Hi guys, I hope I'm posting this to the right place!
I recently updated my Sony TV to Android 8.0.0 and it seems to have removed BBC iPlayer.
It isn't even on the Google Play Store!
Has anyone else noticed this? I know I can still cast it from my phone but I reckon I'll miss out on that 4K greatness :(
I have an open support query with Sony about this, they're calling me back on Tuesday.
What I have found so far is that the app as someone else said, was never on the TV in the same way as another normal ATV app. I believe the UK catchup services are run through something called hbbTV which is probably linked to YouView.
This app is still on the TV I think. If you watch a BBC channel and press the red button and navigate to iPlayer, the app will actually launch and although it looks a bit dodgy when it runs as an overlay, I'm pretty sure it's the same app we had before. I think it is simply the shortcut launching app that we have lost.
When you say 4K greatness...I may be wrong but isn't there basically very very little 4K content available except for when the BBC are doing a specific test like limited time nature documentaries or the World Cup UHD streams?
If you're not in the UK turn off location services and the app will magically reappear. If you're in the UK already then I'm unsure what to say..
It's annoying for me because it was never originally on the Play Store on the Mi Box. I tried sideloading it from aptoide (which I presume was the standard iplayer apk) and although it worked to a certain extent it was incredibly difficult to navigate with a remote control. Looks like I'll have to stick with the mobile app for now and cast media straight to the box.
Why hasn't my TV updated to 8.0 yet?
It was never available as a conventional standalone app, what you had on Android TV 7.0 was a shortcut to the app inside Youview. It seems to have disappeared in 8.0 because there's no more Sony Select shelf on the homepage. If you go to your guide in YouView and go across to "Players" you'll find all the catch-up services.