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After purchasing DIRECTV direct broadcast satellite service for $49 billion last year, AT&T has been quite busy with improving its acquisition and integrating it into its existing services. The latest step in that endeavor was recently announced rather discreetly, in the form of an update to the Android version of the DIRECTV app on the Google Play Store. Namely, AT&T customers can now stream video using the DIRECTV app without incurring any data charges. That’s right, AT&T customers now have access to unlimited data for the purposes of using the DIRECTV app.
Sounds too good to be true? Well, yes and no. For starters, thousands of AT&T customers have already tested this latest feature and there isn’t a single report of it not working as intended. However, looking at the changelog of the latest version of the DIRECTV app which just started rolling out on the Play Store, there are some restrictions to this feature. The problem is, the log fails to specify scenarios in which users can still incur data charges and only states that the free video streaming may be unavailable or not available at full speeds during network maintenance. In other words, if you’re an AT&T customer with a DIRECTV app installed on your device, feel free to start enjoying the opportunity to stream video content for free but don’t forget to check your data allowance from time to time until the wireless carrier clarifies the aforementioned unspecified scenarios in which data charges may still incur.
Fortunately, that clarification is likely just around the corner as the company’s chief executive officer Glenn Lurie is giving a speech later today at CTIA Super Mobility 2016 in Las Vegas. Earlier this year, AT&T has introduced three new streaming methods with DIRECTV branding which do not require any of the company’s other services. While this offer is likely to be positively received by most AT&T customers interested in Internet TV, do note that you still have to be a DIRECTV subscriber in order to take advantage of it. At the moment, the DIRECTV subscription costs between $60 and $125 per month plus taxes.