Netflix will soon end support for second- and third-generation Apple TV devices. This announcement was communicated to users via email.
There’s some confusion about whether this means the Netflix app will stop working entirely or just won’t receive updates. However, the email suggests that the service will be completely unavailable after July 31, 2024, as confirmed by a Netflix Help Center page.
Netflix explains this move as part of its efforts to provide the “best possible viewing experience,” likely because the hardware is quite old. The second-generation Apple TV was released 13 years ago and is now classified by Apple as a “vintage product,” along with the third-generation model. These older Apple TVs don’t run tvOS and don’t have access to the App Store, instead featuring pre-installed apps. Other streaming services have also phased out support for early Apple TV models; for example, YouTube stopped working on these devices in 2021, and Crunchyroll did the same a few years ago. It’s remarkable that Netflix supported these older models for as long as it did.
Time to Upgrade Apple TV models released after the third generation, such as the Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K, are not affected by this change, so users can continue to watch Netflix without issues on these devices. Although older models will still function, they won’t support Netflix or other apps.
If you’ve been thinking about upgrading, now is a good time. The latest Apple TV 4K models offer full App Store access and come with a Siri remote. Alternatively, Roku streaming devices are another option, providing access to Netflix and other services, and there are currently good deals available on these devices.
