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Freesat has pulled the plug on a clever Sky Q-like feature that enabled its viewers to schedule recordings from anywhere in the world. The subscription-free satellite platform said “a change to our internal systems,” was behind the decision to ditch the functionality, which has been part of the Freesat package for years.
Before the dramatic shake-up last month, Freesat viewers could schedule recordings on their Freesat set-top box from an iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet from anywhere via the Freesat mobile app. This is something that Sky Stream, Sky Glass, and Sky Q subscribers have long been able to do.
On the Google Play Store, Everyone TV still advertises the ability to remotely schedule recordings with the Freesat companion app as one of the benefits — despite this feature being culled last month
EVERYONE TV | GOOGLE PLAY STORE | GBN
Virgin TV 360 and EE TV — both popular rival set-top boxes with many of the same features — also allow viewers to schedule recordings remotely via a companion app on their phone or tablet.
Explaining the decision, the Freesat team shared an update on its website, posting: “Due to a change to our internal systems, we will be removing Freesat ID accounts from our platform from mid-June 2024. As a result of this change, the Remote Record feature on Freesat Mobile Apps on iOS and Android will no longer function."
The decision impacts all Freesat models, including the latest-generation of 4K Ultra HD-equipped Freesat set-top boxes released by Humax in recent months.
Furious Freesat viewers have flooded the listing for the mobile app with negative reviews. Posting on the Google Play Store, one Freesat viewer wrote: "The app is now useless as it will no longer send recordings to your box or update your recordings list. According to Freesat there was an update in June 24 that removed accounts, thereby making the app pointless.
"Everything now has to be done on the box directly. So don't bother downloading it & you might as well remove it from your phone, as I will be doing. I don't see the point of developing an app if you're going to make it useless for the intended use."
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Another echoed the same frustration, leaving a one-star review with the comment: "Freesat have deliberately removed the best feature of this app. The record from app feature no longer works and no plans to bring it back... WHY ??? The app is now just a channel guide."
Freesat viewers who were disappointed by the shake-up have also taken to social media to complain about the removal of remote recordings.
@freesatadvice hi very disappointed about the removal of the record facility from the android and iOS devices. It’s such a retrograde step. I cannot believe you took it. Surely it must be high up on your priority list to get the systems up and running again? Why did you take it?
— John Smith (@bogallan1) June 28, 2024
I fully agree with you, Matt. I've just spent £229 on a new box, and inside the box was this lovely advert for the freesat app. What do you have to say about this @freesat @freesatadvice ?
— Gavros2000 (@GavParf) June 26, 2024
Do I take it back and get a @FreeviewTV box? Or worse, go to @skytv ? pic.twitter.com/GdCZtHJhc1
Anyone who wants to schedule a recording for an individual programme, TV series, or film, will need to pick-up their remote control and manually press the button.
It comes as Everyone TV — the organisation behind Freeview and Freesat backed by the UK's biggest broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 — launched a new free-to-air platform in the UK earlier this year, known as Freely.
Unlike Freeview and Freesat, this all-new proposition streams linear channels and on-demand boxsets over a wired or wireless internet connection. This is similar to solutions like Sky Glass, Sky Stream, Virgin Media Stream, and the rebooted EE TV launched last year. Relying on a broadband connection means you'll be able to position your television anywhere in your house with a decent Wi-Fi signal — not where the aerial comes into the wall.
Scathing reviews of the Freesat mobile app can be found on the Google Play Store following the developers' decision to pull remote recording functionality
GOOGLE PLAY STORE | FREESAT | GBN
However, this industry-wide trend has caused some experts to sound the alarm that those without a decent internet connection could be left unable to watch live television by 2040.
Freely isn't available as a software update for existing Freeview or Freesat viewers. Since it requires new hardware, you'll only be able to start benefitting from its new features — like the ability to access all on-demand episodes from a show's listing in the TV Guide and the ability to restart a show from the beginning with a single tap — when you upgrade to a new television.
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As it stands, six different TV manufacturers have launched brand-new Smart TVs with Freely as the default way to watch free-to-air channels. However, Samsung remains the biggest absentee.
