Netflix has announced that it will no longer support older Apple TV boxes.
It plans to switch off its Netflix app on 2nd and 3rd-gen Apple TV devices from 31 July 2024.
Netflix has some bad news for owners of some Apple TV boxes – its app won't just stop receiving updates soon, it'll no longer work at all.
The streaming service has started to contact subscribers by email to inform them that, as of the end of July, the Netflix app will no longer be supported on second and third-generation Apple TV boxes.
That means you will need to upgrade to an Apple TV HD or 4K model just to continue to watch Netflix programming from that date, or one of the other streaming devices on the market.
"Netflix will no longer be available on Apple TV (2nd generation) and Apple TV (3rd generation) after 31 July 2024," it says on a dedicated support page. No reason is given for the switch off there, although the email that has been sent to customers reveals that platform wants to "maintain the best possible Netflix experience" and no longer believes that's possible on Apple's older hardware.
To be fair, even Apple itself considers the two affected boxes "obsolete". The second-gen Apple TV is almost 14 years-old after all, while the third-gen model has been around for almost 12 years.
As The Verge points out, neither box even has access to the App Store anymore.
If you are thinking of upgrading your ancient Apple TV box, the 4K model starts at £149 / $129, which is for the Wi-Fi-only version with 64GB of on-board storage. Stretch your budget by an extra £20 / $20 and you can also connect an upgraded version to your home network via wired Ethernet. It also comes with 128GB of storage.
The latest Apple TV does so much more than stream video content too. It can play games, including classics via a number of retro console emulators that have appeared on the App Store recently, and you can use it as the hub of your smart home.
There have been rumours that a new Apple TV could be planned for launch during WWDC 24 next week, but they have largely been denied by some industry experts. We shall see, however, when the main keynote address kicks off.
