Up to now, Sky Go users have mostly been able to view the mobile content of the pay station via their browser. However, this version will be switched off in a few weeks. Sky already offers an app for Windows and Mac that customers will be able to use in the future. TECHBOOK has tested the app and revealed the consequences of the switch.
The forced switch to the Sky Go desktop app caused a lot of displeasure among many customers at first. After all, dialing in via the browser is child’s play and familiar. According to the station, it should be ready by the end of November. However, the new app has some advantages over the browser version in the test.
Installation is uncomplicated
In the test, download and installation of the app on a Mac and a Windows computer worked without problems and within a very short time. Simply go to the download page and select the appropriate file depending on your operating system. Then simply start the installer and the app is on your computer.
Set up “Sky Go” app
When you start the app, a window opens that is clearly arranged at first glance. The Mac and Windows versions are identical. But it’s worth setting it up before you start. To do this, click on the gearwheel symbol in the upper left corner to open the settings menu. First log in with your account data via the second menu item. Then it goes to the fine-tuning. Under the menu item “Setup” you define the audio track and subtitles of the contents. For example, if you always watch series in English with German subtitles, then this setting is worthwhile.
Differences between app and browser version
In terms of functions, the new app scores well compared to the browser version. The range of series, films and other pay-TV broadcasts is of course the same, but Sky gives the desktop version some functions that are already known from the Sky Go smartphone app. These have not all worked smoothly in the test yet. We haven’t yet been able to download content such as series. In theory, however, this should work, which would be a great added value – for example, if you are sitting in an airplane or train and don’t have an Internet connection. The problem has now been passed on to Sky. The possibility to continue series started in the app on the receiver worked without any problems.
Play Sky Go on TV
The pay sender offers Sky Go for mobile devices or the PC and that’s where they should stay. So there is neither an app for Smart TVs, nor is it possible to bring Sky Go to the TV via Apple TV. If you want that, you can connect your home Mac to the TV via an HDMI cable and thus mirror the picture. Unfortunately, this is not possible with Windows 10.