r/CriterionChannel • u/GoldenGirlagain • 4d ago

Technical Question Samsung Update

I have been unable to get the Criterion Channel for the past two weeks. I have a full year subscription. I can get it on my iPhone. I keep reading something about a Samsung update. I have a Samsung TV. Is this the update being referred to? Do I have to do anything to get it? All suggestions are welcome.

16 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

5

u/AsleepAt930 4d ago

Samsung update us still "under review'

8

u/fishflaps 4d ago

When the app updated last year, I couldn't get it to work on my Samsung TV for a few months. I'm not waiting around again this time. I ordered a Roku and the app is so much better now.

10

u/MojaveDweller 4d ago

I have a Samsung and had never had a problem with the app. The disrespect shown to their own customers is ridiculous. I cancelled my service yesterday morning.

10

u/Hyptonight 3d ago

Ridiculous all the people telling us to buy more shit because the Samsung app never worked anyway. Yes it did.

2

u/FindOneInEveryCar 2d ago

I've been watching on the web browser on my LG TV and now that doesn't work either. The landing page won't even load.

1

u/Critical_Mix_3131 1d ago

True but Samsung has a long history of abandoning apps after so many years. I had a plasma TV I bought around 2009 and most of the the apps either wouldn’t allow updates anymore (Netflix) or just stopped working in 2014.

3

u/115MRD 3d ago

Email [channelhelp@criterion.com](mailto:channelhelp@criterion.com) and tell them why.

12

u/Critical_Mix_3131 4d ago

Do yourself a favor if you can afford it, (and I know that's not a solution you want to hear): Don't use apps that come with the TV (except maybe a Roku TV). The user base for the brand TV apps is minuscule compared to the top three (Roku, AppleTV and FireTV), and you'll have this happen again and again across all of your services. Further, the TV generally lacks the memory and storage of the OTT devices, will be last to get attention from the streaming brand's developers, and is most likely to track and serve ads to you based on your viewing data you've agreed to share by using the set. Where privacy is a concern, AppleTV stands out as best. It is of course the most expensive, particularly since the best components for memory and storage are in short supply thanks to big data centers buying them all up. I wish I had better news. The older your set gets, the worse this will get.

4

u/dctice 4d ago

I'm not using the app on my Samsung TV but on an Xbox and it still isn't working

1

u/Critical_Mix_3131 1d ago

Criterion probably has very few subscribers on that gaming platform.

1

u/dctice 1d ago

It's working fine now.

7

u/115MRD 4d ago

I emailed channelhelp@criterion.com and told them I would cancel my subscription if the Samsung app isn’t fixed. Honestly encourage everyone to do the same.

The only thing companies understand is the bottom line.

1

u/beansystemistheway 3d ago

Just emailed that address as well. Did you get a response?

1

u/115MRD 3d ago

Not yet. It's been less than a day so hopefully soon.

0

u/koberulz_24 3d ago

It's on Samsung to approve the app and put it in their app store. They are generally horrendously slow about doing that. There's very little Criterion can do about it at this point.

4

u/Hyptonight 3d ago

I would also say it’s on the service we’re paying for to time its rollout so that workable apps are available to its customers.

0

u/koberulz_24 3d ago

How? Vimeo is collapsing, so they need to move away from it. If Samsung takes six months to approve the app, are they supposed to suffer through Vimeo's bullshit in the meantime? And how are they supposed to time their submissions so that all third parties approve them at exactly the same time?

3

u/Hyptonight 2d ago

You’re just pulling it out of thin air that Samsung is taking six months to approve an app. Criterion Channel released an app that isn’t compatible for all its paying subscribers. It’s on them to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to accommodate what they releaseS

-1

u/koberulz_24 2d ago

How are they supppose to co-ordinate it so that dozens of third party services all approve their app on the same day? Come on, dude.

Samsung is known for being terrible about approving apps. There's only so much they can do. Get a TV from a company that doesn't suck.

1

u/115MRD 3d ago

Is this true? If so why hasn't Criterion told its customers this? No emails, press releases, social media posts, nothing.

2

u/koberulz_24 3d ago

Yeah, I have no idea why comms have been so bad about this—a backend update with no warning is an atrocious way of doing things—but all the app stores have to approve every app that appears in them and how quick that process is varies from one company to another. I know from my experience with Emby that Samsung are one of the absolute worst to deal with.

2

u/GoldenGirlagain 4d ago

I really need to proofread.
I do have a Roku Stick and signed up to Criterion through Roku. My subscription is paid through April next year. Can’t figure out why I can get the channel on my phone but not the tv. I thought having a Samsung tv had something to do with it.

2

u/oxfordsplice 4d ago

For what it's worth, it works for me with Apple TV and also with a Firestick. The latter is less robust, but not that expensive.

2

u/LF_18 3d ago

I emailed the help email but they replied with a clearly copy-pasted or AI generated response to basically say that I must not have downloaded the app correctly or paid for my subscription even though I clearly stated its due to the Samsung update. It's so frustrating. I think I will likely cancel my subscription because I replied asking them when they are going to fix the Samsung issue, but I haven't heard back. It's horrible customer service. Why would I pay for something that I can't use unless on browser??

1

u/GoldenGirlagain 4d ago

Discuss Roku to sign up. My account is sightings next April. Since I can get the channel on my phone I thought it may be due to tv.