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DirecTV Now Gains Apple TV App Integration [Updated]

Thursday March 7, 2019 9:13 am PST by Juli Clover
AT&T today announced that its DirecTV Now service has been updated with support for Apple's TV app.

With TV app integration, DirecTV Now users can take advantage of cross-device episode and movie tracking with the Up Next feature along with tailored content recommendations available on the DirecTV Now service using the Watch Now feature on the Apple TV.

There's so much on-demand content and live sports channels included with your DIRECTV NOW subscription, so the Apple TV app is a great place to help you find something new or jump back into your favorite on-demand show as new episodes arrive or quickly tune to a national sports broadcast.
The integration also means that Siri voice searches can be used to find TV shows and movies on DirecTV Now, which is useful for finding specific content. Siri searches work with the entire DirecTV on-demand library.


Siri also supports live tune-in with DirecTV Now so you can access specific live channels with a command like "Siri, tune in to [your favorite channel]" to open up the DirecTV Now app and turn on the channel.


The final feature included in the integration is single sign-on, which allows DirecTV customers to sign in once with their username and login to access available content across any supported third-party app.

Apple TV users with a DirecTV Now subscription will see a prompt to integrate their data with the TV app after playing a DVR show for the first time. AT&T says that the updates enabling TV app support will be pushed out to DirecTV customers automatically.

Update: DirecTV's live tune-in feature designed to let you watch live TV channels through Siri voice commands isn't actually implemented just yet and will be coming at a later date. The other features mentioned in the article are, however, live and available to DirecTV Now subscribers.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 12
Tags: AT&T, DirecTV Now, Apple TV Guide
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
[ 97 comments ]


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jsalda
11 weeks ago
Cue the DirecTV/Cable hater comments, but I gotta say, I'm kinda longing for the old days. Today's TV landscape seems to be getting even more fragmented and expensive with every studio and their nephew starting their own streaming service.
Rating: 5 Votes
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theinstructor
11 weeks ago
NOW if DirecTV could only fix their sorry app on the Apple TV, that may actually help founding users who are leaving for YouTubeTV, like me. It is junk and their support model is as well. They need an ITSM course in Service Delivery.
Rating: 5 Votes
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chrismac2
11 weeks ago

Can you use Siri to tune to a specific DTN channel? And thanks for the post.

Unfortunately, that is not yet working for me. If I say "tune to CNN" for example, it asks if I want to open CNN using fuboTV, the CNN app, or PlayStation Vue.
Rating: 3 Votes
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SRLMJ23
11 weeks ago

Functionality isn't explained here. So play a DVR and within the DirectTV now app you will get a prompt? Or you would need to navigate to the tv app after playing a DVR


Play the DVR in DirecTV Now app and you will get a prompt to integrate your data into the TV App.

I cannot get Siri to work to open DirecTV Now and go the channel I request. Don't know if that is still rolling out but, as of now, at least for me it is not working.

:apple:
[doublepost=1552084414][/doublepost]Okay so, I figured out the Siri issue. You do not use the phrase in the article "tune in to [your favorite channel]." It does absolutely nothing.

At the home screen on the Apple TV, I say "Go live to Fox Business Channel" and it opens up DirecTV Now and goes live to Fox Business. Also, while in DirecTV Now you can ask Siri to go to channels, but it is a little hit and miss.

If you have a channel app, say ESPN, and ask Siri to go to ESPN, it will open the ESPN app, and will not go to ESPN in DirecTV Now.

Still playing around with it, so I might find some more things out.

:apple:
Rating: 3 Votes
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chrismac2
11 weeks ago
For people who haven't gotten single sign-on to work yet. What I did was go into Settings in the DirecTVNow app and sign out of my account, then when into Settings in the Apple TV->Accounts->TV Provider and signed out there as well. Then signed in again, in the Apple TV TV Provider menu, and then all the apps, including DirecTVNow app showed me as signed out. When I clicked DirecTVNow in the available apps, it AUTOMATICALLY logged me into the app. I exited out of the app, went back into Apple TV Settings and Accounts/TV Provider and clicked on one of the apps, Food Network, clicked on Live TV, and it automatically activated the app using DirecTVNow. Single sign on is now working for me.
Rating: 2 Votes
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tkukoc
11 weeks ago
"The final feature included in the integration is single sign-on" FINALLY! DirecTV Now was never listed so it was unable to do this previously, just regular Direct TV. Glad to see they finally added it.
Rating: 2 Votes
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earthTOmitchel
11 weeks ago

Does anyone enjoy the TV app?

I tried it at launch, but couldn't get into it, especially since it didn't have Netflix support. I just recently tried using it again to watch a tv show I purchased on iTunes, and the app is still horrible.

Another problem is that I want to watch the iTunes version of the tv show, but it always goes back to Amazon Prime Video for some reason.

The biggest issue for multiple users is that there is no account or profiles for different users, making the TV app useless if two different users watch the same shows.

So I have a really specific use-case that I understand is probably not what everyone experiences, but I completely rely on the TV app to stay up-to-date with every show I watch.

I cut the cord last year, and signed up for DirecTV Now. I use my parent's cable to log into the various network apps (Syfy mainly at this point, I also cut back on how much TV I watch), and Hulu for everything else.

You make a good point about multiple users, but I can say for a guy living alone the TV app is one of my favorite Apple things that I use daily. I find it super satisfying to log into every day to see what movies I could add to my list (esp for the new HBO film each sunday morning), and to see all my content organized at the top.

I do agree that there are some issues, like when one TV show/film is available throughout multiple apps. There needs to be an easier way to choose which one you want (and keep it that way) without clicking through a bunch of menus. I also wish there was a list feature that showed every TV show I have added into my Up Next list, even if there isn't a season currently live.

So, yeah, there are a bunch of things Apple could add to enhance it (and hopefully Netflix happens eventually), but as it stands I don't think the app is anywhere near horrible!
Rating: 1 Votes
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redneckitengineer
11 weeks ago
Hooray! Time to redownload the TV app. I've been with DirecTVNow since the beginning. 2 free Apple TV, and this new Android TV box I'm testing now. Grandfathered into the AYCE package for $40/m, love it.
Rating: 1 Votes
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vertical smile
11 weeks ago

People think they are not paying more but all these separate streaming services add up....here I am with Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, Google Music, YouTube premium, and Directv Now....it’s a mess plus on top of that you pay for your internet.

I see posts like this all the time.

If someone is trying to save money, but signs up for all those services, they are not doing a very good job.

One of the best things about services like these is the ability to easily sign up for them and the ability to easily cancel them.

Just sign up for [random streaming service] for a few months, catch up on all your favorite shows, then cancel for a year.
Rating: 1 Votes
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FreeState
11 weeks ago

Thanks for the clarification. I must have misinterpreted something.

Their site here seems to suggest I can't have a TV-connected stream simultaneously at both home and away, which is something that I need to be able to do. Any thoughts?

From https://support.playstation.com/s/article/PlayStation-Vue-Watching-Out-of-Your-Home-Area?language=en_US


I guess I probably should just do a trial and check the various use-cases I need to have function. Thanks again.



It appears your correct for TV connected streaming devices. I’m not sure if that means your home iPad would not stream at the same time. I’ll have to try that next time my partners out of town.

So far we’ve had all 4 TVs streaming and two iOS devices out of the area without a problem. But the reverse like you stated appears to be their sticking point.
Rating: 1 Votes

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