Netflix has announced it will no longer support the 2nd Gen and 3rd Gen Apple TV models. In an email sent to some subscribers this week, Netflix confirmed it’s “sunsetting support” for these Apple TV models from July 31st, 2024.
In the email (via Reddit), Netflix mentions that it is notifying the users who have “used Apple TV (2nd generation) and/or Apple TV (3rd generation) with Netflix in the past.” It further adds that “[Netflix] is doing this to ensure you maintain the best possible Netflix viewing experience.”
Notably, many other services, including Amazon Prime Video, have already stopped working on these models in February. For reference, Apple launched the 2nd Gen and 3rd Gen Apple TV models in 2010 and 2012. And the 3rd Gen model came with an A5 chip and could stream in Full HD, while the 2nd Gen model could only support up to 720p. There’s a fun fact attached to these models: both the 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TV models used a version of iOS. So, they didn’t run tvOS or support tvOS Store and instead came with a bunch of pre-installed apps.
That said, if you have the Apple TV HD released in 2015 or a newer model, you won’t be affected by this change and can keep watching Netflix and other services as you usually do. But for those with an old variant, maybe it’s the right time to upgrade to a newer model.
The newest Apple TV on the market today is the 2022 edition. Earlier, there were whispers of Apple unveiling a new Apple TV box at the upcoming WWDC, but those whispers have been put to rest, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. He expects no hardware reveals but throws in the caveat that “unless Apple unexpectedly previews a new device launching later.”