Android users with Jelly Bean version 4.2 (so basically Google Nexus users) will be getting a long awaited update to the BBC iPlayer app which will mean that the streaming service will finally work on the most up to date devices around.
This means catch up TV watchers won’t have to miss any of the Christmas TV that is coming in the next few weeks, providing that they download the update from the Play Store, of course.
Google updated the Android OS to 4.2 last month and since then the BBC iPlayer app has become incompatible with devices using the new operating system.
The update was announced by Dave Price, head of BBC iPlayer on the BBC Internet Blog, who has said that the BBC has three aims when it comes to iPlayer:
- Improving the playback experience
- Parity between Android and iOS
- Support for various screen sizes
To meet their aims, the iPlayer app will be getting a series of minor updates over the next few months and the Beeb has stated that they will be working on devices and different platforms and that the engineering team will be targeting the most popular Android devices to offer the best experience.
“The Android platform is extremely important to the BBC and our audience and engineering for it requires an on-going commitment”, says Price.
The playback issues on the iPad will be addressed by offering lower quality streaming so that it won’t clog up too much power and bandwidth in order to play back content smoothly. Plus, for tablet users there will be an update that will offer a better experience on their larger devices.
Currently the 4.2 Jelly Bean software is only on Google Nexus devices such as the LG Nexus 4, Google Nexus 7 and the Google Nexus 10.