BBC iPlayer users have been warned to watch any shows they download to their app before it closes on Monday.
The dedicated BBC iPlayer Downloads app will stop working on PC and Mac forever.
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Fans of the app are furiousCredit: Reuters
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Affected users were told to use the mobile app insteadCredit: Alamy
Bosses claim that not many people are using the app anymore so they have made the “difficult decision” to switch it off.
Telly fans can continue to stream programs from the website as normal, but they can no longer keep them offline.
Viewers have loved this app for times when they are without Wi-Fi, as well as when traveling because iPlayer cannot be accessed online while abroad.
So anyone who has precious programs they were hoping to watch later will have to watch them now before it’s too late.
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The move does not affect the iPlayer app on iOS and Android, which will continue to allow offline downloads.
“Too bad as great utility when traveling or in areas without internet,” one user wrote on social media.
Why is the BBC iPlayer Downloads app closing?
Analysis by Jamie Harris, senior technology and science reporter at The Sun
BBC iPlayer content is available on so many devices these days, including smart TV apps, via Sky and Virgin Media, on Amazon Fire Sticks, as well as phones and tablets.
The broadcaster is under pressure to cut waste and save money – despite a recent increase in TV licences.
According to the BBC, usage of the desktop download app is “low” so it’s hard to justify the cost of maintaining it.
It is not clear how much the BBC will save by scrapping the app.
But that’s scant consolation for fee-paying viewers who depend on him.
They were urged to switch to the iOS or Android app, which still allows downloads, although desktop users say they hate the idea of using a smaller screen.
Don’t forget, iOS and Android apps aren’t just for mobile devices – they work on tablets too, so if you have one, this could be a way to keep your downloads unrestricted on the small screen.
“Trying to get through the iPlayer downloads before the BBC kills the desktop app,” said another fan.
The app was pulled earlier this year so no one could download it again.
Now that’s the final nail in the coffin as shows that existing users have downloaded to the app will no longer play.
“We have taken the difficult decision to close the Desktop Downloads app for BBC iPlayer, due to the low number of people using it and the costs involved in maintaining it,” the broadcaster said.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn