Apple TV+ Web App and website have a big problem for non-US viewers, but nowhere to report it

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Level 1

10 points

Apple TV+ Web App and website have a big problem for non-US viewers, but nowhere to report it

The problem:

When trying to enjoy Apple TV+ in a web browser like Chrome (on Linux or Windows) the browser suggests to install the Progressive Web App. This should allow viewing in a browser window that can be launched as a dedicated app. US viewers will be able to enjoy the web app instantly, and continue using it from then on, without any issues.

But viewers from other countries can only use the web app one time without issues. But after closing the web app and opening it again, it defaults to the US locale and viewers from other countries will not be able to watch any films or series because of "An Error Occurred. Please try again."

As far as I can figure, the cause is this: the Manifest JSON always has "tv.apple.com" as root, which is not good for anyone outside the US. To get around the error message, non-US viewers will each time need to scroll all the way down to the footer and change the country settings. Scrolling to the footer itself alone is a pain (because the web page keeps loading new content) let alone going to the process of changing the locale again and again...

Same when visiting the Apple TV+ website on https://tv.apple.com. A non-US viewer will need to switch to their own locale first, before being able to start watching anything.

I tried contacting Apple Support about this but they do not understand the issue. The developer support forums only seem to be for mobile device app developers, not to report an issue with the Apple TV+ website itself.

The solution? What about an automatic redirect to the viewers locale?

Posted on Jun 27, 2024 4:35 AM

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Answer 1

RavanH Author

Level 1

10 points

Jun 27, 2024 7:14 AM in response to Urquhart1244

Hi @Urquhart1244

For the website access, try tv.apple.com/in (bookmark that!), or whatever the two-letter country code is that applies to you.

That is the only solution for getting around the issue on the website itself but does not fix the Web App. Even if you install it from the country coded homepage, its manifest will still reference the root tv.apple.com

It seems to me that this ‘Progressive Web App’ may not have the functionality that you need. Have you tried contacting their developers? Would that be Chrome (Google)?

The web app (and manifest file) are provided by Apple, not by the browser. It's a website issue, but I do not know where to report this.

Until a month back or so, there used to be an automatic message (only for non-US viewers) at the top of both the site and the web app, asking to redirect to the appropriate country locale. Just one click, no big deal. But this message is no longer occurring, hence the need to scroll all the way to the bottom and change locale manually each time :(

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Answer 2

RavanH Author

Level 1

10 points

Jun 27, 2024 3:18 PM in response to Urquhart1244

Urquhart1244 wrote:

Apple has site feedback: Feedback - Apple.com website - Apple1. , or

Apple has Apple TV+ feedback: Feedback - Apple TV App - Apple1. .

You can’t expect a response from these per se, but your comments will be reviewed by the appropriate team, and good suggestions may find their way into future revisions. Feedback is different from support.

Perfect! Will do that. Thanks :)

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Answer 3

Urquhart1244

Level 10

146,130 points

Jun 27, 2024 11:24 AM in response to RavanH

The web app (and manifest file) are provided by Apple, not by the browser.

I’m not so sure about that. It seems to me that web app creation this way is a Chrome feature, not an Apple feature. It doesn’t work for other browsers. It is just a wrapper for Chrome, and a specific URL.

I tried contacting Apple Support about this but they do not understand the issue.

It's a website issue, but I do not know where to report this.

Apple has site feedback: Feedback - Apple.com website - Apple, or
Apple has Apple TV+ feedback: Feedback - Apple TV App - Apple.

You can’t expect a response from these per se, but your comments will be reviewed by the appropriate team, and good suggestions may find their way into future revisions. Feedback is different from support.

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Answer 4

Urquhart1244

Level 10

146,130 points

Jun 27, 2024 5:16 AM in response to RavanH

For the website access, try tv.apple.com/in (bookmark that!), or whatever the two-letter country code is that applies to you.

See if this ‘manifest’ that you speak of, allows for a longer URL which includes a country code.

It seems to me that this ‘Progressive Web App’ may not have the functionality that you need. Have you tried contacting their developers? Would that be Chrome (Google)?

It may still not work if you get over the country hurdle, as Apple hasn’t been very supportive of this technology. The site may be build in a way that doesn’t play nice with this alternative access. In Apple’s philosophy, apps should bring more than just a version of a website, and website access in a browser works just fine on its own here.

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Answer 5

hcsitas

Level 6

13,964 points

Jun 27, 2024 10:47 AM in response to RavanH

Looks like a complicated ask that’s dependent on too many external variables.

Use Feedback - Apple TV - Apple. You won’t get a response but if it’s a bug and not a security fix, it just might get addressed in a future release. Good luck!

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