As announced earlier, the HBO Now app has been faraway from the house screens of older Apple TVs (2nd- and Third-gen fashions) this weekend as HBO has ended help for the gadgets. The corporate can even be eradicating the HBO Go app quickly.
HBO Now remains to be out there on the newer Apple TV fashions, and different platforms like Amazon Fire TV and Roku. The upcoming HBO Max streaming service, which launches on the finish of Could, can even solely be out there on the fourth-gen and later Apple TV.
Initially, HBO stated that it will cease supporting older Apple TVs on the finish of April. Following some backlash, the corporate prolonged the deadline by two weeks (Could 15). That date has now handed and HBO Now’s not out there on the platform.
HBO makes the argument that the 2nd and Third-gen Apple TVs are outdated gadgets. It’s true that the Third-gen Apple TV was first launched in 2012, greater than eight years in the past. Nonetheless, the fact is individuals don’t improve their set-top containers as ceaselessly as different client merchandise like computer systems or telephones, so many of those older Apple TV containers are nonetheless in use.
The Third-gen Apple TV was bought by Apple till 2015 for as little as $69, which meant it proved fairly well-liked. The brand new tvOS Apple TVs begin at $149, a hefty value soar. There are additionally many rumors about an Apple TV {hardware} refresh coming later this yr, so it isn’t a good time to put money into a purchase order.
In case you are caught, your finest guess for brand spanking new {hardware} for the time being might be the Amazon Fire TV Stick, the place you possibly can obtain the HBO Now app.
One different stopgap answer exists for those who personal the third-generation Apple TV. Though the devoted HBO Now app has been eliminated, you possibly can nonetheless subscribe to HBO Now by way of Apple TV Channels. This implies you possibly can entry the identical HBO reveals by way of the Apple TV app, and subscribing to the HBO channel by way of that. This will tide you over.
Nonetheless, this is not going to be the final deprecation of the third-gen Apple TV. Customers have already seen that the UFC app has been discontinued for that mannequin, and there’s no hope of newer companies like Disney+ being supported both.
Even for the HBO workaround, it stays unclear whether or not the Apple TV Channel will likely be upgraded to the total catalog of HBO Max when the service debuts on Could 27. HBO has announced that it’ll have HBO Max apps out there for the (4th-gen and later) Apple TV, iPhones and iPads. It has additionally promised integration with the TV app however is but to substantiate whether or not the Channel will characteristic all HBO Max content material or if customers will nonetheless have to be redirected to the standalone HBO Max software.
It’s a disgrace that the fashionable Apple TV line of {hardware} is so alienating. Apple presents a premium set-top field with {hardware} to play wealthy 3D video games, when most individuals simply need a easy streaming stick that integrates with all their video apps, music subscriptions, and iCloud Photographs library.
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