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Chazz12

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 21, 2022
132
165
Austin, TX
So, I noticed this last week. On our Apple TV that I updated to tvOS 17 I noticed a small round FB icon in the top right corner, where the icon for your profile usually is. It stayed for just a second while it closed the app and then disappeared. I thought it was a bug for tvOS 17, but my partner just came from the living room and said it showed up just now in there, and that one I hadn't updated to the beta. So now, I'm wondering if anyone else has seen this? It happens quick enough to where I can't get a picture, but I'll try to be ready for it. lol.
 
Are the two TVs the same, or same brand? Could it have been the TV that was overlaying the icon on the screen? I know some TVs overlay stuff on top of whatever you're watching.
 
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Are the two TVs the same, or same brand? Could it have been the TV that was overlaying the icon on the screen? I know some TVs overlay stuff on top of whatever you're watching.
No, I wish that were the case. One is a Samsung SmartTV which does have the overlay, but the other is and older HD tv.
 
Were you airplaying to your AppleTV and thus the notification was associated with the source device?

Could it have been something in the content itself? For example, were you watching a video perhaps captured from a FB video and stored on YouTube? Then you watch the YouTube version and see the FB badge burned into the video. If so, you could see ANY icons this way: Playboy, Android, Windows, etc. Someone may have just grabbed a bit of video from FB and then made it available on YouTube or another (amateur) source.

Did it look like this (Facebook) icon...

FB.png

...or different than this?

Try to snap that picture of it next time it happens so we can see what you see, then describe what you are watching, how you were watching (airplay or native), from what streaming service, etc? Also, pause whatever you are watching when it shows, back up 30 seconds and then resume to see if it will repeat at the same point in time (which would imply it is embedded in the video itself).

If you can identify the specific video and time in the video when it shows, we could try watching the very same video on our AppleTVs and see if we see the same. We just need specific details to try to replicate the issue.
 
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Here's a wild guess... looks like there actually was a facebook app for Apple TV but it was discontinued. So, perhaps, Facebook was on your Apple TV but it quit because it's no longer compatible? That might match your description of "It stayed for just a second while it closed the app and then disappeared." But it's not clear what you meant by "the app".


Also, here's an example of the facebook logo at the top left of a video, so maybe that's all it was (as @HobeSoundDarryl suggested)? Also note the "facebook watch" logo at the bottom right.

Screen Shot 2023-06-27 at 9.26.33 AM.png

 
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Were you airplaying to your AppleTV and thus the notification was associated with the source device?

Could it have been something in the content itself? For example, were you watching a video perhaps captured from a FB video and stored on YouTube? Then you watch the YouTube version and see the FB badge burned into the video. If so, you could see ANY icons this way: Playboy, Android, Windows, etc. Someone may have just grabbed a bit of video from FB and then made it available on YouTube or another (amateur) source.

Did it look like this (Facebook) icon...


...or different than this?

Try to snap that picture of it next time it happens so we can see what you see, then describe what you are watching, how you were watching (airplay or native), from what streaming service, etc? Also, pause whatever you are watching when it shows, back up 30 seconds and then resume to see if it will repeat at the same point in time (which would imply it is embedded in the video itself).

If you can identify the specific video and time in the video when it shows, we could try watching the very same video on our AppleTVs and see if we see the same. We just need specific details to try to replicate the issue.
Yep, that's the icon that it showed. And it looked like where my profile picture would be in the top right corner, but I'm not sure if it actually is since I'm not right up on my tv. lol. I'll try to get the picture. I was recording my TV last night as I excited Disney+, but it didn't happen again, of course.
 
Here's a wild guess... looks like there actually was a facebook app for Apple TV but it was discontinued. So, perhaps, Facebook was on your Apple TV but it quit because it's no longer compatible? That might match your description of "It stayed for just a second while it closed the app and then disappeared." But it's not clear what you meant by "the app".


Also, here's an example of the facebook logo at the top left of a video, so maybe that's all it was (as @HobeSoundDarryl suggested)? Also note the "facebook watch" logo at the bottom right.

View attachment 2224144
I actually did check that to see if I had it on my Apple TV, and it wasn't there. So that wasn't it. And to be honest, I don't remember the exact app I was using, but we usually use Disney+, the TV app, Netflix, Spectrum, and Hulu mostly. A few other streaming apps, but that's about it. I'm trying to catch it in the act. With my luck, it won't happen again, so maybe I am crazy....looool,
 
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Are you sure you are not getting the icon confused with the usual blue and white circular arrow icon for location services? That now shows up at the top right corner on tvOS 17. I've seen it a few times.
 
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If you can't make it repeat by playing the same bit of video again when it shows the first time, it is NOT embedded (burned) in the video.

There should be no FB icon showing from Disney+ content. I presume you are playing from the AppleTV apps and not Airplaying from a device to AppleTV. If you are airplaying, you may be getting notification-like overlays from other apps running on the source device.

Try to "catch it in the act" and then share the specific video, the specific time in the video, which app you are using to play the video, etc and some of us can try the same video in the same app and see if we see it too. That would rule out a number of possibilities.

Another idea: are you in an Apartment? Multi-family Condo? Or similar? Could someone nearby perhaps be popping up as a possible user when they are trying to airplay something from FB video to their own AppleTV? AppleTV doesn't know who lives with you vs. who is in the next rental. Maybe it thinks they are visiting you and have a FB video to show you on your AppleTV? I've seen a number of stories of mysterious videos playing through AppleTVs coming from someone trying to airplay to their own AppleTVs but choosing someone else's by mistake. If that's unlocked so that anyone can airplay to your AppleTV, a neighbor could perhaps choose your AppleTV by mistake and then something from them could even play on your AppleTV before they figure out their mistake. In this possibility, a good idea is to rename your AppleTV from the generic default to Chazz's AppleTV or similar... and perhaps choose an Airplay option that doesn't allow anyone to airplay to it.
 
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