Sky will relaunch Sky Go later this year, but without Sky Q features.
That's a significant change to the mobile platform, which currently lets you set and view Sky Q recordings remotely.
Earlier today, Sky announced that it was expanding its TV offering by adding the Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu streaming services to its Ultimate tier – all for just £24 per month. It also had great news for Sky Q customers too, with the streaming trio also being made available to them too.
However, there was an additional tease during the London press event that might not be so welcome to those still on the legacy box. You may well be losing something important in the coming months.
The Sky team teased that its Sky Go app is due for a relaunch, with some significant changes planned. But while we don't yet know what they might entail, it was revealed that Sky Q will no longer be a part of it. The new app will be for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers only.
For the last decade, Sky Go has not only been a platform to watch Sky programming on a mobile (or PlayStation console), it has given you access to your Sky Q recordings too – allowing you to download them to watch offline.
In addition, it has given you the ability to interact with your Sky Q box and, in particular, set up future recording. I've often found myself camping in a field and suddenly remembering there was something I wanted to watch. I would then use the Sky Go app to set my box at home to record it.
Of course, most broadcast programming is almost instantly available to view on demand these days, but not everything. And there's something about recording a show that helps remind you to watch it.
But it seems those days are numbered. With no Sky Q involvement, a new Sky Go app will no longer give you remote access to your box. And in many ways, it's another gentle nudge towards ditching the satellite and upgrading to Sky by internet.
Is it time to ditch the Sky Q box?
To be fair, Sky is making it easier and more attractive to do so – beyond slowly shuttering Sky Q features. The new Ultimate TV plan is amazing value for £24 per month, considering you get Sky Entertainment, including all the Freeview channels, and Netflix, with HBO Max, Disney+ and Hayu soon to be added too. And you even get a Sky Stream box as part of the package.
It's also understandable that Sky Q is reaching the end of its run – it was launched a decade ago, after all. Modern apps run slowly on its creaking hardware, and it's becoming harder to push new features to it due to a chipset that even seemed outmoded two or three years ago.
Technology moves on and 10 years is a very long time.
Personally, I still love my Sky Q box – not least for lower latency during 4K football broadcasts – but I also find Sky OS on Glass and Stream a better experience.
Maybe the change to Sky Go is the final signal that it's simply time to move on.
