Mike Wuerthele
AT&T has launched a round of beta testing for its DirecTV Now streaming service DVR, and is inviting select iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV customers to participate.
First spotted by Cord Cutters News on Friday, selectees not only must have a DirecTV Now account, but a fill AT&T account as well. The requirement for an AT&T account means that the beta is limtied to DirecTV Now subscribers with wireless service, or home internet from the company.
Following response to the email, users are directed to a second page, asking what platforms that the users wish to test the service on. The test uses a different app than the main service, that only accepts the aforementioned AT&T account credentials.
A larger opt-in beta will be made available to all subscribers in the fall. Beta testers can still use the older version of the app, should they find limited functionality.
AT&T launched DirecTV Now in November 2016, and pulled in more than 200,000 paying subscribers within one month of its launch, possibly due to a promotion involving a free fourth-generation Apple TV. At launch, the service suffered from a number of performance issues, with users locked out from streaming content and feeds interrupted during peak viewing times.
The service dropped Safari compatibility for streaming in the beginning of June, providing no reasons for the shift.
Malcolm Owen
Oliver Haslam
Andrew O'Hara
Wesley Hilliard
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
7 Comments
I'm very happy with DTVNow's $35 introductory offer and free AT&T cellular streaming. And it's the only streaming service that includes The Tennis Channel.
Have you tried Youtube TV? I have. Very slick UI, but too slick IMHO--busy, quirky and I dislike its minimized video windows. And when I encountered a problem with the system identifying my home location for live channels, Google support staff recommended I cancel the service and re-register using a different e-mail. (Unbelievable!)
Waiting for reviews on this. I tried the initial rollout for all of 3 days...terrible. But I long for the ability to cut off TWC née Spectrum.
Their Terms of Service are unacceptable and the app was removed from all of our devices. AT&T is in legal trouble over taking money/time from customers leaving them no recourse but to go through exhaustive arbitration practices and their response has been that nobody forced the customers to accept their Terms of Service.