Apple Adds Intrusive 'Featured' Section Above 'Up Next' in TV App

[w5jck]

Well tvOS has been crap for a long time. I use my ATV 4K 2017 only when I want to watch Apple TV content, for everything else I use my Fire TV Cube 3rd gen because it just works without breaking apps the way tvOS does. Apple has really lost it over the past several years.

 

[macduke]

Apple Users: This is outrageous! I’m switching to Google.

Apple knows what they’re doing and they push things just far enough.

 

[Pezimak]

Love that film, and it's very true too, if they could companies would do that. I mean Google's become pretty rich selling ad space.

 

[fontman]

Apple is making some changes to the TV app, and users are not happy with the updates. The updated design appears to be visible primarily for iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, tvOS 16.2, and macOS Ventura 13.1 beta users, but it is likely a server-side change that Apple is introducing that will eventually roll out to all TV app users.

I've already canceled my account. It's too much in your face. I don't need as I don't want ads. I'm happy to pay for services that don't have ads ads are silly. I never buy anything from an ad on any platform. It's a waste of money and time.
Apple's new design adds a Featured section to the top of the "Watch Now" section in the TV app, with the featured content placed above the "Up Next" watchlist. The change makes it more difficult for users to get to the content they are interested in, with random TV shows taking up the majority of the screen.

In the current release versions of iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and macOS, "Up Next" is at the top of the "Watch Now" tab for quick access to shows and movies that are in progress or that have been placed on a watch list.

There are a number of complaints about the new design on Reddit from users who are unhappy with the way that Featured TV shows and movies supplant Up Next content. This section seems to display quite a few Apple TV+ shows and movies, but it does also highlight shows and movies from other streaming providers. Regardless of content shown, TV users do not seem to want suggested content replacing their chosen content at the forefront of the app. From Reddit user robber3572:The TV+ tab in the TV app already had this design that puts content above watch lists, and it is expanding to the Watch Now tab as well. When the Up Next section is selected on the Apple TV, the Featured section is still visible, and the previews of Up Next shows are gone. Featured also dominates the interface on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

At the current time, there is no way to disable the featured section to put Up Next content back at the top of the app, and it is not clear if Apple is still tweaking the design or if this is a finalized look. What's worse, the featured content seems to autoplay, ignoring settings for Up Next that prevented shows from previewing content. There does not appear to be a way to turn off autoplay for featured shows and movies.



Article Link: Apple Adds Intrusive 'Featured' Section Above 'Up Next' in TV App

 

[dk001]

Someone at Apple:
”Well, let's just throw these against the wall and see what sticks.”

Thought that was more a Samsung tactic

 

[jwdsail]

If these shows/movies are available in the services I already have.. It's only annoying in terms of being placed above what I already want on top of that section. Which, sadly seems to match most of the streaming apps behavior these days... so meh.

If it's pushing crap on services I don't even have, and don't want, in a section that's supposed to be what *I* actually want to be watching... the odds of me continuing to use the AppleTV app at all drop to zero.

Shrug.

As it is, I only use the app when I renew AppleTV+ to watch the one or two shows I care to on AppleTV+ once or twice a year, so.. not a huge loss I guess. Can always wait and buy them on Blu-ray instead. I wonder how many ads will be stuffed on those though at this rate?

 

[BrownyQ]

So... the complaint is that the Featured section is now above Up Next, and it's bigger and more advertiser-y, forcing users to have to click twice to reach what they want now, instead of once?

What a terrible thing. How will the TV app ever overcome this travesty?

 

[9594864]

This is the new Apple.


Apple has been steadily going down hill for a long time now. This is the natural evolution of a great company to a pathetic company due to poor leadership.

They’re too stupid to know that customer satisfaction wins business. This will give a nice, beautiful hit to customer satisfaction because their leadership is incompetent morons who aren’t visionaries.

The intelligent people of the world see ramifications of actions before they take place. The unintelligent don’t think things through. This is your classic example of unintelligent changes that will later or immediately be walked back. With an overall negative affect on their business.

Apple has been phase-changing to this current state. It’s going further still though, with increased ads, and increased intrusive and annoying anti-consumer practices. iCloud Storage full? They will absolutely bombard you trying to get you to upgrade. They put a badge on the Settings app to annoy customers and make you have to physically tap in order to hit ‘not now’ to upgrading, only for that same notification to hit you again later.

In conclusion: Apple has incredibly poor leadership on many teams now, and it’s only getting worse. There’s no fixing it either; once it starts it’s like a snowball. Enjoy the final embers of the greatness that once was.

 

[dk001]

This is the main issue with Apple. Google MS yada yada, you know what you are getting. But Apple was supposed to be that supposedly protected you. Between the changes they do voluntarily, and the ones "forced" by EU, what's going to be the difference soon??

I think this comes down to Apple's path forward.
If there is an option to "turn off/turn on" these "features.

 

[cardfan]

Slowly, Apple is removing key differentiators in its products that give it a competitive advantage. This feels like a short-sighted strategy for additional revenue.

Apple is getting nervous. Keeping phone prices largely the same which decreases margin (because costs have risen). They hope to make it up with this kind of stuff. Ads. Raising services.

iPads have already decreased in sales. Macs on the way to a bad quarter as telegraphed by apple. But iPhone is their bread n butter. Even if they have to turn their software into adware.

 

[Pasqualem]

Personally I never would have noticed this change with how rarely I use Apple TV+ but will prefer a featured section every time I open it to see what’s new that I might want to check out rather than 3 or 4 series I gave up on a few episodes in..

 

[Rigby]

Why would Apple need to track you across different apps? They already have access to all your data on their iCloud server.

If they could, for example, see that you watch sci-fi shows in non-Apple apps like Netflix or HBO Max, they could bombard you with more ads for sci-fi shows in the TV app too. Potential next steps: tracking cookies on 3rd party web sites all over the Internet and tracking SDKs in 3rd party apps, so they can learn even more about your interests. So far they haven't gone there, but the recent changes look scary.

 

[NightFox]

*shrugs* bigger problems to worry about than what is basically industry standard of streaming services

If Apple charged industry standard prices then I wouldn't have as much of a problem with this as I do.

 

[blcamp]

I can put up with a once in a while "what's new", but I'd much rather just get to my own stuff. Give me settings to ignore all the rest. Thanks.

 

[GeneralChang]

You know, modern software interface design is really great in some ways, but in others... woof.

 

[SnappleRumors]

So, Apple is advertising apps in their app store and tv shows and movies in their tv app.

Between the App Store, and now Apple TV Plus, Apple is not even trying to hide that they are all in for ads. End of an era. Sad to see you go, Apple.

The Apple products have stagnated so they’ve resorted to other revenue streams to compensate.

 

[Pezimak]

So... the complaint is that the Featured section is now above Up Next, and it's bigger and more advertiser-y, forcing users to have to click twice to reach what they want now, instead of once?

What a terrible thing. How will the TV app ever overcome this travesty?

If you've ever seen the google TV interface on the Shield TV you'd understand why some are upset. When you see the content advertised.
In fact some users such as myself actually switched from the Shield TV to the Apple TV because of the ad crap, when your paying premium prices you don't expect ads to be introduced.

 

[Realityck]

Apple is making some changes to the TV app, and users are not happy with the updates. The updated design appears to be visible primarily for iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, tvOS 16.2, and macOS Ventura 13.1 beta users, but it is likely a server-side change that Apple is introducing that will eventually roll out to all TV app users.

​

Apple's new design adds a Featured section to the top of the "Watch Now" section in the TV app, with the featured content placed above the "Up Next" watchlist. The change makes it more difficult for users to get to the content they are interested in, with random TV shows taking up the majority of the screen.

In the current release versions of iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and macOS, "Up Next" is at the top of the "Watch Now" tab for quick access to shows and movies that are in progress or that have been placed on a watch list.

Just a sly way to prop up the Apple TV plus service. In Netflix, or other sVoD services, they always are pitching content to watch when first run, but Apple is trying to use viewing history on your devices to pitch content and channels. Yes so if you watch some show on a streaming app on tvOS, that same content shows up on iPadOS app. It an example of Apple not respecting privacy because they do it so openly. I try to disable linking history to the TV app, but this sure to upset people. In a way this news shows Apple taking advantage of all that.

Most tvOS apps can’t show recommendations with the streaming app compared to web interface on MacOS, or streaming app on iPadOS. It’s one of things totally wrong with tvOS app’s presentation, the fixed resolution of the Apple TV GUI needs to be better to allow apps to do that. In a way this shows Apple knowing the GUI limitations is taking advantage of this for themselves as per this news.

 

[Ankaa]

*shrugs* bigger problems to worry about than what is basically industry standard of streaming services

Two wrongs don't make a right, you know?

I for example hardly use Netflix anymore because between all the "New Releases", "Trending now", "Popular on Netflix", "Recently Added" and "Netflix exclusives" I can't even right away find neither my list nor my "continue watching"s...

 

[compwiz1202]

So they are following google now with pushy in your face huge ads you can't get rid off, or are interested in. And in Apples case you're also paying for the service. Pretty poor IMO.

Yes

Personally I never would have noticed this change with how rarely I use Apple TV+ but will prefer a featured section every time I open it to see what’s new that I might want to check out rather than 3 or 4 series I gave up on a few episodes in..

Would be even better if it goes by what you already like; although, is there rating on ATV? I guess it could go by some algorithm:

You watched this for like 10m: you don't like.
You watched this more than once: you like it

 

[User 6502]

*shrugs* bigger problems to worry about than what is basically industry standard of streaming services

So what's the point of paying more for Apple if we get the same subpar treatment?

 

[neuropsychguy]

Reminds me of the “Radio” tab in Apple Music. You have to scroll 3 full screens down through their promoted stations to get to your “Recenter Played“ section.

Just use the "Listen Now" section for your recently played. There, it is basically at the top.

 

[Zonck]

So what's the point of paying more for Apple if we get the same subpar treatment?

I was just thinking the same thing. They’ve removed their USP (Privacy, no Ads, UX).

Least by leaving the ecosystem I can get a Galaxy Fold now.

 

[neuropsychguy]

“There does not appear to be a way to turn off autoplay for featured shows and movies.”

a Roku 4K stick...avoids the Apple intrusion.

I have an Apple TV and a Roku device so I can comment on both. Roku is fine but there are many ads and tons of tracking. Much is blocked with a Pi-hole device but Roku is way more intrusive than Apple. With it you can avoid Apple's "intrusion" but at the cost of even more by Roku. Maybe the tradeoff is worth it to you though.

 

[Tagbert]

I imagine Apple wants a uniform experience across the platform, but still IMO it should be either you see these ads OR you pay for Apple One, in which case you are providing the services revenue yourself and the ads should be turned off.

Why not both!? 😖