Roger Fingas
HBO on Thursday released an important update to its iOS app for cable subscribers, HBO Go, enabling support for Apple's dedicated TV app, as well as single sign-on with compatible cable or streaming providers.
Movies and shows available in HBO Go can now be tracked in Apple's TV app, which was released in December alongside iOS 10.2 and tvOS 10.1 to provide a unified interface for browsing and watching shows.
HBO Now — the standalone version of Go — has been compatible with the TV app since the beginning, so it's not clear why HBO took so long to carry over the feature. Indeed, support hasn't been automatic and omnipresent among streaming services, and when it is present it may be inconsistent, as with Netflix, which isn't officially supported yet, according to Apple.
Single sign-on compatibility means that HBO Go can automatically grant access if a person has already authenticated with a provider. So far, the only major providers on board include DirecTV, Dish, and the internet-only Sling TV, itself a Dish subsidiary.
Finally HBO has updated Go's home screen, making it possible to quickly resume play of the last movie or show a person was watching.
HBO Go is a free download, and runs on any device with iOS 8 or later. An Apple TV version is also available.
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
Amber Neely
Chip Loder
5 Comments
Now if they would please convince Starz to update their app that I have sign in to every single day fresh.
When are HBO subscribers with Charter/Spectrum going to be able to access HBO Go on Apple TV?
You say cable. Does DISH work the same way?
Add DirectTV Now single sign-on (Not just DirectTV) and PLEASE .... I know I'm going out on a limb here ... PLEASE add Amazon Prime App! Its omission is keeping people from buying AppleTV and instead going with FireTV or Roku.