Can’t even use the app due to server error
When you download the app it asks you to sign in. However, it will not accept my login and will not let me retry. When I press ‘try again’ or ‘return to sign in’ the page does not move and displays a box saying server error. Therefore, I cannot try and sign in again. My account login information was definitely correct as I downloaded the Virgin TV Go app at the same time and had no trouble signing into that one. I tried looking for somewhere to report this issue, but there seems to be no help available for this specific app. I’ve tried closing the app and reopening it, that doesn’t work.
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Was dreadful, now its’s even worse
The app used to be dreadful: slow, clunky, constantly reconnecting. All the problems that are identified in many other reviews. However, you could at least stream recorded programmes to a device - very handy to watch a recorded programme on my iPad whilst someone else was watching live TV. But not now. Now if you want to stream to a device, the app insists that you have to do a “Streaming Setup” that will take a “few seconds”. Obviously this is a new definition of “few”. Several thousand seconds later and my device is still waiting on “Step 1: Checking software version”. Virgin have managed to make this app even worse than before.
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Constantly reconnecting
This app is useful at times, but could be a lot better. But it has one particularly frustrating issue - even when I’m on my home wifi, I get a “reconnecting” message at random times and whatever I was busy with is lost, for example if I set a particular date and channel to look at on the guide, I’m suddenly shunted back to the current date and lose the channel. It has caused me a lot of frustration, especially when it happens multiple times in quick succession. If Virgin Media is your chosen provider, unfortunately you don’t have any other options than this app.
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Total rubbish
I’m able to record but can’t watch what I’ve recorded. Error message says I can only stream recording when on my home network..but I’m sitting in my own lounge at the time!!
Why do Virgin keep releasing these apps without checking whether they actually work. I’ve just spent over a half hour on the phone to a Virgin tech lady who tried everything but with no success. She admitted she didn’t have a clue what was wrong, but judging by other reviews on here, lots of people are experiencing the same problem. After all her ‘help’ I now can’t access the app at all, so I’m worse off than I was before!
Come on Virgin, I pay a load of money for your top of the range bundle including mobile phone. It would be next if everything you offered me actually worked.
Why do Virgin keep releasing these apps without checking whether they actually work. I’ve just spent over a half hour on the phone to a Virgin tech lady who tried everything but with no success. She admitted she didn’t have a clue what was wrong, but judging by other reviews on here, lots of people are experiencing the same problem. After all her ‘help’ I now can’t access the app at all, so I’m worse off than I was before!
Come on Virgin, I pay a load of money for your top of the range bundle including mobile phone. It would be next if everything you offered me actually worked.
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Oh dear - and no thought of accessibility
Even by Virgin’s abysmally low standards this is appalling. A real faff to get started, and it gets worse. I was expected to recognise my 2 boxes by their catalogue numbers although these aren’t shown in my online profile. When I work it out, I find that although I can have 2 set up, there’s no easy way of toggling between them. Synchronisation is unbelievably slow. I thought at least I’ll have a spare remote - probably one easier to see than the rubbish standard remote (the allegedly easier to see one is just the same in a less useful colour - and I was charged for it). Nope - the “buttons” are in the faintest possible white text on a cloud grey background, invisible to anyone with less than perfect eyesight, reading glasses required for anyone who uses them at all. How dare they release this? May explain why my newer box has no auto power off function, as the app can’t read boxes in standby. Fire hazard?
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Is anoyone actually testing this app before releasing it???
Is anoyone actually testing this app before releasing it??? It used to be disastrously slow, then got a lot better with the refresh. Now? It just refreshes every 5 seconds (or so it seems) so trying to view a schedule or modify a series link is mindblowingly difficult, at best, impossible at worst. I’ve deleted the app and reinstalled it, but this hasn’t made the blondest bit of difference. It really feels as if no-one at Virgin Media actually tested this before releasing it. And sadly this has now been the case for a few versions. So the Virgin app used to be nigh on impossible to use, then it improved a great deal, only to become nigh on impossibly to use once again.
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It’s ok, but not great
The main reason I got this app was to enable me to control my V6 box from my phone. In this respect, the upgrade has been a retrograde step. In order to access the remote you have to sign in & go through several steps rather than just clicking on a remote control icon as before.
They’ve got rid of the control screen which actually looked like a Virgin remote which, imho, is a mistake. The new control screen is much less instinctive to use & has no facility to control the TV volume which is surely a basic omission.??
They’ve got rid of the control screen which actually looked like a Virgin remote which, imho, is a mistake. The new control screen is much less instinctive to use & has no facility to control the TV volume which is surely a basic omission.??
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A decent refresh - finally!
The previous iteration of this app was just complete junk, and was deservedly panned in all the reviews. Thankfully, Virgin Media have apparently hired some people who actually know how to develop an app, and this is the result.
The look and feel is much fresher, and it feels much more responsive compared to the previous version - this one is actually usable.
It isn’t perfect (for example when you call up the virtual remote, the final row of buttons is off the bottom of the phone screen so you can only just see them even when scrolled all the way down)....but it’s a vast improvement.
TV guide content loads quickly, as does the management of recorded shows. Setting up recording is easy and quick.
Finally - this is the quality of app I expect for the amount of money I spend with Virgin every month!
The look and feel is much fresher, and it feels much more responsive compared to the previous version - this one is actually usable.
It isn’t perfect (for example when you call up the virtual remote, the final row of buttons is off the bottom of the phone screen so you can only just see them even when scrolled all the way down)....but it’s a vast improvement.
TV guide content loads quickly, as does the management of recorded shows. Setting up recording is easy and quick.
Finally - this is the quality of app I expect for the amount of money I spend with Virgin every month!
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A good app ruined by update
I have used this app for years and it was great until the latest update. The previous version had an easily accessible, easy-to-use remote control laid out exactly like the real Virgin remote control. The new remote control is awful - when you can actually find it (buried under ‘More’). It’s no longer laid out as a remote control but just a screen with the main controls white on a pale grey background so extremely difficult to see clearly and the ‘stop’ button has disappeared completely. Why change a design which worked so well to one that’s just plain awful. Very disappointed.
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Latest release is flawed
Having used the app for some time I’d say it was a serviceable solution with opportunities to improve. The latest release is a big disappointment and a backward step for useability.
It’s no quicker than before but now the interface has been made really clunky. Used to be able to delete with a swipe but now it takes several clicks.
The remote used to look like the physical remote and reside on the main page but now takes several clicks to bring up a generic virtual remote.
Playing recorded content used to offer the options of which output device but now starts on mobile by default and then you have to divert to TV if that was your preference.
It’s no quicker than before but now the interface has been made really clunky. Used to be able to delete with a swipe but now it takes several clicks.
The remote used to look like the physical remote and reside on the main page but now takes several clicks to bring up a generic virtual remote.
Playing recorded content used to offer the options of which output device but now starts on mobile by default and then you have to divert to TV if that was your preference.
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Terrible update
Was a great app before, even recommended to friends and family. The latest update looks better but I definitely preferred seeing an actual remote control when using the tv live. It’s more difficult to work out how to watch recording, how to delete them and which episodes are currently playing.
To top it off, it says I’m not connected to my home network and no amount of rescanning it helps. (Even though it shows my most recent recordings) I’ve tried using the normal internet connection and the 5G one, apparently I’m still not connected? So cannot use the remote or play recordings from it. Partner has had the same issues on his phone, so pretty useless now 🤔
To top it off, it says I’m not connected to my home network and no amount of rescanning it helps. (Even though it shows my most recent recordings) I’ve tried using the normal internet connection and the 5G one, apparently I’m still not connected? So cannot use the remote or play recordings from it. Partner has had the same issues on his phone, so pretty useless now 🤔
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New look = poor user experience
The main attraction of this app is there in its title - to be able to control your Virgin TV system from your phone. When you can’t find your remote, or just can’t get to it, you can use this app to operate your V6 box.
The previous version had an icon visible practically at all times which immediately brought up a screen with the remote control options on (it even looked like the V6/TiVo remote, making the options instantly recognisable). Now you have to hunt for the icon, which brings up a screen with the button on, but it looks nothing like the physical remote, neither in layout nor in icons.
All of this was discovered after having to install and reinstall the app, and then force kill it repeatedly, to get past an informational message that would not close.
Poorly designed, poorly tested and, I would hazard, created with very little research into user needs and requirements.
The previous version had an icon visible practically at all times which immediately brought up a screen with the remote control options on (it even looked like the V6/TiVo remote, making the options instantly recognisable). Now you have to hunt for the icon, which brings up a screen with the button on, but it looks nothing like the physical remote, neither in layout nor in icons.
All of this was discovered after having to install and reinstall the app, and then force kill it repeatedly, to get past an informational message that would not close.
Poorly designed, poorly tested and, I would hazard, created with very little research into user needs and requirements.
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Worse since update!
I use this App on almost a daily basis and was looking forward to a much needed update. However, I find the functionality is worse now than before.
1. Like others have said, the font used is too small to read clearly.
2. The 30 second advance feature has been removed (it was very useful for advancing through the ad breaks, etc.). The slider it was replaced with is quite temperamental, too small and difficult to make fine adjustments.
3. Annoyingly, subtitles appear by default every time you play a programme and to turn them off means clicking on a very small feature.
4. The icons for delete etc are very small and far too close together.
1. Like others have said, the font used is too small to read clearly.
2. The 30 second advance feature has been removed (it was very useful for advancing through the ad breaks, etc.). The slider it was replaced with is quite temperamental, too small and difficult to make fine adjustments.
3. Annoyingly, subtitles appear by default every time you play a programme and to turn them off means clicking on a very small feature.
4. The icons for delete etc are very small and far too close together.
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UI change - 2nd March 2020
Have just updated the app and taken a look at the recent UI changes.
The app took me through the process of setting up streaming with my tablet which was good, however looking through the guide there appears to be no streaming content available anymore.
The old guide had markers on channels which supported streaming which at least gave you a visual indicator when looking for content. I don’t know if licensing issues have meant those channels are no longer available to stream or whether this is a bug in the new app.
Also and in my view more significantly, the Remote control UI has been whacked with the update hammer and not in a good way. The old app had the peanut styled UI which was easy to use (given that it was modelled directly on the standard remote control). The new app has a blocky UI that no longer matches the standard remote control and uses a small font for the labels with a font colour that only just distinguishes itself from the background. The contrast is appalling and I hate to think how this appears to people who are visually challenged or are colour blind.
I don’t understand why ‘new’ features like this have to be delivered. It doesn’t add anything that wasn’t already there and in this case makes it more difficult to use.
The app took me through the process of setting up streaming with my tablet which was good, however looking through the guide there appears to be no streaming content available anymore.
The old guide had markers on channels which supported streaming which at least gave you a visual indicator when looking for content. I don’t know if licensing issues have meant those channels are no longer available to stream or whether this is a bug in the new app.
Also and in my view more significantly, the Remote control UI has been whacked with the update hammer and not in a good way. The old app had the peanut styled UI which was easy to use (given that it was modelled directly on the standard remote control). The new app has a blocky UI that no longer matches the standard remote control and uses a small font for the labels with a font colour that only just distinguishes itself from the background. The contrast is appalling and I hate to think how this appears to people who are visually challenged or are colour blind.
I don’t understand why ‘new’ features like this have to be delivered. It doesn’t add anything that wasn’t already there and in this case makes it more difficult to use.
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Update is a much, much worse interface than the one it replaces.
Font too light with, as far as I can tell, no option to change display, virtual remote bears no resemblance to actual remote (previous version was a dupe of it) so much less intuitive to use, no ‘skip forward to channel number xxx’ on guide so you have to scroll or realise that you can press the keyboard icon and enter the channel number manually - a much more cumbersome UIX. Most irritatingly, clicking on the current show on the guide no longer switches you to that channel on the TV.
A change for the worse in terms of user experience, developers. 👎🏻
A change for the worse in terms of user experience, developers. 👎🏻
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It’s OK it does what you expect but you often have to wrestle with it
The most necessary function, the TV guide is hard work to scroll through. The placing of the “next” points require many attempts to do simple moves.
Most annoying is the frequent loss of login credentials. This hits you most often when you urgently want to set up a recording and finish up fumbling for your details.
I could go on but these features are unchanged in years so little point spelling them others. It just needs decent testing and responsive updating.
Most annoying is the frequent loss of login credentials. This hits you most often when you urgently want to set up a recording and finish up fumbling for your details.
I could go on but these features are unchanged in years so little point spelling them others. It just needs decent testing and responsive updating.
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Excellent... I wouldn’t be without it.
Since the recent updates I am able to check what is recording and set up recordings if I’m away from home and have forgotten to record something. I have added several favourite actors to my wish list and it now automatically records anything that they appear in. Once a series link is created it automatically records any new series without having to be asked to again. Previously you couldn’t watch anything away from home, but now you can download shows from your recordings and watch them wherever you are. If you are home you can watch anything you’ve recorded away from the main box on any of your devices. Works perfectly for me and is a real good addition to the already good service that Virgin offer. Well done they finally got there.
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Can’t set series link remotely all of a sudden....
I just tried (using this app as I’ve done many time before) to set up a series link whilst we’re away from home (trying both a wifi and phone data connection) and an error message tells me that this cant be done as our V6 box is either switched off or in Eco Mode. Now, call me a bit thick but isn’t this a very likely and usual scenario when you’d want to use this app ? We are very focussed on not leaving any equipment in even standby mode when we’re in the house, never mind away, so to have an app that tells you is designed to allow us to set up recordings whilst you’re out but only lets you do it if the V6 box is switched on seems to miss the point somewhat ? Is it that just me ? To add insult to injury, it doesn’t appear possible to switch on the box remotely (to set the recording) and then off again (once you’ve finished doing your recording set up). So, all in all, seems like a complete waste of time to have an app like this until the issue is sorted.....very frustrating :-((
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Really useful ...too good to miss!
I use this all the time, especially when travelling away from home. Once set up (take your time and do it properly) it is really easy to remotely record, delete and set up “series links” but be patient with whatever internet connection you might have. Also useful for setting up stuff whilst my wife is watching one of her recordings without disturbing the program.
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Waste of time
It does allow you to see what’s currently being shown on tv. Like a TV guide. And it does allow you to see what you have recorded(one star well done for hitting some of your design brief). But it doesn’t let you watch anything you have recorded unless you’re at home on your home network. Which kind of defeats the point. If you have the audacity to leave your home and attempt to watch a recorded programme you will be met by the error message telling you that you should’ve set up streaming whilst you were on your home network. Coincidentally it doesn’t matter how many times you set up streaming on your home network, using the account that your logged in to, at the point you wish to watch something it will forget the fact that you’ve now done this merry dance over a dozen times and decline you any entertainment. It is essentially the same as taking a thermos full of boiling water from your kettle at home. But when you try to make a cup of tea you find the water is cold and you can only heat it up again using your own kettle at home. Mind numbingly infuriating.
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