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 December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UDC differs from a typical front ...
Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by Marko Zivkovic
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
Wednesday December 6, 2023 9:53 am PST by Juli Clover
To boost falling iPad sales, Apple has a major refresh planned for the iPad lineup in early 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple plans to debut new iPad Air and iPad Pro models, both of which will feature notable changes. The iPad Air will come in two sizes like the iPad Pro for the first time. The smaller model will continue to measure in at 10.9 inches, but the larger version...
Wednesday December 6, 2023 7:17 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple has shared the full release notes for iOS 17.2, which is in the final stage of beta testing and should be released to the public next week. iOS 17.2 includes a long list of new features and changes, including a Journal app, spatial video recording on iPhone 15 Pro models, several improvements to the Messages and Weather apps, a Favorite Songs playlist in Apple Music, and more. iOS...
Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by Juli Clover
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...
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: