Netflix has revealed that it’s ending support for older-generation Apple TV boxes that do not run tvOS or feature the App Store. Support for the app will expire on June 31st, the company said, and the bad news is that there’s no easy workaround, as AirPlay is not supported by Netflix either.
The announcement follows the recent news that some older Sony TVs dating back to 2014 will also soon stop being able to play Netflix content, due to new functionality in the app that is incompatible with the older hardware and software those TVs run. It’s likely that similar issues prompted this decision.
Netflix said it will end support for 2nd generation and 3rd generation Apple TV boxes, which were launched in 2010 and 2012, respectively, at the end of the month, MacRumors reported.
It’s notable that these are fairly old devices and they don’t run the Apple tvOS operating system like its newer Apple TV boxes do. In addition, they no longer receive software updates from Apple itself, which is likely the reason why Netflix claims it’s no longer able to “maintain the best possible Netflix experience” on those devices.
Netflix’s app will continue to work as normal on the 4th generation Apple TV HD and 5th generation Apple TV 4K, so if Apple TV is a must-have, the best solution is to upgrade to a newer device.
One fallback option that has always been popular with older Apple TV users is the AirPlay 2 feature on their iPhones and iPads, which allows them to stream content from the device directly to the box. However, that option won’t work with the Netflix application. Unlike most other streaming services, which do support AirPlay 2, Netflix decided in 2019 to stop supporting the feature.
Apple’s devices can be a tad pricey, but there are cheaper options for getting your Netflix fix, including affordable streaming sticks such as Roku’s devices, Chromecast with Google TV and Amazon’s Fire TV devices. However, one reason to pay a premium and stick with Apple is that the iPhone maker has not yet allowed its platform to morph into an advertising billboard, unlike basically all of its rivals.
