how to watch disney plus on old apple tv

It looks like Disney+ won't be accessible from a 3rd gen Apple TV for the foreseeable future, but you can still AirPlay Disney+ content to your Apple TV. For further instructions: AirPlay video from iOS

Hope this helps,

Fin

YOU CANT! I’ve tried everything all the way to restoring my Apple TV. I’ve tried to air play via my new iPhone, iPad and even through the Apple TV APP. When you try to play Disney + via airplay I get an error message “an error has occurred please try again later”! I have Verizon Fios and I’ve experienced NO previous issues streaming until this. THIS CLEAR AN UTTER BS!

CocoBugs83 wrote:

Why are you forcing us to upgrade a device that is fully functional? Firestick it is.

No one here is forcing you to do anything. If you want Apple to know how you feel, use this link:

Product Feedback - Apple

TreyS wrote:

Apple can easily add a Disney+ icon on the 3rd gen units with an update. Make it happen @apple!

Disney would need to be involved in that decision. And, neither Apple nor Disney is reading here.

It would have nothing to do with Apple, Disney have decided to to only release an app and the 3rd gen doesn't have the capability to run apps. Apple only has the authority on their own content, and as such they provided a server version for the TV app that became available to the 3rd gen. As of now Amazon is the only 3rd party provider who did the same, while many existing providers have actually started to drop support for the older models.

Yes, you can beam to the old Apple TV, but you can't create a watchlist without the app, or navigate the menus with your family watching (unless you screen mirror, but they show up tiny). The person with the phone gets to choose the show! It's a bummer, but the price we pay to not buy a new device every couple years!

The 2nd and 3rd gen devices are 9 and 7 years old respectively, and the service is compatible with the 4th gen which is 4 years old. It is also available via computer so one could use that to do the initial navigation if need be.

Firestick it is. My Apple TV is working fine. Disney+ is the only issue. I’ve even tried mirroring and received the same error message. It’s never an issue of $ because we will always spend extra $ for our Apple products. At this point it’s the principal. Why are you forcing us to upgrade a device that is fully functional? Firestick it is.

It is working exactly the same as when you first bought it. This isn't an issue with the device itself, but rather a limitation of the hardware. If you want to run an app, or use any of the other features brought to the new OS then you need to upgrade. If a particular app is not working via airplay then that comes down to the developer and again has nothing to do with the Apple TV.

However, Apple still has a commitment to it's legacy products as was evidenced by the update to brought the TV app. By contrast Amazon has dropped support on products that are barely 2 years old.

matdiana wrote:

Yes. This is bad business to try and force us to upgrade. Won't happen...just souring me on Apple

So you're holding Apple responsible for Disney's decisions? That really doesn't make sense.

matdiana wrote:

Then why are they making it available for download on new apple tv devices but not pushing out to older ones? Yet they pushed out apple tv app to the older ones...

Apple is in control of AppleTV+. They can make it available on the ATV 3. Amazon made Prime available on the ATV 3, if I recall correctly. Disney has apparently chosen not to. You'd have to ask them why they made that decision.

Contrary to popular belief, Apple doesn't control the world.

Thank you to whoever posted the ideas that prompted me to figure out this workaround :

To AirPlay on Older Apple TV generation models 3 ( and older I can I only assume because I have the 3rd gen).

Step1. Restart Apple TV... Unplug both HDMI & Power Cord wait 10+ seconds, eat some trail mix- very important

Step 2. Open Firefox Download it if needed it’s free. Do not use Safari or Chrome. Drink some water - even more important

Step 3. Open Disney Plus using Firefox and press Airplay...then talk your wife into watching The Mandalorian - Most important step... :)

Hope this helps!

I am equally disappointed; such unjust treatment of families who save their hard-earned money to buy apple products. Some cannot afford to buy new Apple products when they are released. My seven-year-old Apple TV works excellent; it supports Netflix and other streaming services. Disney and Apple must take care of the little guy; please put the Disney plus app on the older Apple TV.

sonofdust81 wrote:

FIRE FOX FIRE FOX FIRE FOX FIRE FOX FIRE FOX FIRE FOX

What is that supposed to mean? Shouting semi-random words isn't very instructive. Do you mean the browser Firefox (it's one word)? If so, how does that help? It's not available on the ATV 2.

Strangely I couldn't screen share from my MacBook using Safari, but it's working using Chrome. Also working from all our iPhones. We have a really old Apple TV so we couldn't go from there. But with 3 iPhones in the house and a couple of laptops we'll be okay. :)