After what may have seemed like an endless wait for Sky customers in the U.K. and elsewhere across Europe, the Sky Go app is now available to download on Apple TV.
The availability of the Sky Go app means that subscribers will be able to stream live Sky's broadcast content on their Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K devices, rather than having to rely on Sky's set-top box or the equivalent app on their iPhone or iPad.
Over 100 channels can be streamed through the Go app, as well as on-demand access to box sets of popular TV series, all through the familiar blue Sky programming interface. However, it doesn't include the full gamut of Sky channels, and there are some other restrictions to be aware of.
The Go app is only available for Sky Q Multiscreen and Sky Glass Whole Home customers, and allows them to access content included in a Sky Cinema or Sky Sports package, but the app can't be used on Apple TV to stream content if the Sky Go account subscription was an add-on purchase for a mobile device.
The availability of Sky Go on Apple TV will be a welcome addition for many customers, given that the app has been on iPhone and iPad for years. Last December, Apple's own TV+ app rolled out to Sky Glass TV and Sky Q set-top boxes, allowing subscribers to access Apple TV+ movies and shows on Sky's platform.
I had Sky and left them for many reasons (in no particular order of importance):
[LIST=1] * It is not possible to watch something I recorded on my Sky box on the go (ie out and about my mobile phone) with the Sky Q app. And watching recorded content from home was only enabled in Sept 2019, years after I got Sky Q installed! * It is not possible to watch UHD content I recorded on my Sky box either on the go or at home with the Sky Q app * The video quality of the Sky Go and Sky Q Apps is average at best. BT Sport apps have a much greater video quality and features. Even Virgin's TV GO app has now better quality than Sky. * Lack of dedicated TV guide button on the Sky Q box remote control forces me to go via Home option which is a waste of time. This is clearly intentional to force users to see the Home screen which people may like but I hate. I know what I want to watch and I don’t want/need to see ads of others things available on Sky. * Talking about ads I think paying for a subscription service which gives ads all the time makes me sick. There are no product ads on Apple TV, Netflix and Prime Video. It seems Sky is stuck in the past. * The never fixed Sky Q box blank screen issue when switching inputs. Known issue that Sky seems to ignore, multiple threads on this on the web. These two show dozens of customers affected: https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Q/I-keep-having-to-reset-my-Sky-Q-box-to-be-recognised-by-my-TV/m-p/3067302 ('https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Q/I-keep-having-to-reset-my-Sky-Q-box-to-be-recognised-by-my-TV/m-p/3067302') https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Q/Sky-Q-blank-Screen/td-p/2920912/page/25 * UHD content being treated second rate #1: Lack UHD dedicated channels makes finding UHD content cumbersome. This is premium content that seems to be treated like second rate content! I don't want to go to the sports section, I don't want to have to search for content, I want UHD content visible in the TV Guide as channels like all other SD and HD content is. BT Sport has a 4K channel, why can't Sky Sports have 4K channels? * UHD content being treated second rate #2: Certain Sky Q "basic features" don't work properly when watching UHD content. For instance going to the previous channel feature does not work when watching UHD content. It will all be a lot better if there were proper UHD channels... * UHD content being treated second rate #3: I can't tell my Sky Box to start watching the current Premier League match in UDH directly. I have to go to the HD Channel first and then switch to the UHD vwrsion. This is slow and annoying. Also it makes integration with home automation systems impossible. It's also not clear to customers which channel will have the UHD option, for instance PL games could be on PL channel or main event channel. Another UHD channel issue... * UHD content being treated second rate #4: UHD Content often doesn't have subtitles which is available for the same content in SD or HD. * UHD content being treated second rate #5: UHD option for some live content is not available, the show has to be downloaded first. Apple TV, Netflix and Prime Video can easily stream 4K content on the fly, why is Sky unable to do it? Another UHD channel issue... * UHD content being treated second rate #6: Lack of series link on UHD content ie Premier League. While this has been fixed this season it was infuriating that I couldn't record UHD games automatically for so many months and years after getting my Sky Q box and UHD subscription! Another UHD channel issue... * UHD content being treated second rate #7: Unable to send remote record requests for UHD content with the Sky Q app. Did I mention the UHD channel issue??? * Lack of dedicated TV grid option on the Sky Q app. The Sky Q app is so basic that a lot of customers like myself continue to use the Sky+ App instead. Other missing options are search for future content (>1hr), channel numbers not matching App and Sky Q box * Constantly rising prices but constantly diminishing football content (La Liga, Champions League, Europa League, Italian League, etc, etc). I don't want to have to call for a better deal. I am (or was) a loyal customer and I should be rewarded for that not penalised with higher prices. I seriously hope Sky and all the others doing this get penalised as part of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ongoing investigation about Consumer loyalty 'rip off': https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45664985 * Arbitrary arrangement of channel numbers in the TV Guide. Why is BBC1 HD not channel 101? A customer that pays for HD channels should not need to see the SD channels or they should be an option to remove them. * Value for money not there, I was paying £ 79 for Sky Sports UHD but I can get Sky Sports HD and Sky Cinema HD for an additional £ 25 on my existing Virgin plan with all the other channels. £54 (£79 - £25) just for UHD is outrageous not even considering that I will get Sky Cinema HD and BT Sports UHD on Virgin so the £25 makes so much value for money * I can get BT Sport 4K in Virgin, but I can't get Sky UHD anywhere else. That's anti-competitive and I very much dislike anti-competitive companies that can’t or won’t compete fairly. Win on price or quality not by cheating or reducing customer choice * Lack of customer focus: I can add services/channels to my account online but when I want to remove them or cancel the service I have to speak to customer services which takes ages. You should look at how easy is to cancel Netflix, one click on the account page. And they don't hold customers ransom for 18 months, you can leave any time you want. That's customer focus! * Occasionally with very bad weather I will not be able to watch Sky. This doesn't happen with Virgin or BT Sports channels on BT, which come via the internet connection
Abysmal , over priced and very unreliable with terrible customer service , avoid
The boxes never worked properly either and all the recordings tied to the damn things so when they went kaput ( which was often ) you lost everything
Their customer service only seems to care when you're either cancelling your subscription (in which case they try to convince you to stay) or upgrading it. And don't forget their convoluted website which makes it hard to get humans to talk in customer support.
Wednesday April 17, 2024 9:58 am PDT by Juli Clover
Game emulator apps have come and gone since Apple announced App Store support for them on April 5, but now popular game emulator Delta from developer Riley Testut is available for download. Testut is known as the developer behind GBA4iOS, an open-source emulator that was available for a brief time more than a decade ago. GBA4iOS led to Delta, an emulator that has been available outside of...
Tuesday April 16, 2024 11:33 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The first approved Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) emulator for the iPhone and iPad was made available on the App Store today following Apple's rule change. The emulator is called Bimmy, and it was developed by Tom Salvo. On the App Store, Bimmy is described as a tool for testing and playing public domain/"homebrew" games created for the NES, but the app allows you to load ROMs for any...
Tuesday April 16, 2024 6:54 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Last September, Apple's iPhone 15 Pro models debuted with a new customizable Action button, offering faster access to a handful of functions, as well as the ability to assign Shortcuts. Apple is poised to include the feature on all upcoming iPhone 16 models, so we asked iPhone 15 Pro users what their experience has been with the additional button so far. The Action button replaces the switch ...
Wednesday April 17, 2024 12:19 pm PDT by Juli Clover
A decade ago, developer Riley Testut released the GBA4iOS emulator for iOS, and since it was against the rules at the time, Apple put a stop to downloads. Emulators have been a violation of the App Store rules for years, but that changed on April 5 when Apple suddenly reversed course and said that it was allowing retro game emulators on the App Store. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
iOS 18 is expected to be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. iOS 18 is rumored to include new generative AI features for Siri and many apps, and Apple plans to add RCS support to the Messages app for an improved texting experience between iPhones and Android devices. The update is also expected to introduce a more...
Top Rated Comments
Abysmal , over priced and very unreliable with terrible customer service , avoid
The boxes never worked properly either and all the recordings tied to the damn things so when they went kaput ( which was often ) you lost everything
Doesn’t that make this pointless?
[LIST=1]
* It is not possible to watch something I recorded on my Sky box on the go (ie out and about my mobile phone) with the Sky Q app. And watching recorded content from home was only enabled in Sept 2019, years after I got Sky Q installed!
* It is not possible to watch UHD content I recorded on my Sky box either on the go or at home with the Sky Q app
* The video quality of the Sky Go and Sky Q Apps is average at best. BT Sport apps have a much greater video quality and features. Even Virgin's TV GO app has now better quality than Sky.
* Lack of dedicated TV guide button on the Sky Q box remote control forces me to go via Home option which is a waste of time. This is clearly intentional to force users to see the Home screen which people may like but I hate. I know what I want to watch and I don’t want/need to see ads of others things available on Sky.
* Talking about ads I think paying for a subscription service which gives ads all the time makes me sick. There are no product ads on Apple TV, Netflix and Prime Video. It seems Sky is stuck in the past.
* The never fixed Sky Q box blank screen issue when switching inputs. Known issue that Sky seems to ignore, multiple threads on this on the web. These two show dozens of customers affected: https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Q/I-keep-having-to-reset-my-Sky-Q-box-to-be-recognised-by-my-TV/m-p/3067302 ('https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Q/I-keep-having-to-reset-my-Sky-Q-box-to-be-recognised-by-my-TV/m-p/3067302') https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Q/Sky-Q-blank-Screen/td-p/2920912/page/25
* UHD content being treated second rate #1: Lack UHD dedicated channels makes finding UHD content cumbersome. This is premium content that seems to be treated like second rate content! I don't want to go to the sports section, I don't want to have to search for content, I want UHD content visible in the TV Guide as channels like all other SD and HD content is. BT Sport has a 4K channel, why can't Sky Sports have 4K channels?
* UHD content being treated second rate #2: Certain Sky Q "basic features" don't work properly when watching UHD content. For instance going to the previous channel feature does not work when watching UHD content. It will all be a lot better if there were proper UHD channels...
* UHD content being treated second rate #3: I can't tell my Sky Box to start watching the current Premier League match in UDH directly. I have to go to the HD Channel first and then switch to the UHD vwrsion. This is slow and annoying. Also it makes integration with home automation systems impossible. It's also not clear to customers which channel will have the UHD option, for instance PL games could be on PL channel or main event channel. Another UHD channel issue...
* UHD content being treated second rate #4: UHD Content often doesn't have subtitles which is available for the same content in SD or HD.
* UHD content being treated second rate #5: UHD option for some live content is not available, the show has to be downloaded first. Apple TV, Netflix and Prime Video can easily stream 4K content on the fly, why is Sky unable to do it? Another UHD channel issue...
* UHD content being treated second rate #6: Lack of series link on UHD content ie Premier League. While this has been fixed this season it was infuriating that I couldn't record UHD games automatically for so many months and years after getting my Sky Q box and UHD subscription! Another UHD channel issue...
* UHD content being treated second rate #7: Unable to send remote record requests for UHD content with the Sky Q app. Did I mention the UHD channel issue???
* Lack of dedicated TV grid option on the Sky Q app. The Sky Q app is so basic that a lot of customers like myself continue to use the Sky+ App instead. Other missing options are search for future content (>1hr), channel numbers not matching App and Sky Q box
* Constantly rising prices but constantly diminishing football content (La Liga, Champions League, Europa League, Italian League, etc, etc). I don't want to have to call for a better deal. I am (or was) a loyal customer and I should be rewarded for that not penalised with higher prices. I seriously hope Sky and all the others doing this get penalised as part of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ongoing investigation about Consumer loyalty 'rip off': https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45664985
* Arbitrary arrangement of channel numbers in the TV Guide. Why is BBC1 HD not channel 101? A customer that pays for HD channels should not need to see the SD channels or they should be an option to remove them.
* Value for money not there, I was paying £ 79 for Sky Sports UHD but I can get Sky Sports HD and Sky Cinema HD for an additional £ 25 on my existing Virgin plan with all the other channels. £54 (£79 - £25) just for UHD is outrageous not even considering that I will get Sky Cinema HD and BT Sports UHD on Virgin so the £25 makes so much value for money
* I can get BT Sport 4K in Virgin, but I can't get Sky UHD anywhere else. That's anti-competitive and I very much dislike anti-competitive companies that can’t or won’t compete fairly. Win on price or quality not by cheating or reducing customer choice
* Lack of customer focus: I can add services/channels to my account online but when I want to remove them or cancel the service I have to speak to customer services which takes ages. You should look at how easy is to cancel Netflix, one click on the account page. And they don't hold customers ransom for 18 months, you can leave any time you want. That's customer focus!
* Occasionally with very bad weather I will not be able to watch Sky. This doesn't happen with Virgin or BT Sports channels on BT, which come via the internet connection
The italian Sky Go is still limited to iPhone and iPad only: