After 31 July, Netflix will no longer support second and third-generation Apple TV. Netflix has updated its support page for Apple TV, stating that the older Apple TV models will stop working with Netflix at the end of next month, according to CNET.
Apple launched the second-generation Apple TV in 2010 and followed up with the third-generation model in 2012. Although they have an almost identical design to the current 4K model, launched in 2022, they are underpowered in comparison, with only HD support and no App Store compatibility for Apple TV.
The second and third-generation Apple TVs are also outdated by Apple’s current standards: the company ended all support for the devices seven years after their launch dates – seven and five years ago, respectively.
Although Netflix is available on all platforms, supporting an app on such a wide range of hardware is resource-intensive. Netflix, like other app makers, analyses how their app is used and determines which devices no longer warrant the resources required to ensure they work with their software. Now, the company has determined that older Apple TV models fit into that category.
Netflix has made similar decisions in the past. They’ve ended support for a range of older TVs, for example, and they haven’t bothered to develop an app for the Vision Pro.
Going forward, it’s unknown when Netflix will phase out support for other Apple TV devices. But given that the fourth-generation model was launched in 2015 – just three years after the third-generation version – it may not be long before it meets the same fate.
