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

[msackey]

All good points. I just expected Apple to be better than those companies

Exactly. We already have been trained and expect that other companies are doing this and we know it. Be we do not expect Apple to jump into that trend to also do it. Like you, I expect Apple to be different too.

From "Think Different" to..."Do Same"?

 

[msackey]

You still expect Apple to be better? They are in it for profit, nothing more, nothing less. Just like all other companies.

Also EU regulations like DMA and the forced move to USB-C is going to cost Apple billions of dollars. Which forces them to change how they make their profit. Which results into more ads.

We do expect Apple to be better.

Yes, they are in it for profit, but there are many ways to make profit. Not all have to dive into the Ads boat.

A company that makes an annual gross profit of $170.782B in 2022, a 11.74% increase from 2021, does not need our sympathies. Not buying it that switching to USB-C and DMA costs them billions.

 

[pauloregan]

With the improvement of smart TVs an Apple TV box has to a significant interface improvement to be justified. Now with energy price increases it now also has to justify the additional power used to run it (when you could just use the smart TV).

If user experience on the ATV is reduced it will quickly become a white elephant.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

We do expect Apple to be better.

Yes, they are in it for profit, but there are many ways to make profit. Not all have to dive into the Ads boat.

A company that makes an annual gross profit of $170.782B in 2022, a 11.74% increase from 2021, does not need our sympathies. Not buying it that switching to USB-C and DMA costs them billions.

I wouldn’t mind Apple introducing ”free” versions of its services with ads.

But since I’ve paid so much for iPads, macs, and iPhone, much more than I would for similar products from other brands, I expect there to be an “ads free” version of these services for me to pay for.

Is there no choice to opt out, to pay more and get rid of the ads?

I mean, why would I be paying for a service if it’s not ad free?

And we’ve technically already paid to access the AppStore when we bought an Apple device since there’s no way to access it without owning a supported Apple product.

Tim has to shave 50% off all hardware to keep me from switching if this b.s. continues, or increase specs/value-per-dollar for all products by 100%.

I hate this.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

We do expect Apple to be better.

Yes, they are in it for profit, but there are many ways to make profit. Not all have to dive into the Ads boat.

A company that makes an annual gross profit of $170.782B in 2022, a 11.74% increase from 2021, does not need our sympathies. Not buying it that switching to USB-C and DMA costs them billions.

The notion that Lightning is some highly complex technology that’s vowen into every part of iPhone internals and takes more expertise than surgically separating Siamese twins is absolutely laughable.

Lightning is nothing more than proprietary I/O with USB 2.0 internals paired with software that blocks non-MFi cables.

Apple software locked Lightning to block non-MFi cables just like it software blocks Apple Watch from using regular Qi pads even though the AW puck is Qi based and compatible with all Qi pads.

Additionally, Apple’s hundreds of millions earned from Lightning MFi royalties will cover the USB-C r&d many times over.

Aslo, USB-C is already in Apple’s ”jumbo iPhones” iPads 10, Air and Pro, and new Apple TV remote. So how hard and expensive can it be to put it in the iPads with phone numbers, iPhones?

 

[SanderEvers]

Not buying it that switching to USB-C and DMA costs them billions.

1. The MFI (Made For iPhone) program makes them a lot of money from accessory manufacturers that use Lightning connectors. (cables, docks, dongles, etc) This easily goes in 100s of millions.
2. The App Store is Apple's biggest money maker. DMA will cut a lot of this because Apps will go "free" on the App Store with third party payment unlocks AND many will move to third party stores. Again 100s of millions lost for Apple.

Now look at this for 5-10 years and you'll easily get to that "billions" number.

The only solutions Apple have are:
1. Make existing products a lot more expensive. (not just adjustments for inflation)
2. Make services a lot more expensive. (not just adjustments for inflation)
3. Release new expensive products. (AR glasses for example)
4. Add ads.

Well, them picking 4 here... it's not that strange.

 

[usagora]

So we're really complaining and threatening to leave Apple (some of you) because you have to scroll down a bit? Sorry, but I simply can't take this kind of melodrama seriously. Now, if every time you opened the Apple TV app, an ad or two literally highjacked the screen with a 30 second countdown before you could close it and continue, then that would be totally different. But if you actually put actions to your words (and not just online forum bravado) and leave Apple over this, then you were going to leave anyway for some other reason, as it would be pretty silly to do so simply over some ads that you're not even forced to read/watch.

 

[McWetty]

I did that over the past year and I have to say Windows has gotten a lot better than what it used to be. If you are developer who depended on Terminal for work (WSL) Windows Subsystem for Linux is awesome. Managing my iPad with iTunes is so much simpler than all the BS the Mac makes you go through. I use Fedora 36 as well and installed a mac style theme and it's also been great.

I never truly left Windows because I still game on PC, but my photography work load is 100% Mac. I thought about upgrading to Mac Studio, but I got a great price on some new PC parts and now I’m weighing just doing my work on PC. Windows 11 is perfectly fine for what I do. I just prefer the Mac ecosystem. But now that Apple is tainting that ecosystem with ads… choices will be made.

 

[47North]

So we're really complaining and threatening to leave Apple (some of you) because you have to scroll down a bit? Sorry, but I simply can't take this kind of melodrama seriously. Now, if every time you opened the Apple TV app, an ad or two literally highjacked the screen with a 30 second countdown before you could close it and continue, then that would be totally different. But if you actually put actions to your words (and not just online forum bravado) and leave Apple over this, then you were going to leave anyway for some other reason, as it would be pretty silly to do so simply over some ads that you're not even forced to read/watch.

Leave the Apple ecosystem? Probably not. Stop subscribing to Apple TV Plus and stop using the Apple TV app page, most definitely. For now (since I'm stuck with the beta) I'll launch to the app screen going forward to limit my exposure. That said, I was using Apple TV because it was marginally better than the alternatives and now it is marginally worse.

People compare this latest ad-focused UI update to other companies and their interfaces, but there is a giant caveat. Google products like Chromecast w/ Google TV show me exactly what I was planning on watching anyway. It's creepy and intrusive, but the recommendation system works. The Apple TV app always recommends shows I do not intend to watch. You couldn't pay me to watch Shantaram, yet it takes up 98% of my screen right now and it's been the same recommendation since that show launched. Every. Single. Day.

So if I'm going to be stuck with an intrusive recommendation system, I might as well go with one that is significantly cheaper and works. Obviously, this is a personal decision and is based on individual tolerances to ad tracking, etc.

To each their own, but for the love of God Apple - Just let me have "Up Next" on my home screen at launch.

 

[mccaffertee]

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 “Recently Played“ section.

View attachment 2107473View attachment 2107474View attachment 2107475
Edit: typo & photos

Thanks, I didn't even know there was a RECENTLY PLAYED section.... I find this app too confusing and overly complicated.

 

[usagora]

Leave the Apple ecosystem? Probably not. Stop subscribing to Apple TV Plus and stop using the Apple TV app page, most definitely. For now (since I'm stuck with the beta) I'll launch to the app screen going forward to limit my exposure. That said, I was using Apple TV because it was marginally better than the alternatives and now it is marginally worse.

People compare this latest ad-focused UI update to other companies and their interfaces, but there is a giant caveat. Google products like Chromecast w/ Google TV show me exactly what I was planning on watching anyway. It's creepy and intrusive, but the recommendation system works. The Apple TV app always recommends shows I do not intend to watch. You couldn't pay me to watch Shantaram, yet it takes up 98% of my screen right now and it's been the same recommendation since that show launched. Every. Single. Day.

So if I'm going to be stuck with an intrusive recommendation system, I might as well go with one that is significantly cheaper and works. Obviously, this is a personal decision and is based on individual tolerances to ad tracking, etc.

To each their own, but for the love of God Apple - Just let me have "Up Next" on my home screen at launch.

Yes, most definitely to each their own, but I still can't see what the big deal is about touching the screen with your finger and moving your finger up a little (or just tap "Watch Now" at the bottom, etc.). Is that truly all it takes for you to give up on an app/service? 🤔

 

[47North]

Yes, most definitely to each their own, but I still can't see what the big deal is about touching the screen with your finger and moving your finger up a little (or just tap "Watch Now" at the bottom, etc.). Is that truly all it takes for you to give up on an app/service? 😂

I use the Apple TV app interface specifically because of the streamlined simplicity of "Up Next". Especially for other people in my household who are not as tech-savvy. Press the power button. There are your shows.

As I stated above, I consider Apple TV just marginally better than the alternatives with a variety of pros and cons. I came from an NVIDIA Shield as my living room streaming device, which I left for this very same reason, e.g. intrusive advertising. At least with Android TV, the recommendations are actually things I want to watch. If Apple is going to make their interface objectively more annoying to use for the sake of advertising when I literally already pay for the service and access to those shows, it's best to speak with my wallet and share my opinion via feedback channels.

Is it the most impressive hill to die on? Probably not, but for whatever reason this action makes me irrationally angry. Especially when all they need to do is make the setting that swaps "Up Next" with "Stuff you have no interest in watching" - work.

 

[Phantom iCloud tabs]

This is what happens when you put a logistics guy with no overarching vision in charge. Apple's ecosystem and its business ethic were always based on Jobs' vision of a holistic, non-evil way of treating end-users as people, not as a wallet from which to extract maximum revenue. Now? That has clearly changed, and it's showing up in hundreds of small ways that, unfortunately, seem to be proliferating and becoming more noticeable.

 

[viggin]

This is so far down into the thread I doubt anyone will read it, but if it bothers you and you have some time to spare, get in touch with Apple support (Not *feedback* -- support with a live human) and ask them how to turn the autoplay off for the featured videos. Feedback gets aggregated and mostly ignored. Support tickets consume real company resources. It would be a shame if a lot of customers thought their Apple TV or Apple TV app is broken now that they can't disable auto-play or get their up-next to be at the top of the screen like it used to be. i.e. Hey support I can't find the setting to make this back how it used to be, can you help?

 

[BMox81]

I use the Apple TV app interface specifically because of the streamlined simplicity of "Up Next". Especially for other people in my household who are not as tech-savvy. Press the power button. There are your shows.

As I stated above, I consider Apple TV just marginally better than the alternatives with a variety of pros and cons. I came from an NVIDIA Shield as my living room streaming device, which I left for this very same reason, e.g. intrusive advertising. At least with Android TV, the recommendations are actually things I want to watch. If Apple is going to make their interface objectively more annoying to use for the sake of advertising when I literally already pay for the service and access to those shows, it's best to speak with my wallet and share my opinion via feedback channels.

Is it the most impressive hill to die on? Probably not, but for whatever reason this action makes me irrationally angry. Especially when all they need to do is make the setting that swaps "Up Next" with "Stuff you have no interest in watching" - work.

Great couple of posts mate.

 

[Canyonero]

Start emailing Cook and Cue whenever these news come out. If they get enough angry emails from people being pissed off about being treated like profit levers instead of valuable customers, they will change.

 

[msackey]

Leave the Apple ecosystem? Probably not. Stop subscribing to Apple TV Plus and stop using the Apple TV app page, most definitely. For now (since I'm stuck with the beta) I'll launch to the app screen going forward to limit my exposure. That said, I was using Apple TV because it was marginally better than the alternatives and now it is marginally worse.

People compare this latest ad-focused UI update to other companies and their interfaces, but there is a giant caveat. Google products like Chromecast w/ Google TV show me exactly what I was planning on watching anyway. It's creepy and intrusive, but the recommendation system works. The Apple TV app always recommends shows I do not intend to watch. You couldn't pay me to watch Shantaram, yet it takes up 98% of my screen right now and it's been the same recommendation since that show launched. Every. Single. Day.

So if I'm going to be stuck with an intrusive recommendation system, I might as well go with one that is significantly cheaper and works. Obviously, this is a personal decision and is based on individual tolerances to ad tracking, etc.

To each their own, but for the love of God Apple - Just let me have "Up Next" on my home screen at launch.

I'm not sure I agree that I'd go with Google Chromecast because it provides better suggestion.

I am assuming that Google provides better recommendations because it is using your private data for its analytical purposes whereas Apple is doing either much less of that or one is able to opt-out of having them do that.

It's an explanation used by other analysts why Siri is not as good as Google Voice: Google obtains and makes use of your private data whereas Apple is obtaining much less of your private data and therefore "knows" you much less.

I much prefer privacy overall to having some company dictate things to me. It's a reason I use DuckDuckGo search engine and use a browser that doesn't allow sites to track cookies, etc.

 

[dk001]

I'm not sure I agree that I'd go with Google Chromecast because it provides better suggestion.

I am assuming that Google provides better recommendations because it is using your private data for its analytical purposes whereas Apple is doing either much less of that or one is able to opt-out of having them do that.

It's an explanation used by other analysts why Siri is not as good as Google Voice: Google obtains and makes use of your private data whereas Apple is obtaining much less of your private data and therefore "knows" you much less.

I much prefer privacy overall to having some company dictate things to me. It's a reason I use DuckDuckGo search engine and use a browser that doesn't allow sites to track cookies, etc.

Until Apple starts doing this across the Apple landscape ...

 

[msackey]

Until Apple starts doing this across the Apple landscape ...

Oh yeah....that would be super unacceptable. Wow. One of the reasons I stick with iPhone and not go to Android is exactly for the privacy reasons.

 

[usagora]

From "Think Different" to..."Do Same"?

"Think Different" is in reference to how they design their products and operating systems. Obviously Apple has always done a lot of things business-wise the same as the competition and even many things about the products and software are not all different. Apple TV+ and the App Store are services (albeit one paid and one free), and I really don't understand why people are so up in arms about a few ads on the home page of these apps. Just scroll away! It's really not that complicated. But I guess if you and others were Apple users because you were under the false impression that you would never seen ad on an Apple service, then I can understand your disappointment. But when did Apple ever promise or even imply that?

 

[seungheonhan]

ADs with $5/mo?
No way.

 

[srbNYC]

Just posted in the Feedback app.

Joining the displeasure for the new "Featured" section.
Apple has always felt like the simple, clean, logical user experience is a higher priority than sales pitches. This flies in the face of that. Very disappointing. Now the top row — and the large featured graphics — are not for my list but yours. Smacks of the U2 debacle.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

You still expect Apple to be better? They are in it for profit, nothing more, nothing less. Just like all other companies.

Also EU regulations like DMA and the forced move to USB-C is going to cost Apple billions of dollars. Which forces them to change how they make their profit. Which results into more ads.

Citation required.

 

[fatTribble]

So we're really complaining and threatening to leave Apple (some of you) because you have to scroll down a bit? Sorry, but I simply can't take this kind of melodrama seriously. Now, if every time you opened the Apple TV app, an ad or two literally highjacked the screen with a 30 second countdown before you could close it and continue, then that would be totally different. But if you actually put actions to your words (and not just online forum bravado) and leave Apple over this, then you were going to leave anyway for some other reason, as it would be pretty silly to do so simply over some ads that you're not even forced to read/watch.

I think you make a really good point. I’m probably cheesed off (sorry for the vulgarity) at this more than I should be. I guess it feels as though Apple is continually shoving things in my face that I really don’t want. In this instance the Up Next is stuff I’ve already paid for. So putting something above it just seems like it’s in the way of what I came there to watch.

I love the idea of Siri suggestions but they’re just so often wrong or unhelpful which puts them in the annoying category. I should probably do a better job of turning them off, but it seems there are always new ones. For example, I recently found Siri suggesting that I follow up on an email so my own email I sent was in my Inbox. I had no idea what had happened and I had to take time to figure it out.

In general, though, it feels like my iPhone and iPad are slowing becoming less of my device and this is just another example of that.

 

[fatTribble]

Just posted in the Feedback app.

Joining the displeasure for the new "Featured" section.
Apple has always felt like the simple, clean, logical user experience is a higher priority than sales pitches. This flies in the face of that. Very disappointing. Now the top row — and the large featured graphics — are not for my list but yours. Smacks of the U2 debacle.

You inspired me. I just submitted my feedback as well.