Despite the launch of Netflix’s new $7 per month “Basic with Ads” subscription this week, some viewers are finding that the new ad-supported tier is not compatible with some streaming devices according to Ars Technica.
The new plan includes five minutes of ads per hour, and has other restrictions including no downloads and 720p resolution; in addition, some content featured on Netflix’s higher subscription tiers are unavailable. But some potential subscribers are finding that the new plan is not as universally supported on all streaming devices as Netflix’s regular tiers.
The most prominent? Apple TV (which also began shipping its latest incarnation this week). Netflix’s help center advises subscribers that “Basic with Ads isn’t supported on Apple TV” and that they will have to upgrade to Basic, Standard or Premium plans or “use a different device.” Netflix has announced that support for Apple TV will be forthcoming.
Also not compatible are versions of Chromecast sold before the latest version that includes Google TV came onto the market in September. “Basic with Ads is supported only on Chromecast with Google TV,” according to Netflix.
And if you want to access the ad-supported service on an Apple smartphone or iPad, be sure to update your devices to iOS 15 or later; or on Android devices, v7.0 and up.
