Being able to watch videos of your Facebook friends on Apple TV no longer seems like a thing. Apparently, Facebook has discontinued its Apple Watch Facebook Watch app, and users can no longer access the video app on tvOS, 9to5Mac reported for the first time on Sunday.
The Facebook Watch app allowed users to play videos and stream live from the social network to their TV, the videos could range from shared by friends to Facebook, original shows, trend videos or live transfers. The app first debuted on Samsung’s smart TV before debuting on Apple TV in 2017. Users log in to their Facebook account via their Apple TV to access the videos.
But now, when users try to access the Facebook Watch app, they receive a message that says, “The Facebook Watch TV app is no longer available, but you can still find many videos on Facebook at www.facebook.com/watch. “The app seems to have disappeared after its last update, although it’s still available in the TV app store. Apple TV also appears as one of the platforms compatible with the Facebook Watch app. It is not yet clear whether the Facebook Watch app may reappear later on Apple TV. At the moment, because Apple TV does not support web browsers, users with the device who want to watch Facebook videos TV players can use aerial playback from their phone devices.
Apple TV +, Apple’s streaming add-on to its TV device, has lagged behind in popularity among other streaming platforms. In the fourth quarter of 2020, Apple TV + had only a 3% market share in the US compared to Netflix, Disney + and even Peacock, 9to5Mac reported. The company has been flooding the platform with new movies and shows, but it remains one of the less popular streaming platforms.