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What makes TVOS so bad for some people?

w5jck said:
There are plenty of bugs, and many apps cannot run correctly because Apple is always breaking things with new tvOS releases. Philo TV is total rubbish now, and AcornTV is flaky, just to name two apps. You can drink as much Apple juice as you want, but that doesn't change the fact that tvOS is simply bad, and it is a moving target which app developers have to constantly make unnecessary changes for. Granted that app developers are having issues with their code, but they shouldn't have to spend so much time with each new tvOS release to patch up their code because Apple changes the way it works. Every OS from Apple is filled with bugs, the worst is iPadOS followed closely by tvOS, but they all have way more bugs than they should.
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Other than one or two freebie games that either just don’t work anymore or have been pulled I can’t say I’ve experienced any issues where a tvOS update has broken any streaming apps I use.
The only app issue I do see every now and then is with Prime as seems every time they update their app it breaks HDR on some shows for a few days. Where the fault lies with that one is anyones guess, but without specific facts yeah we could easily say it’s because of tvOS but equally could also argue it’s because Prime devs haven’t done a good job with the app either.
I mentioned earlier about the ATV App Library population issue that has been reported from those with large libraries, this past week I have noticed that issue myself but weirdly is only affecting my US account which isn’t very large at all compared to my UK account and that populates fine.
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So is that a tvOS bug issue or a server issue or a mixture of both, but then why only the US and not the UK? 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
jwolf6589 said:
I’d vote for MacOS Ventura to be the most bug ridden.
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At least you can go back to older MacOS versions on older equipment. With iOS and tvOS, you are stuck, just hoping that Apple releases an update that fixes the problems.

I stopped updating the OS on all my Apple devices unless I really need to for a particular reason.

Usually, I just stick to a stable version.

But in my experience as an Apple user since the mid 90's, the two most buggy Apple OS over the years have been tvOS and CarPlay. Both have improved a lot since they launched, especially CarPlay.


HDFan said:
Do you have any documentation of AppleTV API changes that caused application problems?
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No, I don't keep any documentation on API changes.


-Gonzo- said:
Other than one or two freebie games that either just don’t work anymore or have been pulled I can’t say I’ve experienced any issues where a tvOS update has broken any streaming apps I use.
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I have had plenty of apps that were pulled from the App Store, but I also have a few apps that stopped working correctly that are currently for sale in the tvOS App Store. Sometimes they start working again.

Not just free apps, but paid for apps as well.

Recently, I noticed some apps that require additional resources, but they won't always download. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
 
Juicy Box said:
At least you can go back to older MacOS versions on older equipment. With iOS and tvOS, you are stuck, just hoping that Apple releases an update that fixes the problems.

I stopped updating the OS on all my Apple devices unless I really need to for a particular reason.

Usually, I just stick to a stable version.

But in my experience as an Apple user since the mid 90's, the two most buggy Apple OS over the years have been tvOS and CarPlay. Both have improved a lot since they launched, especially CarPlay.



No, I don't keep any documentation on API changes.



I have had plenty of apps that were pulled from the App Store, but I also have a few apps that stopped working correctly that are currently for sale in the tvOS App Store. Sometimes they start working again.

Not just free apps, but paid for apps as well.

Recently, I noticed some apps that require additional resources, but they won't always download. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
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Ventura just was released and has many bugs. More so than iPad 16 in my POV.
 
I wish they updated it with new features. How about decreasing the size of the Icons you can fit more on the top. How about not having CC apply to all apps. How about actually forcing apps to update and explain what the update is. I mean ESPN, owned by Disney, has these small app updates but they need big app updates. The user Interface could be a whole lot better.
 
sjsharksfan12 said:
I wish they updated it with new features. How about decreasing the size of the Icons you can fit more on the top. How about not having CC apply to all apps. How about actually forcing apps to update and explain what the update is. I mean ESPN, owned by Disney, has these small app updates but they need big app updates. The user Interface could be a whole lot better.
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CC?
 
sjsharksfan12 said:
Closed Captioning. You activate it for one app and it's activated for all the other apps. I guess it's all part of Apple's player.
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That’s what I thought, but surely if you’ve chosen CC then why wouldn’t you want it across all apps?
 
Jack_SB said:
Read the article before replying mate. Like every other article it says use a VPN on a router or a smart DNS.
That’s not VPN support.
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"However, if you just want to unblock streaming content, using Smart DNS is a far simpler option. While Smart DNS doesn't offer the privacy benefits of a true VPN, it's unlikely you'll be doing much more than watching TV on your Apple TV, so quick and easy setup alongside superb streaming functionality are likely to be your top priorities."
 
HDFan said:
"However, if you just want to unblock streaming content, using Smart DNS is a far simpler option. While Smart DNS doesn't offer the privacy benefits of a true VPN, it's unlikely you'll be doing much more than watching TV on your Apple TV, so quick and easy setup alongside superb streaming functionality are likely to be your top priorities."
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You can use smartDNS basically on every smart TV, even on base models Samsung Tizen TVs.
Since that was my only option for a year, I can tell you that not only it’s unreliable, but I had to grab a laptop, disable IPV6, refresh smartDNS, hope it works for more than a day, and all that just to access US Netflix catalogue and nothing else.

With every android TV or TV box on the other hand, you open the native VPN app, select the country and done. This is VPN support, not a crappy smartDNS.
 
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Is it my imagination, or did they just add a "Featured" line of promoted programming above my current shows n "Watch Now"? I don't think it was there before; I thought my "Up Next" queue was there.

BIG thumbs down. Better be a bug, or else!
 
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srbNYC said:
Is it my imagination, or did they just add a "Featured" line of promoted programming above my current shows n "Watch Now"? I don't think it was there before; I thought my "Up Next" queue was there.

BIG thumbs down. Better be a bug, or else!
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Not entirely sure I’m seeing what you’re seeing on either of my accounts
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srbNYC said:
Yes--although not sure if this appeared when I updated or separately. I'm thinking it could be what they push out, vs. a software change.
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And that’s one reason to never use a Beta on your everyday device, if there’s a bug that causes any issues then you’re either stuck with it until they put out another revision that fixes it or worse case scenario a device that no longer works as a bug in the software has bricked it.
 
What makes tvOS so bad?

For me, the fact that Siri is so bad to use because she won't answer basic questions and isn't able to control as much smart home features/skills anywhere near that Alexa can.

After all of these years, Siri is just so dumb and isolating - whether she's on the more-limited tvOS or not.

I've been playing with a Fire TV Stick 4K device, and really enjoying it - as it feels like it is so much more versatile for voice commands (Alexa will answer anything), more apps (Xfinity Stream is much better than the AppleTV version, and I can get the Roku Channel and my local news station app not available on Apple), & smart home control (including non-HomeKit products).

I still anticipate upgrading to this new 2022 Apple TV 4K (likely putting it on my Christmas list), mostly to keep a stable HomeKit & Matter/Thread Border Router, but my enthusiasm for tvOS is waning - and I hate to hate on a solid Apple hardware product.
 
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