The YouTube app on Sony’s internet-enabled 2012 TVs has been acting up for some time so Sony has decided to remove it, effective as of September 30.
YouTube app to be removed
This is the latest example of an app that will be removed on “Smart TVs” only a few years old. Sony blames YouTube, saying that it is a “result of specification changes made by YouTube”.
- "The symptoms being experienced are not a failure of the TV, but are as a result of specification changes made by YouTube that exceed the capability of the TV’s hardware," said Sony and continued: " The YouTube application will no longer be available for the 2012 Bravia TVs after 30th September 2016."
It is true that YouTube has made changes. It happened in April 2015 when YouTube began to phase out the Flash player and switch to a HTML5-based video player. At that time, the YouTube app disappeared from many 2012 Smart TVs, the second generation Apple TV, old game consoles, Google TV, and certain mobile devices.
Sony tried to keep YouTube alive with the "New YouTube on TV" app, but it did not work for long as the app has started exhibiting ““black screen and freezing” and an error message. As a result it will be removed on September 30, 2016.
This applies to all 2012 models, including the flagship TVs. The 2012 models are named EX55x, EX65x, HX75x, HX85x or HX95x. Many of these products were sold until the summer of 2013.
Affected models:
EX series:
20-29"
KDL-22EX550
KDL-22EX553
KDL-22EX555
KDL-26EX550
KDL-26EX553
KDL-26EX555
30-39"
KDL-32EX650
KDL-32EX653
KDL-32EX655
40-49"
KDL-40EX650
KDL-40EX653
KDL-40EX655
KDL-46EX650
KDL-46EX653
KDL-46EX655 | HX series
30-39"
KDL-32HX750
KDL-32HX751
KDL-32HX753
KDL-32HX755
KDL-32HX757
KDL-32HX758
KDL-32HX759
40-49"
KDL-40HX750
KDL-46HX750
KDL-46HX751
KDL-46HX753
KDL-46HX755
KDL-46HX756
KDL-46HX757
KDL-46HX758
KDL-46HX759
KDL-46HX75G
KDL-46HX850
KDL-46HX853
KDL-46HX855
50-59"
KDL-55HX750
KDL-55HX751
KDL-55HX753
KDL-55HX755
KDL-55HX75G
KDL-55HX850
KDL-55HX853
KDL-55HX855
KDL-55HX950
KDL-55HX953
KDL-55HX955
60-69"
KDL-65HX950
KDL-65HX953
KDL-65HX955 | X series
80-89"
KD-84X9005 |
- Source: Sony
