box...this supports Boost but I much prefer the UI of the current Apple TV app.   On the BT box you can only see four icons at any one time when scrolling through a category (such as newly added movies), on the Apple TV I get a whole nice screen of choices...

mikef

[nst]

Well, prepare yourselves as sadly the FF/RW mechanics of the new app are terrible.

Its been fed back numerous times by beta testers but I suspect it will NOT be addressed.

Of course, the app "needs" to look and feel the same as far as possible across various platforms - and those platforms where the remote has a dedicated FF and RW button are probably catered for.

Sadly, the AppleTV has a rather unique way of handling it not having a remote with a FF/RW button, and although personally I rather like it and being able to click then swipe/scrub back and forth is very handy - not all apps support it (the majority do though).  So NowTV don't, and wont - but in doing so it leaves things quite weird.

However, I have to say.. lets just finally get this app released and then we can worry about getting it polished.

[Anonymous User]

You never know these things might be added on the official release, they probably won’t be but we can all wait with hope.

[Anonymous User]

The thing that I find highly frustrating is that the old NowTV app does
actually have native support for the Apple TV remote So it can’t be
difficult to implement.

[dr_necessitor]

User: “When’s the new app for Apple tv due to be coming out?”

NOW TV: “End of the month”

User: “Which month?”

NOW TV: “Every month”

(with apologies to Edgar Wright for mis-appropriating a gag from “Hot Fuzz”)

[Anonymous User]

My Latest update from @NowTVhelp:

”We do not have an exact date, but we do know it is coming at the end of the month”

My reply:

“So you are saying that it will definitely be released by the end of November 2020? I.e. Within the next 9-10 days?”

@Nowtvhelp reply to tmy question:

(the sound of crickets & tumbleweed) 

🤔