I’ve been a lifetime user for years. This is very disappointing. I struggle to understand the logic behind saying you rebuilt your app making it easier to include useful new “features” in the future. While also saying you’re removing a useful requested feature. Makes no sense.
Get it together Plex.
Plex CEO watched what Sonos did with their “new experience” app, how it impacted their customers, and learned the wrong lesson.
Sonos’ CEO left with a $1.9 million severance. Is that the end game here?
Beyond the anti-customer decision, the way this was communicated also was terrible. There is no explanation of how the “new experience” will improve how we watch things together with our long-distance spouses or family members.
All I know from the communication at this point is that I won’t be able to watch TV with my loved ones anymore unless we both plug a laptop into our TVs, and that’s not going to work for my family. Regretting my Lifetime Plex Pass at this time.
I just got a life time pass, now im regretting it. This was great for my long ditance relationship and one of the reasons i stay with Plex. Welp off to find some alternatives. I hope the reverse this decision.
Plex continues to make ■■■■ decisions as a company. If Jellyfin’s UI wasn’t garbage, would any of us even be here still? UI’s literally the only reason to stay on Plex.
If Plex actually cared about the user experience and the longtime fans who use and love this feature, they would keep OG Plex in the App Store, and let us use the new Plex app alongside the older one, with all the same features intact, at least until the new Plex app has all the same features.
Call it Plex Classic, whatever. Lots of companies do this to bridge the gap between big version upgrades. Just don’t remove this feature from our lives, please!
Absolutely ridiculous decision impacting the most loyal users. Will likely hasten my switch to JF
This is a MAJOR mistake. I’m already seeing monthly subscribers talking about Watch Together being a key factor in their purchase and moving on now that they’re bailing on it.
I did find this image on their FAQ. It’s worded in a way that doesn’t outright promise they will implement them later… There are a lot of other features missing. Hopefully, they put Watch Together at the top of the list. I can’t believe they are scrapping the old app without leaving the classic version until all features are available in the new version. Pathetic.
Just adding my voice in that I regularly use the feature to watch stuff with friends who are far away. Using the web app just isn’t a replacement, and who knows how long until they revamp that one too.
Wouldn’t be the first time Plex has disappointed me with removing a feature I used, Plex Mix, though at least this time they sent out a warning to stop updating their apps.
A lackluster reply… I’ve asked them to clarify if the current app will still be available when the new app comes out (will update if/when they respond):
I really don’t understand what’s going on in ya’lls heads up there at Plex. Ya’ll already knew there a lot of people using this feature and this forum post confirms it. To say that it’s impractical to keep the watch together feature is either a bold face lie or it means everyone you have working on Plex is incompetent. In the middle of designing a new app, ya’ll just so happened to forget to design in an existing and very popular feature until the point where it was impractical???
A really poor decision to make especially when some of us PAY for Plex. This will ultimately drive me over to alternatives and I hope everyone else follows suit.
This is a major mistake. It will definitely drive me to switch to alternatives. This feels like the last straw in a line of poor decisions and missing features.
Honestly, watch together is the only reason why I even started watching Plex. If this is taken away,I don’t see the need for this service anymore and will be looking for alternatives.
I hope this decision is reevaluated as this feature is crucial for many.
Removing reasonably well used features without a real explanation is cowardly. Is there pressure from partners or IP holders? You already have the code on the server side and should understand better in a second implementation how to incorporate it into the player. Its easier to focus on that at the beginning rather than bolt it on later.
As a long time user and life time subscriber… I’m going to move to Jellyfin is this happens.
Jellyfin has been asking for devs for quite awhile now. I hope this sparks some people to start contributing to them, it definitely has for me.
So stupid, next, kill music, pictures then finally the nail in the coffin, no longer even a server. For shame Plex.
sigh. Guess its time to give Jellyfin another try after 6+ years on plex.
Absolutely cannot believe this.
Its our servers, our bandwidth, our content.
You literally only have to maintain a feature you ALREADY developed.
We PAID you for the software and features. Even just maintaining this feature is not an unreasonable ask. This is absurd.
You’re cutting Photos, forcing music into an App, and cutting other features while you push streaming services on us over our own local content in the new app, and leaking our data.
I regret ever having given you money.
I’m really struggling to justify the use of a service that continues to make choices opposing the interests of its users.
The worst part is that Plex was the king of self hosted media and it’s evident that it soon will be no better than a subscription service.
I am frustrated and heart broken that this organization is putting corporate greed ahead of the interests of those who gave you the money to be in this position.
I am extremely disappointed to learn that the Watch Together feature is being removed from Plex. This feature was the sole reason I used Plex in the first place, as it allowed me to share and enjoy content with my friends and family seamlessly, no matter where we were. The ability to watch movies and shows together, virtually, is something that made Plex stand out from other streaming services. Without this, I no longer see a reason to continue using Plex, and I am certain my friends and family feel the same way. If this feature is permanently removed, we will all be cancelling our subscriptions and seeking alternatives that offer the same level of connection and enjoyment.
