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Subscribing to Apple TV Channels then using their apps?

D

davidg4781

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Oct 28, 2006
2,887
431
Alice, TX
I subscribe to the Starz channel through the Apple TV app to watch a movie. I skimmed through the rest of their content and found a few TV shows I liked. GREAT! So I downloaded the Starz app, thinking it would be easier to navigate.

But I can't sign in to the Starz app. I tried doing Restore Apple Purchase (or whatever it's called) and it says no subscription found. I have no username to sign in with. Is this normal behavior? I'm thinking of canceling my current subscription and signing up through the app just for ease of use, assuming the app has easier navigation.

I also have an Apple TV, with one of my family members, signed in at a different location. It won't let them watch anything there but I can watch at my location with another family member's signed on. Is that normal? I just told them I'd look in to it and haven't yet.
 
You can’t do that. If you subscribe via the tv Channels you watch through the tv app. There are no apps. You have no login so how would you log into those apps anyway?

I don’t understand what you mean when you say easier navigation. It’s the same content. If you look i. The individual channels you’ll see you see different genres.

The brilliance of the tv Channels is everything is in one place and you get great picture and sound. And the way you navigate is consistent across all Channels.
 
First off, assuming the dedicated app will give you easier navigation may or may not be so. While I don't have Starz, my experience with other provider-specific apps is often not very good.

The "big idea" behind the Apple TV app is that you can access shows/movies from multiple sources/subscriptions from a single app. In my case, it gives access to a variety of cable channels/subscriptions purchased through my cable provider - a single Search gets me programming from all those sources. I don't have to know which of those services/subscriptions has a particular program or movie, and then open that particular app. If I'm looking for football games, I can choose the Sports category and find a listing of all available games, regardless of network. Of course, if you don't have multiple subscriptions, this doesn't matter.

Your subscription through Apple is specific to your Apple ID. What happened on your Apple TV is that you were signed into your Apple ID when you purchased the subscription. Like iTunes music purchases on a computer, that purchase remains on your Apple TV even when another family member's Apple ID is signed in. Your family member's Apple ID account didn't somehow inherit your subscription - when they're using their Apple ID on a different Apple TV, they'll see only what has been purchased with their account, or by others who used that Apple TV.

As to whether you can access the subscription you created though Apple TV on the Stars app... that may be up to Starz. In Apple's support document covering this topic (https://support.apple.com/HT209670) it says
In addition to watching your subscription in the Apple TV app, you might be able to sign in to a channel's website or app with the same Apple ID that you use in the Apple TV app to watch content.
Click to expand...
The important word there may be "might." I suspect it's up to each individual provider (Starz, HBO, Netflix, etc.) to decide whether to allow that. I didn't see any support info addressing this at the Starz web site - you may need to contact their customer support. Considering the Stars app includes "Purchased through iTunes? Restore Purchase" feature, I'd expect it is supported. Apple TV and iTunes are one and the same. Did you provide your Apple ID email address, or your family member's?
 
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By easier to navigate I mean at least in some kind of order. When I go to ATV>STARZ>TV Shows they’re in no order I can figure out. They’re also missing content, I think. I can tell Siri I want to watch G.I. Joe The Movie and it plays through STARZ but I can’t find it when browsing.

As far as my family member being able to see, I have never logged in with my credentials on that Apple TV. This family member is set up the same as the other with Family Sharing.

So if they want to watch STARZ they have to set up their own account and pay? What if I subscribe through the STARZ app with my iTunes?
 
Sometimes subscriptions allow Family Sharing, sometimes they don't. When I look up Starz in the Apple TV app, it shows it is sharable. Have your family member check for the list of Family Purchases. Also, check your own Family Sharing settings - perhaps you haven't opted-in to allow sharing of your purchases.
 
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As you have learned subscribing to the Apple TV Channel does not allow access to the app. However, all the content available via the app is also available via the Channel.

Starz, for example... on the Apple TV, in the TV app, scroll down to the Starz Channel and select it. Then scroll down to the More to Explore section and select, say, Movies. I wasn't able to find G.I. Joe here because there are HUNDREDS of movies to browse but this is how you browse the movies on Starz or HBO or Showtime. Plus you get a live feed of Starz and Starz Encore.
 
mallbritton said:
As you have learned subscribing to the Apple TV Channel does not allow access to the app. However, all the content available via the app is also available via the Channel.

Starz, for example... on the Apple TV, in the TV app, scroll down to the Starz Channel and select it. Then scroll down to the More to Explore section and select, say, Movies. I wasn't able to find G.I. Joe here because there are HUNDREDS of movies to browse but this is how you browse the movies on Starz or HBO or Showtime. Plus you get a live feed of Starz and Starz Encore.
Click to expand...

Right. But it’s not in any order on the TV app. And what other content may be there but doesn’t show up in the TV app?

I’m going to submit a big report to Apple and probably switch subscriptions.
 
This is why I subscribe to HBO Now rather than HBO via channels. Especially since the ATV 4K in our family room is associated with my Apple ID and our ATV in the bedroom is associated with my wife's Apple ID. It's just easier for us to d/l the HBO Now app and have me sign in using my credentials.
 
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For me it’s the opposite. I hate everyone doing their own thing. The Channels gives me the tv 3 experience I’ve been missing. Plus, you can’t beat the Family Sharing which most of the apps don’t give you on their own. And HBO apps don’t have live feeds per se. Cinemax doesn’t even have a stand-alone app.
 
JBaby said:
For me it’s the opposite. I hate everyone doing their own thing. The Channels gives me the tv 3 experience I’ve been missing. Plus, you can’t beat the Family Sharing which most of the apps don’t give you on their own. And HBO apps don’t have live feeds per se. Cinemax doesn’t even have a stand-alone app.
Click to expand...

I thought if you’re subscribed to the app you get all the benefits of it inside of the TV app?

So everyone that was already paying for them outside TV has to cancel and resubscribe through TV?
 
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davidg4781 said:
I thought if you’re subscribed to the app you get all the benefits of it inside of the TV app?

So everyone that was already paying for them outside TV has to cancel and resubscribe through TV?
Click to expand...

Nope, not all of the apps have live feeds and not all of them have profiles. HBO and Showtime apps do not have profiles.

Yes, you have to unsubscribe and resubscribe via that tv app. Worth it IMO. I only watch on my iOS devices and my tv. When Catalina drops I’ll watch there too. I have an all  household.
 
JBaby said:
Nope, not all of the apps have live feeds and not all of them have profiles. HBO and Showtime apps do not have profiles.

Yes, you have to unsubscribe and resubscribe via that tv app. Worth it IMO. I only watch on my iOS devices and my tv. When Catalina drops I’ll watch there too. I have an all  household.
Click to expand...

I can’t even sign in to my HBO. I get it free through AT&T and can sign in through the AT&T TV app. So you’re saying once I’m signed in it won’t connect to TV?

I also have all Apple at home.
 
davidg4781 said:
I can’t even sign in to my HBO. I get it free through AT&T and can sign in through the AT&T TV app. So you’re saying once I’m signed in it won’t connect to TV?

I also have all Apple at home.
Click to expand...


Should be able to sign into the HBO Go app with your login credentials. Once you do you can connect the Go app to the tv app. But you won’t have any of the benefits of the HBO tv Channel.
 
JBaby said:
Should be able to sign into the HBO Go app with your login credentials. Once you do you can connect the Go app to the tv app. But you won’t have any of the benefits of the HBO tv Channel.
Click to expand...

But if I subscribe through TV I can’t see all the content. I can see The A-Team in the HBO Go app but when I’m browsing in TV, it’s not in there. This was the issue I was having with STARZ.

I think the TV Channels is a great idea but it’s not fully ready.
 
davidg4781 said:
But if I subscribe through TV I can’t see all the content. I can see The A-Team in the HBO Go app but when I’m browsing in TV, it’s not in there. This was the issue I was having with STARZ.

I think the TV Channels is a great idea but it’s not fully ready.
Click to expand...

I don’t use the app to search. I use Trakt to tell me what is playing where. But I did a search and it’s there.
e1dfa9aad695af73a1a6160f7cdb3ac5.png


It also can be found without a search.
80331ac6a3b04d90b988e469eab10dfb.jpg
95224045c939c41258273f3c237716ff.jpg
 
Last edited:
Right. If I search for it it’ll show it. But, for me, the main movies I care about are Star Wars and Marvel ones. The rest I like to browse and see what catches my eye. TV has 65 movies. HBO Go shows ~38 through the As alone.
 
davidg4781 said:
Right. If I search for it it’ll show it. But, for me, the main movies I care about are Star Wars and Marvel ones. The rest I like to browse and see what catches my eye. TV has 65 movies. HBO Go shows ~38 through the As alone.
Click to expand...

Check my other post again. I added additional screenshots.
 
davidg4781 said:
I can see The A-Team in the HBO Go app but when I’m browsing in TV, it’s not in there. This was the issue I was having with STARZ.

I think the TV Channels is a great idea but it’s not fully ready.
Click to expand...

I found The A-Team movie in the HBO Channel, in Movies, in about 30 seconds. All the same HBO content is in the Channel as is in the apps. The same applies to the other Channels.


PNG image.png
 
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It’s showing now!

f0af6351740e1f81522804a4d9c07f15.jpg


Maybe the problem is it’s only showing Popular Movies. I want to browse through all of them.
 
davidg4781 said:
I can’t even sign in to my HBO. I get it free through AT&T and can sign in through the AT&T TV app. So you’re saying once I’m signed in it won’t connect to TV?

I also have all Apple at home.
Click to expand...

I get my HBO free through mobile phone on AT&T, too.

When I set up AT&T TV, I used a separate username/password than my main AT&T login, and had all sorts of issues getting it to authenticate with HBO GO properly, but somehow got it to do so. It seemed to be a problem with cached authentication tokens or something.

Anyway, I managed to merge my AT&T logins into one (login via att.com and go through your profile to find the merge accounts link), and things have been simple since then. HTH!

Also, Make sure you're using HBO GO and not HBO NOW.
 
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