Android App Requires Server Update — Cannot Upgrade Plex Plugin (TrueNAS Core)

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
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Server Platform:
TrueNAS Core 12.0-U8.1 (running Plex inside a jail)

Server Version#:
Plex Media Server 1.26.2.5797

Player Version#:
Plex Android App (latest update April 2025 — requiring server version 1.41.2 or newer)

Hello everyone,

I’m reaching out for help regarding a recent issue I encountered after Plex updated its mobile app requirements.

Background:

  • I have a TrueNAS Core 12.0-U8.1 server with the Plex plugin installed.
  • The Plex server was installed originally via the Plugins section inside TrueNAS Core (using a jail).
  • The plugin version of Plex I’m currently running is 1.26.2.5797.
  • Everything had been running well for years until the latest Plex app update.

Problem:

  • My Android Plex app now refuses to connect to my server.
  • The error says:
    “To use our app, your server must be updated to version 1.41.2 or newer.”
  • I can still access my server from web browsers and some TV clients, but mobile (Android and iOS) apps now reject the connection.

What I’ve tried so far:

  • Tried updating the Plex plugin from the TrueNAS Web UI — but the Plugin Repository has not yet updated Plex to version 1.41+.
  • Tried manually updating Plex inside the jail:
    • Used fetch from within the jail shell to download newer .txz packages — but all downloads result in 403 Forbidden errors.
    • Attempted downloading manually via browser — also receive Access Denied from Plex’s servers.
  • Tried installing older versions (e.g., Plex 1.25.9) temporarily — but even those are blocked by Plex’s newer authentication requirements.
  • Investigated the Plex Plugin system in TrueNAS — confirmed that the plugin metadata hasn’t been updated yet (still serving 1.26.2).

Where I’m stuck:

  • It appears that Plex has locked down direct downloads of .txz installer files unless accessed through authenticated or Plex Pass means.
  • TrueNAS has not yet updated the official Plugin Repository to include Plex 1.41.2 or newer.
  • Without a newer plugin update or a .txz file I can access manually, I’m unable to upgrade Plex inside my jail.

What I am trying to accomplish:

  • I want to update my Plex Media Server to at least 1.41.2 inside my TrueNAS Core environment.
  • Ideally, I’d like to either:
    • Find a trusted source or method to manually update Plex inside my jail.
    • Or get advice on how others have resolved this issue with Plex plugin updates.

Questions:

  • Is there an alternative trusted method for manually updating Plex in a FreeBSD-based jail right now?
  • Is anyone aware of when the TrueNAS Plugin repository might be updated for Plex 1.41+?
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I hate to break this to you, but iX systems isn’t developing for TrueNAS CORE (FreeBSD based) much anymore. They are fixing any new bugs that are found but no new development including the plugins. It seems iX is trying to force people over to TrueNAS SCALE (Debian Linux based).

I haven’t made the jump to scale yet but have done some digging into upgrading from CORE to SCALE. From what I have been able to glean thus far, the NAS functionality of TrueNAS will remain unchanged, but the jails and plugins will not transfer and upgrade with the TrueNAS upgrade. You can run a plex server from inside TrueNAS SCALE but it is different from CORE and I haven’t dug into figuring it out yet.

What I have done was to buy one of the cheap Chinees mini PCs with an Intel CPU with integrated UHD graphics, install Ubuntu with a minimal install and then install Plex inside Ubuntu. To get my libraries over to Ubuntu I just made an SMB share in TrueNAS and mounted that share on boot in Ubuntu and rebuilt my libraries on the new Ubuntu Plex Server.

It takes a little work, but there are a multitude of How-To guides to help get you through it but, the new mini PCs I am using do HW transcoding, something TrueNAS CORE has and will never do. With this setup running I can potentially upgrade both of my TrueNAS boxes and not have a broken Plex server until I can figure out how to rebuild it on TreuNAS SCALE.

3

Ugh, I was afraid of that.
Thank you so much for taking the time to explain everything so clearly — I really appreciate your response.
It helps a lot to understand the bigger picture. I’ll start digging into my options based on what you shared. Thanks again for your help!

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