TiVo's Planned Apple TV App 'In Limbo'

During the January 2019 CES event, TiVo demoed a TiVo app to the Apple TV, but a year later, the project is "in limbo" and an Apple TV app is no longer being actively developed.

In an interview with TechHive at CES 2020, TiVo vice president of consumer products and services Ted Malone said that while ‌Apple TV‌ app plans haven't been canceled, it's not TiVo's focus at this time.

tivoappsinterface

"My bet is we'll get Android, and because of that we'll get the Fire TV, because it's the same app, just different qualifications," Malone said. "I think Roku and Apple are in limbo."

TiVo had initially planned to release new apps for Roku, ‌Apple TV‌, Fire TV, and Android TV at some point in 2019, allowing TiVo users to access TiVo DVRs on other TVs throughout the home without the need to purchase TiVo Mini boxes, but limited resources, technical challenges, and strategy changes have delayed those plans.

According to Malone, TiVo has to transcode video before sending it to other devices, which results in quality and performance issues that TiVo has not been able to resolve. The company has also been working on the TiVo Stream 4K and the TiVo+ streaming service, and an ‌Apple TV‌ app is not a priority.

Malone said that TiVo needs to "double down" on the streaming market and not get distracted by a "bunch of things people want, but aren't really going to move the needle."

Tags: CES 2020, TiVo

Popular Stories

Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
google pixel 10

Switching Between iPhone and Android Will Get Easier With New Apple and Google Collaboration

Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta. Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...
Apple Fitness Plus expansion hero

Apple Fitness+ Coming to 28 New Regions With Digital Voice Dubbing

Monday December 8, 2025 6:19 am PST by
Apple today announced that Fitness+ is expanding to 28 new markets on December 15 in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre. Apple Fitness+ will become available in Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and additional regions on December 15, with Japan scheduled to follow early next year....
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...

Top Rated Comments

triscuitbiscuit Avatar
77 months ago
TiVo still exists?
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
timlopez Avatar
77 months ago


Malone said that TiVo needs to "double down" on the streaming market and not get distracted by a "bunch of things people want, but aren't really going to move the needle."

That's funny. I've "wanted" to use TiVo services for the last 13 years. I've "wanted" to give them money for said services. Giving people what they want so that they continue to give you money isn't a bad thing. It's why they're a company in the first place - they had something people wanted.

However, their inability to be a modern technology company and instead 'double down' on streaming (because they're absurdly late to the game) is going to be their downfall. No one wants their streaming device. There's enough of those out there already. They need to focus on their services, because thats the core of their business. They need to understand that cord cutters are not their market, and focus on those who still use Cable TV. It's a dying business, but it's not going to be dead any time soon. Either way, TiVo won't survive, especially under this leadership.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aristobrat Avatar
77 months ago

TiVo just doesn’t get it...users don’t want a TiVo app for the Apple TV. They want an Apple TV app for the TiVo. Simplicity.
I have a 6-tuner TiVo in the living room and a TiVo mini + Apple TV in most of the bedrooms/office. I was looking forward to selling the TiVo minis and being able to do everything on the Apple TV.

For folks new to TiVo, being able to watch on other TVs (using an Apple TV, Roku, or Fire TV app) without needing to drop $179 for a TiVo Mini seemed like it would make TiVo that much less expensive to get into.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Len Banks Avatar
77 months ago
As a VERY longtime user of TiVo, the company is always flirting on the edge of being truly wonderful and then they do some bone-headed thing to ruin it. I don't see why I would want a TiVo app on my AppleTV, but I sure would like an AppleTV+ and Disney+ app on my TiVo. THE STUPID TiVo+ is a an annoying joke and and the pre-roll ads for a PAID service is outrageous. I would cut the cord in a second and leave TiVo and Comcast if it wasn't for the SKIP commercials feature and the HORRIBLE Apple TV remote.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macpro2000 Avatar
77 months ago
TiVo just doesn’t get it...users don’t want a TiVo app for the Apple TV. They want an Apple TV app for the TiVo. Simplicity.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sidewinder3000 Avatar
77 months ago

a "bunch of things people want, but aren't really going to move the needle."
Wow. If they think allowing Apple users who want to access their TiVo recordings in the seamless, convenient way they prefer won’t be good for business, then I think they are confused. Apple users are consistently one of the most active and valuable segments of tech users, and it seems like suicide not to serve them. TiVo was a brilliant idea that changed media consumption, but the way they’ve run their business since then has left them on the outside looking in. They need to embrace the ways their customers want to consume and use their TiVo content. Not see it as a burden.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)