App rot continues, with the Xbox app the latest victim as it will soon stop working on Samsung Smart TVs from 2020.
- "Starting 3 November, the Xbox app will no longer be supported on 2020 Samsung Smart TVs as updates to the technology that powers Xbox Cloud Gaming are no longer compatible with the operating system version available on these models. You can continue streaming on newer Samsung Smart TVs (2021 and later), as well as across a wide range of supported devices, including PCs, smartphones, tablets and Xbox consoles," Microsoft advised in an email sent to customers, as reported by Windows Central.
Samsung was the first TV brand to offer the Xbox app, and is now the first to lose it.
This is just the latest in a long list of streaming apps that have been removed from Smart TVs that are only a few years old. Previous examples include PlayStation Now, YouTube, Netflix, HBO and more apps.
Tizen OS upgrades only for newer TVs
A couple of years ago, Samsung committed to 7 years of Tizen OS upgrades for Smart TVs, but this only applies to models from 2023 onwards. In other words, 2021-2022 Samsung Smart TVs are likely to also lose the Xbox app over the coming years.
It is a bad look for everyone involved, and users are not happy.
- "Color me cynical as a 2020 Samsung TV owner, but it's hard not to wonder if it is in fact these devices that see the highest use out of all the third-party screens attaching to Xbox Cloud Gaming. Perhaps Microsoft has discovered a way to quickly and easily save bandwidth by screwing over thousands of existing users in the name of "compatibility," said Jez Corden of Windows Central.
The move comes as Microsoft is changing its Xbox strategy after seemingly losing confidence in the growth of cloud gaming, which it had originally envisioned as a way to reach billions of gamers. Xbox Game Pass reportedly has only 30 million subscribers.
The Nvidia GeForce Now app is still available on 2020 Samsung Smart TVs.
- Source: Windows Central
