Netflix is one of the best streaming services out there, in no small part because you can use it on almost any streaming device. But for some people, that perk just disappeared.
First reported by What’s on Netflix, people have been getting warning messages stating that, “Netflix will no longer be available on this device after October 16.” These warnings were first reported by users about a month ago on forums such as Reddit, so the good news is that — provided you turned your device on and booted up Netflix recently — you hopefully had some warning that this was coming.
For the rest of us though, this was a bit of a shock. Especially me, who only uses their old Sony Playstation Vita sparingly but just found out that Netflix doesn’t work on it. While I won’t love my Vita any less, learning this was still a bit of a bummer.
Netflix has yet to state why the affected devices are being discontinued, but we will update this article if they provide official clarification.
Affected devices: Here's what's losing Netflix
We don’t know which devices specifically no longer work, but we do have some information that can help.
Based on the reports we’ve seen so far, older devices are the only ones affected, and most are around 10 years old or older. So you don’t need to worry about your new LG C2 OLED TV losing support, and any smart TV or streaming device you’ll buy this Black Friday shouldn’t be losing support for the Netflix app either.
The older devices we’ve seen reported to lose Netflix app support so far include:
- Sony TVs
- Samsung Blu-ray players
- Panasonic TVs
- Samsung TVs
- PlayStation Vita
- PlayStation TV
- Toshiba Bluray players
- Hitachi TVs
When in doubt, Netflix does have a page that lists devices with Netflix support, where you can check to see if your device is compatible with the streaming service’s various apps.
There is one wrinkle — at the time of this writing, the Vita is listed as a compatible device. However, we have seen reports on Reddit that the Vita is losing Netflix, seemingly confirming What's on Netflix's reporting. Unfortunately, my Vita has decided to stop cooperating with me for now, so I've been unable to confirm if Netflix works on my Vita or not.
Easy Netflix fix: Get a cheap streaming device
The good news is that you don’t need to throw away your TV or Bluray player just yet if you still want to watch Netflix. Most of our best streaming devices cost less than $50 and will let you stream Netflix, including our top choice — the Roku Streaming Stick 4K.
If you don’t have a 4K TV, you can get Netflix onto your TV for even less. The Chromecast with Google TV HD is a great way to turn your TV into a smart TV and costs just under $30.
In short, thanks to streaming dongles and devices, you can easily get access to Netflix back with a relatively cheap fix. While not quite as convenient as your old smart device was, it’s definitely cheaper than replacing your beloved TV or Blu-ray player.
More from Tom's Guide
