Does the 2nd gen 4K model still support all apps?

[Kargo]

Hi there,

I think I may picked up a bit of a bargain today, a new 2nd gen 4K Apple TV for $60. Won't be able to set it up for a few days but now contemplating whether it was a good idea - merely on the basis that I'm wondering whether it will support most tvOS apps and features, being two generations old?

I have a 3rd gen Amazon Fire TV cube which I bought at full price over a year ago. It's a great device but the Amazon software has just become incredibly frustrating to use in recent months with the amount of ads and restrictions that they are starting to put in place. Everyone has recommended the Apple TV so hoping this will turn out to be a good buy.

 

[Juicy Box]

Do you plan on playing any games with it?

If not, I am pretty sure all non-game apps work on all the Apple TVs, starting with 2015 Apple TV 4 (HD).

Only recently have I started seeing games with Requirements of the newest Apple TV.

Doesn’t really make sense though, since the current model is only passively cooled, some games, actually play better on the older 2021 ATV4K2 that you have, due to the active cooling.

All that said, if you have no interest in gaming, as far as I could tell, all the apps are universal to the 2015 ATV4 (HD) and up models.

For OS updates, the above all support the same tvOS, and they all mostly have the same features. Actually, some of the older Apple TVs have features that the newer ones do not have.

 

[nburwell]

@Juicy Box is on point here. As long as the OP isn’t playing games and is just concerned about streaming apps, they shouldn’t have issues about apps not working on the ATV. We have a ATV 4K (1st gen) in our bedroom and the device still works flawlessly and all streaming apps work without issues. So really you should not be concerned.

 

[Kargo]

Thank you both!

I should have mentioned that I will not be using the device to play any games. I just really want a better user experience than the very clunky Fire TV. This has put my mind at ease.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

I'm using an ATV4 (64GB) which I purchased when it was released in 2015 and it's still getting updates tvOS 17 and all of the apps I need and use are still supported, so you should have NO problem as well. That's nearly 10 years of support and the performance degradation has been minimal.

 

[Beerstalker]

Other than games I think the only thing you might possibly miss out on is Facetime using the Apple TV. I believe it is only on the newest gen of the 4K, but I could be mistaken.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

2nd gen 4K should be fine for about 3 or 4 more years. 5-7 tends to be the magic number when Apple decides it's time for ALL of a generation to buy a new one. I believe the model 2 generations older than that one is still up to date with tvOS... but likely on its last legs for updates.

 

[arw]

FaceTime is supported on Apple TV 4K 2nd and 3rd gen running tvOS 17.
(additionally requires an iDevice on iOS 17 or iPadOS 17)