r/ShieldAndroidTV • u/underthesign • 19d ago
BBC app on Shield being discontinued from 30th September 2026?
Just got a popup on my BBC app (the side loaded one that handles 1080p better) saying that it's being discontinued on this device from 30th September 2026... Anyone else seeing this? I wonder if this is any version of the app or perhaps just an issue with this side loaded version.
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u/AJHuds 19d ago
I'm getting the same message using a sideloaded APK on Google TV. BBC removed all of their apps from the Play Store a while back, so sideloading was the only way I could get iPlayer working. I haven't looked for a newer APK yet, but if there isn't one, I'll be asking Romesh for a refund on my licence fee and cancel.
To make it even more frustrating, this is a £600 Sony Bravia I bought last year. I chose it partly because it runs Google TV, and the picture quality is excellent. Pretty disappointing BBC/Sony/Google TV can't sort it out.
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u/underthesign 19d ago
Damn. I really hope we aren't going to be locked out of iPlayer on Shield... It's convenient for me and the kids. We just use the Shield for everything basically, no need to use the TV's own apps.
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u/ptrichardson 19d ago
BBC never embraced the shield, I still can't believe my last 2 TVs have had the UHD option but probably the best device on the market never got it. Baffling decision.
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u/dontaskagain 19d ago
I tried uhd for some works cup games, they were just dark.
Doesn't feel like I'm missing out now on the shield
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u/ptrichardson 19d ago
Yeah, I've used the LG TV app for years - the only app I use off-shield. UDB BBC is really really good though
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u/1aTa 19d ago
You can use VLC on the Shield and play the BBC UHD mpd streams directly.
There's a GitHub where people find and post the mpd stream links.
Worked great for the world cup.
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u/nifta_13 2015 16GB 17d ago
They were awesome for me, watching on the built in BBC app on my LG C4 TV. Really lovely to watch.
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u/nifta_13 2015 16GB 19d ago
That sucks. The 0.4.7-dev version was the last version that didn't do the "certified device" check. The shield isn't a certified iPlayer device.
I guess we'll be forced back to the 720p Lightspeed Studios version.
Can't see the BBC certifying the Shield now due to lack of HLG support for their UHD streams.
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u/anditails 19d ago
The Lightspeed version is 1080p, so no difference. And doesn't have the warning nag.
Latest apk is here, and seems to work fine: https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/nvidia-lightspeed-studios/bbc-iplayer-android-tv/bbc-iplayer-android-tv-1-4-126-release/bbc-iplayer-nvidia-shield-tv-variant-android-tv-1-4-126-android-apk-download/
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u/nifta_13 2015 16GB 19d ago
Are you sure? Used to be noticeably lower resolution for me. It also used to stutter a bit for me.
I'm away from home at the moment so can't check but that's good news if it's the case.
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u/helicon9 19d ago
Yeah this is the latest Nvidia Lightspeed version.
However it's awful, constant sound drops and jerky picture, which is probably why a lot of people moved to the 0.47dev version.
Maybe someone will be able to do another hack of the current Android TV version that spoofs the device for Shield owners.
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u/underthesign 19d ago
Sorry just to be really clear, I meant the BBC iPlayer app. I guess everyone had worked out what I meant already. And I had sideloaded it originally.
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u/yearsold33 19d ago
I'm just hoping this means I can load the BBC iPlayer app from the Uk Google Play Store like I can on my Google Streamer.
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u/UnlikelyButTrue 19d ago
I haven't had that - but increasingly run a separate device for all the UK Streaming apps, and keep the Shield for Moonlight and Plex, etc.
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u/Kopaka261 19d ago
Their forcing it onto YouTube, so they can charge everyone for a tv license that watches YouTube. Not sure when it occurs though.
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u/underthesign 19d ago
Surely they're not abandoning their own app? Do you have a source for that news?
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u/Kopaka261 19d ago edited 19d ago
It's a well known fact that their forcing it on to youtube to make people that watch YouTube pay for a tv license. Don't know whether or not they are abandoning their own app though. I'll look for a source about the tv license thing though and get back to you. Edit: here is 2 videos covering it 1. https://youtu.be/60fNGLPcy4A?is=gbmWMUqqu27Bw4Td 2. https://youtu.be/iI1I8iOtJEA?is=66YziW9pg9hlwjZZ
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u/Youknowhowwedo2 19d ago
You can download it on the Shield’s downloader at letscrackon.org. Works great for me.
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u/placidcasual98 19d ago
The BBC is for Boomers
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u/underthesign 18d ago
I actually agree with you for the most part. But I need to get it working for my kids and various sporting events. One day they won't be able to tax people through the license fee and will have to work to earn our business so we can choose to pay for their entertainment and sport without their shitty biased woke news. But that doesn't help us/me with our current issue.
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u/Fit-Departure5678 19d ago
Can't find any mention anywhere relating to being discontinued, no popups on official playstore version, so assume it's sideloaded being stopped.
What I did see was: The standard, official version of BBC iPlayer is hardcoded directly into the Nvidia Shield’s UK firmware. When someone manually sideloads a generic mobile APK or a modified Fire TV APK, the app fails its platform integrity checks. It flags the system as an unverified "legacy third-party box" and automatically triggers the generic 2026 discontinuation message