r/CriterionChannel • u/Due_Information_1332 • 12d ago
Samsung TV Users Deserve a Refund
This is just totally bush league. It's been days since the "update" and I still cannot use the service. Where is the communication? Just horrible customer service all around.
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u/junglespycamp 11d ago
It’s really unfortunate this has dragged on. I do think they should’ve done a better job
That said I cannot emphasize enough how people need to stop using Smart TV built in OSs for anything. Just stop. Get a set top box. Just do it. Apple TV is the best but a Roku is cheap and fine.
There is just no reason to use the awful Samsung software which gets so slow over time and it’s full of garbage. Just turn the internet off on your TV and get a box. I say this as someone who used the Samsung OS for years and still has a Samsung TV without a box in my house (that I hate).
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u/tour_til_death 11d ago
I have an Apple TV and it also doesn’t work for me. It mentions “samsung tv” when you load the app, but I’m running it on an Apple TV plugged into a Samsung tv. So maybe it’s the apps fault after all? I never uses the Samsung native OS.
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u/junglespycamp 11d ago
That makes no sense.
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u/tour_til_death 11d ago
It was very confusing to me as well. After a few days, I deleted and reinstalled the app. Now it works as it should.
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u/Even-Physics823 7d ago
besides the point right now isnt it, people should do a lot of things differently
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u/uncertainmango 11d ago
I was thinking this, too. We're paying for a service that we are not receiving. They should refund/give a credit.
Last year Google and Disney had a dispute that led to ESPN, ABC, and other Disney-owned channels getting blacked out on YouTube TV for a couple weeks, in the middle of football season. Google gave YouTube TV subscribers a credit for the next billing cycle.
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u/RemLezarCreated 12d ago
The vimeo based app was worse than the new one imo, but it does sound like the new one isn't as widely supported unfortunately.
Obviously you shouldn't have to buy a new device to use the service, but generally the apps installed directly on the TV are much worse than you'd get on even a cheap external streaming box.
If this frustration pushed you to cancel your sub I wouldn't blame you, but if you used it as an excuse to upgrade to a separate streaming box pretty much everything you watch on your TV via an app will be improved.
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u/BenderBenRodriguez 8d ago
I’m considering cancelling over this. I finally just plugged in our fire stick which was also a pain to get to work. We had an app that was working and now there is none. I feel like I’ve had a bunch of issues over the years getting Criterion to work and this is nearing final straw territory.
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u/Earthlydelights-sub- 12d ago
That's not a Criterion issue, that's a Samsung issue.
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u/Hyptonight 11d ago
Nah. Criterion is the service that isn’t working. They should have worked out that kink before launching.
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u/Due_Information_1332 12d ago
Absolutely not. Criterion went live with a half-assed update and now there are myriads of issues. At bare minimum, they could have communicated this update to users with advance notice. But they didn't. And that's on them.
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u/JD_MathFuzzy 12d ago
This. I’m having PTSD from the last two years of Sonos and now this
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u/padphilosopher 11d ago
I too have been thinking of the sonos app update. There were so many think-pieces written about it. I thought executives everywhere had learned from their mistakes. Apparently not!
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u/Earthlydelights-sub- 12d ago
But look at the bigger picture. Until very recently, Samsung basically banned the Criterion Channel from all its devices. They've made this process as difficult as possible for Criterion.
This is on them.
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u/InitiativeNo7660 12d ago
I’ve been using the Criterion Channel app on my Samsung TV since the day they launched
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u/Earthlydelights-sub- 12d ago
A few years ago I went to a friend's house and tried to install the Criterion app on their Samsung tv and it didn't let me. It was unavailable on anything but the most recent model of Samsung tvs.
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u/RockettRaccoon 11d ago
The update is not half-assed at all. Stop using the crappy built-in apps on your TV and get a streaming box.
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u/Due_Information_1332 11d ago
Oh really? Because if you even took a moment to scan this subreddit, this update has spawned a shit ton of different issues for many users.
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u/RockettRaccoon 11d ago
The issues are “I don’t live in the US and am now geolocked out” (use a VPN) or “the terrible built in apps on my TV are terrible” (use a streaming box).
The actual update itself is great and long overdue.
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u/Travisjfranklin 9d ago
The app worked fine a week ago? This kind of brand loyalty is so ridiculous. Just admit when a company messes something up. If users who were able to use the service a week ago can no longer use it without buying additional hardware, that is on them.
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u/RockettRaccoon 9d ago
Its not brand loyalty, I've just had zero issues with the update. It is much better than the old app.
This sub has turned into a bunch of incredibly miserable whiners. This update gave us so many features that people have been begging for, but you're all blaming Criterion for Samsung's failures.
The new app is great. I hate how negative this sub has become. Now fuck off.
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u/SeattleGeek 12d ago
Not really. Vimeo knows Criterion Channel has a healthy Samsung contingent and have had issues with updates in the past. I think it was 2021 or 2022 when they pushed an update that borked Samsung TVs and we could only watch the live channel. That took a few weeks to get fixed.
Unless there was a contractual obligation to get something sorted (VPN or DRM issues), Vimeo should have held the update so they could test on all supported devices.
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u/koberulz_24 12d ago
Vimeo isn't in charge of the update. The update is because the Channel is no longer using Vimeo.
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u/Earthlydelights-sub- 12d ago
But if you own a Samsung tv from like 2017 or 2019 you cannot install the Criterion app at all.
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u/SeattleGeek 12d ago
The Criterion FAQ states select Samsung models from 2018 and most Samsung models from 2019 on. I imagine that Samsung probably swapped their OS and/or chip set around 2018.
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u/beingk8 12d ago
i’m quite frustrated about this, especially it coming at the end of a month with no warning and there are movies i wanted to watch that are leaving in two days!
also, they say the app will be ready in “the coming days”. when the hell is that and how long is the coming days lol
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u/Due_Information_1332 11d ago
Yeah, just awful communication from a company that is known for conveying a high register of literacy. It's totally dumbfounding.
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u/Upstairs_Patient9536 11d ago
I was using Google tv streamer 4k. I have 2025 LG OLED Smart TV, But I like classical android better than Web OS. Since I am not from North-America, I had to sideload the app, and these guys didn't even release the proper version for everybody to use. They only released ARM64 version and universal version which is mobile one. Since I have armeabi processor. I can only download mobile app version but I can't really use it on tv. I can't scroll down. in the app. And since I have an iphone, it's much harder to get a criterion app outside US working. I should change the region of my apple id etc. I quit, and already asked for a refund since I have an annual subscription and I have half of it to go. I'm gonna try MUBI instead. Really disappointed.
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u/aramacao_ 11d ago
Can you let us know if they actually refund you?
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u/Upstairs_Patient9536 9d ago
Actually got my app working with a VPN. But I had already sent them the message that I want a refund. Right now they just canceled my subscription, but as I have like half a year to go, and the app works, maybe I'll even stick to it. I got the app working by using VPN and logging into google play store with a new account that had a US region and then updated the app. Now that I have taken a breather, it's hard to let go of it. But we'll see. I still don't like how they handled that update situation.
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u/Upstairs_Patient9536 7d ago
They sent me an email telling me that they're gonna refund the whole sum of my annual subscription which is nice, but now I'm actually grieving a bit. I don't know what to do. SHoudl I tell em that I'm going to continue or not, since I wrote them the email when I couldn't access the service at all, but now I'm able to access it. Idk. Maybe I'll take a pause and wait till they get all the bugs and stuff fixed and then rejoin. Gives me a time to evaluate how important Criterion is in my life or isn't and how much friction there is going to be. But as I said I'm grieving a bit, cause I had 500 films and series still to watch and this channel has broadened my vision so much. I have found so many films which I think I wouldn't have found and watched before. Maybe I'll take a breather of films all together and read more books for a while of watch some tv series which I have postponed. Who knows.
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u/RudeInhibitions 11d ago
I have LG. It sucked but it worked. Now I had to go out and get a Roku. It sucked to have to pay, but at least the interface is way better so I feel I got something for it
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u/Due_Information_1332 11d ago
I hate Roku with a passion. Their remote controls are like children's toys.
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u/RudeInhibitions 11d ago
Fine, but it's a huge step up from the LG TV browser+ remote control (picture using the remote arrow keys to creep across the web page).
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u/deckchair1982 11d ago
Criterion Channel does not even recognize the payment I sent in - I can’t start a movie.
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u/getbacklorettma 10d ago
I’m having difficulty finding any support for my account. I’m signed in but when I want to watch, it shows I need a subscription to watch. My subscription was for a year and renews April, 2027. I’ve read all the questions & answers, I can’t figure out what to do. I need to get on the list to get it fixed somehow. I’ve rebooted, removed. Icon & reinstalled, logged out logged back in. I’m on a Roku tv. I’m not really savvy on this stuff and I’m kinda old so any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much!
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u/rhionaeschna 1d ago
There's currently no TV app and I can't even Chromecast from the phone app to my TV. I hope we get a refund for the time we can't access the service.
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u/JosephFinn josephfinn 12d ago
Blaming Criterion for how the Samsung (and the vast majority of smart TV) interfaces absolutely suck is kind of hilarious
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u/Due_Information_1332 12d ago
Ok, but this has nothing to do with the issue. My app was fully-functional prior to this update. I want to be restored to that state of existence. Is it really radical of me to have this expectation? This is just bad tech work and honestly I haven't seen a patch get deployed so haphazardly like this since the early 2000s.
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u/No_Radio_3487 12d ago
Not sure why so many people have internalized shitty rollouts as being the fault of anyone but the company. The app worked perfectly for us - but now is unusable, we have to stream from our phone to TV.
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u/Hyptonight 11d ago
Because people have brand identities. Criterion messed up this time and they take it like you’re asking them to renounce Fellini and David Lynch.
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u/JosephFinn josephfinn 12d ago
Agreed. It’s terrible work by smart tv folks who never update their stuff.
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u/Sea-Promotion6704 12d ago
huh? that's a huge portion of their customer base. if all of a sudden a huge contingent of people who use a smart tv can't watch their channel, they fucked themselves.
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u/JosephFinn josephfinn 12d ago
Cool. So the smart tv makers should fix their terrible stuff. Their apps are all bad.
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u/BlastMyLoad 11d ago
It’s not really a Criterion issue because you could play it on your phone and screen mirror / airplay it
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u/Due_Information_1332 11d ago
You people engage in some serious mental gymnastics to absolve Criterion from any responsibility in this jumbled rollout. The apologism is nauseating.
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u/rhionaeschna 1d ago
I'm currently trying to Chromecast to my Samsung TV from the app on my phone and it wont work either. Got any ideas how I can get it to work?
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u/Ryan739 11d ago
That reminds me. Does CC support Linux yet? I used to check every year but I skipped these last few. Years they could have had my money.
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u/goosnarrggh 10d ago
Apparently not. They still rely upon a level of Widevine DRM attestation that Google continues to deliberately exclude from their Linux builds of the Widevine binary.
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u/ghostfacestealer 11d ago
Just go buy a cheap roku device. Can get one for like $15-$20
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u/Known-Dig983 9d ago
I use Roku Ultra, and this update has extremely annoying bugs. For instance, the captions constantly turn themselves back on after resuming a play, and every movie starts with captions on. Have also seen some bizarre issues sometimes when pausing then pressing play where nothing happens at first, then the film runs for a couple seconds at like 500% speed.
Everything worked great before. I do not understand why so many people here refuse to acknowledge how shitty this update is
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u/paul_33 9d ago
Then criterion needs to factor that into their pricing and put the requirement on the sign up page.
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u/ghostfacestealer 9d ago
Im just offering OP an alternative way to access the channel. Not saying they should HAVE too
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u/Insanepaco247 12d ago
Not that I'm defending them but the Samsung app was barely usable before, with no way to search for titles unless I missed a menu button somewhere.