This is why Apple TV 4K Siri Remote scrubbing doesn't work on Disney+, other apps

Some features of the new Apple TV 4K Siri Remote won't work properly if a video service, like Disney+ or HBO Max, uses a custom player instead of Apple's tvOS API.

The new Siri Remote has a feature that allows users to scrub through content by using the touch-sensitive control pad as a "scroll wheel." However, some users recently noticed that the feature stopped working on HBO Max after the service ditched Apple's tvOS API.

On Friday, Disney+, which also caught flak for not supporting the new Siri Remote capability, confirmed to The Verge that the scrubbing feature isn't available at all on its own service. That's because, like HBO Max, Disney+ uses its own custom video player.

Scroll wheel scrubbing is only available to apps that use Apple's native media player, and it isn't clear if such features will be made available to third-party player platforms.

Disney+ told The Verge that it plans to develop scrubbing support if and when Apple opens access to control APIs.

Along with HBO Max and the Disney streaming platform, users also reported Siri Remote compatibility issues with Peacock. HBO Max users have reported additional bugs with display quality, Siri commands, and pausing video content.

25 Comments

mobird 758 comments · 20 Years

About 3 years ago

Unfortunately, the demise of scrubbing.
TV (hardware) streaming platform apps will skirt API's to disrupt the experience that Apple wants for their users even something as small as a scrubbing feature. This isn't the first time or last time there will be these forms of harassment plus I'm sure everyone thinks they can build a better video player to spy on their subscribers.

jeffreytgilbert 368 comments · 14 Years

This explains why disney’s app always glitches out on me but i never have an issue with the others. Not looking forward to hbo max glitches to come :(

sdw2001 17459 comments · 23 Years

I don’t have that remote, but I did experience some video issues on Max the other day. Last night I did not, however. Wondering if it’s the app that had issues. Perhaps there was something going on somewhere in the pipeline.

chadbag 2026 comments · 13 Years

Everyone should publicly push back on Disney about this. I’ve already tweeted to them about how they should stick with the Apple video APIs and not roll their own and how disappointed I am that their app doesn’t work right on ATV. If they get enough feedback maybe someone there will have an epiphany.

tmonline 10 comments · 16 Years

Not true at all.

Sadly, that’s not how software development works with other companies that uses Apples’ platform to build apps.

Third part developers are not just sitting/standing idle dwindling their thumbs and can jump on any new shiny OS or API released by Apple right away. It will be in pipeline and supported but not now, like how Americans (most first world people who open wallet for any new gadget by Apple) are entitled to think - I want it NOW!

Software features are not a small thing and changes have to be well thought out and various edge case considerations are made before release, unless you understand how it can fit in existing workflow or architecture, tested and pushed out without causing other areas to be affected then may be.

just saying your NOW thinking is a problem. But trust me it’s no fun with broken software that support all functions of new OS.

my 2c.

mobird said:
TV (hardware) streaming platform apps will skirt API's to disrupt the experience that Apple wants for their users even something as small as a scrubbing feature.