Hello, good morning.
On July 3, 2024, at 3:37 PM (GMT -3), I purchased the Plex lifetime subscription through the App Store. This purchase allowed me to use Plex on any network and enabled downloads from my library on my iPhone.
A few days ago — I cannot say exactly when — I lost access to these features on my iPhone. I can no longer watch my Plex content using mobile data or another Wi-Fi network, nor can I download content from my library.
I have the purchase receipt from the App Store and I will send it as soon as I am allowed to do so.
I need you to restore the privileges and features I originally had according to the service I purchased.
Thank you.
Looks like you purchased the previous app one time unlock/activation fee, this isn’t a Plex Pass and just unlocked specific features in that app.
The new app doesn’t have any cost to purchase or activate, but there was a separate change that happened last year which restricts remote viewing in all apps to Plex Pass or Remote Watch Pass plans: https://www.plex.tv/blog/important-2025-plex-updates/
Your response does not change the fact that I paid for features that were working for almost a year and were later removed from my account experience.
At the time of purchase, Plex allowed me to remotely access my library from any network and download content on my iPhone. Those features were part of the practical functionality I paid for and used regularly.
Changing your business model afterward and placing previously accessible features behind a subscription paywall is unacceptable from a customer standpoint. If Plex decided to revoke or restrict functionality that customers had already paid to use, then affected users should receive proper compensation, refund options, or grandfathered access.
I did not agree to pay for temporary access that could later be restricted unless I started paying again through a subscription.
Please clarify what compensation or solution Plex is offering to users affected by this change.
I understand, and empathize with you. Plex changed that ANY access to a Plex server remotely requires paying Plex some form of money in some way, despite that not being required in the past. It was always possible to set up a Plex server, create an account, and immediately be able to view the server no matter where in the world it resided, for free. But last year they changed to a pay to remote, despite it not costing them any more money to handle than someone watching media locally.
Your payment to “unlock” the mobile app however was a different purchase. They had previously arbitrarily decided to “lock” the mobile apps from working at all, even locally, unless you paid a (small) fee once to unlock it for the account. You were always free to watch media on the mobile device’s web browser at the same site, or use any of the other clients to view your content no matter where in the world you are. This “unlock” fee is no longer required for the mobile apps, and has gone away.
The new “remote access” fee is - therefore- unrelated to your prior mobile app unlock purchase.
Unfortunately, they have not offered much of a defense of this change, and I have not heard of any form of compensation for those that paid the unlock fee. To add to the pain, the lifetime plex pass was changed from a painful-but-tolerable $100 USD to $250 USD at the same time. If you do not pay for a Plex Pass (lifetime, or monthly), then the only other way to view content on your server remotely is to pay a separate monthly fee to Plex for “remote watch pass”.
