Being able to watch videos from your Facebook friends on Apple TV is apparently no longer a thing. Facebook has seemingly discontinued its Facebook Watch app from Apple TV, with users no longer being able to access the video app on tvOS, 9to5Mac first reported on Sunday.
The Facebook Watch app allowed users to play videos and livestream from the social network on their TV, the videos could range from ones shared by friends on Facebook, original shows, trending videos, or live streams. The app first premiered on Samsung smart TV before making its debut on Apple TV in 2017. Users would log into their Facebook account through their Apple TV in order to access the videos.
But now, when users try to access the Facebook Watch app, they receive a message that reads, “The Facebook Watch TV app is no longer available, but you can still find lots of videos on Facebook at www.facebook.com/watch.” The app seemingly disappeared following its latest update, although it is still available on the TV app store itself. Apple TV is also still listed as one of the platforms that support the Facebook Watch app. So it’s still not entirely clear whether the Facebook Watch app may later resurface on Apple Tv. For now, since Apple TV doesn’t support web browsers, users with the device wanting to watch Facebook videos on their television screens can use airplay from their phone devices.
Apple TV+, Apple’s streaming complement to its TV device, has been falling behind on popularity among other streaming platforms. In the fourth quarter of 2020, Apple TV+ had only 3% of market share in the U.S. compared to Netflix, Disney+, and even Peacock, 9to5Mac reported. The company has been flooding the platform with new movies and shows, but it is still one of the least popular streaming platforms.