Facebook Watch App for Apple TV said to be Discontinued and Will no Longer Work

Meta has discontinued support for its Facebook Watch app for tvOS. Users are discovering that they no longer have access to the platform on Apple TV.

Although the Facebook Watch app is still available on the App Store, it was discovered that the app no longer functions. Users first began to notice this over the weekend. It’s now being confirmed not only by iPhone in Canada but other outlets as well, including 9to5Mac.

Upon trying to access the app, users will receive a message stating that Facebook Watch “is no longer available.” Users are then advised to watch videos on Facebook’s website directly. It appears as though support for the app was discontinued via the latest software update, which strangely changed the Facebook Watch’s icon as well.

Moving forward, users will be unable to watch Facebook videos directly on Apple TV. Instead, the only method to access and view videos would be to AirPlay them from another device.

Facebook Watch was first introduced in 2017. Over the last five years, users could log into their Facebook account on Apple TV, and watch videos from friends, accounts they followed, and ones Facebook suggested viewing. Facebook Watch also supported livestreams, which made it an appealing platform for users.

While Apple TV support is no longer operational, it appears as though Meta isn’t completely sunsetting the Facebook Watch app. According to reports, the app is still operational on Smart TVs.

At the time of writing, Meta hasn’t clarified the reasoning behind the discontinuation of the app. However, given how little support Meta gave the app over the five years, it’s not too surprising that the platform has been abandoned. Plus, tvOS does not leave a lot of room for developers to innovate on their own apps. Perhaps, those limitations alienate third-party developers.