Sky Go, the app that lets Sky subscribers watch TV on their smart phone, laptop or tablet, is now available on the HTC One X+, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 and Motorola Razr i -- but still not on any Android tablet larger than 7 inches, such as the Google Nexus 10.
Sky Go updated to version 3.0 last night, with Sky Go Extra bringing offline play for your TV shows and movies for an extra £5 per month, or €6. That payment also lets you use your Sky subscription on four devices instead of two.
Sky's offering a two-month free trial of Sky Go Extra, providing you sign up by the end of March. You can cancel the service whenever you want, but you have to give a month's notice.
Sky Go works on all Apple devices, but Android fans haven't had such good service, with only selected phones -- and very few tablets -- supported. Those devices now number 30, but if you've got an Android tablet that isn't a Nexus 7 or Tab 2 7.0, you're bang out of luck.
Here are the Android gadgets now supported:
- Samsung devices supported include all Galaxy S phones (including the new S3 mini), both Notes, the Galaxy Nexus and Ace 2, and now the Tab 2 7.0.
- The whole HTC One series is supported, as are the Desires (S, X and HD), the Incredible S, Sensation and Sensation XE.
- Google's Nexus 4 and 7 are supported, but not the Nexus 10.
- LG's only phone supported is the 4X HD.
- The Xperia S and Xperia T are the only Sony devices currently on the list.
- The Razr i is the first Motorola phone to be supported.
If you have one of those devices, it should work (of the new phones, I was only able to check it on an HTC One X+). There was previously a major problem, where if users of phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 updated their software to Jelly Bean, Sky Go would no longer work, because the latest version of Android wasn't supported.
"Sky Go is currently available on v2.2, 2.3, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.2.1 running on a supported device," the company promises.
Some users are unimpressed with the update. "Sky, I give you nearly £100 per month, and yet this still isn't enough! So you want another £5 per month for a feature that was previously free (and for more than four devices)," complains Lee Davies on Google Play, referring to older versions of Sky services that weren't restricted to certain devices.
"Charging 5 pounds to watch content offline? Hahahahaha, is it April?" quips one anonymous app reviewer, while Aaron Tattersall thinks the service is "Excellent, love the fact that Sky Go is an extra free service to all Sky TV customers if I only want it on two devices. But for a fiver I can have it on four devices and watch downloaded content when I'm abroad or flying... Way ahead of the competition."
"Your Android support is awful and until you find a way to improve your support of ALL Android devices, there's no way I'm paying for a service I might lose access to if I change my device," Jamie Kettlewell says, not unreasonably. "You need to add Nexus 10 support!!!"
"We will be bringing Sky Go to more devices over time," Sky promises, "and will continue to assess demand to make sure we deliver the service to as many customers as possible."
Sky has repeatedly said it uses its own data to monitor which Android devices are the most popular, but has never revealed that data, or its source. Android fans took to the company's forums late last year, forcing Sky to respond to complaints it wasn't keeping up with enough Android gadgets. Since then support has improved, but is nowhere near comprehensive.
What do you think of Sky Go Extra? Is your Android tablet still not supported? Blue-sky your opinion down in the comments, or over on our all-devices-welcome Facebook page.

Comments 21
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anonymous 22 January, 2013 13:41
I have sky, pay about £100 a month with movies and sports. I've an S3 and a Asus Transformer. I rarely use sky go on my phone. but if it was available on my tablet then I would definitely use it more - and pay the £5 for the download feature.
What does get me is that I have to have a very specific tablet product to be able to make use of the sky go app - ipad, nexus 7 and the Samsung Tab 2.0 7. If it can be made compatible with those 3 devices - all different screen sizes and versions of software - why cannot it not 'easily' be transferred to others. How massively different is the operating system to negate the ability to have it cross software rather than device specific?
If part of it is licensing and becuase some tablets have mini-HDMI connections, then why can you use an ipad which you can get an adaptor to connect to TV/Projectors? Plus in any case the app is available to consumers who are already pay not those that aren't!!!
Sounds bad to say it,. but Sky seem to be comfortably in bed with Apple and all the focus is on adding features to their apps to make that a better experience rather than playing catch-up for an operating system that is more widely used.
Come on Sky - surprise some folk in a positive way!
Peter Hudson 22 January, 2013 14:19
I really, honestly am not saying this in a fanboy way, but this is what Android user's have to expect. There are so many different handsets with different screen sizes and resolutions, and hardware capabilities. And so many different versions of Android out there, app builders have to take it on a phone by phone basis.
javman05 22 January, 2013 14:27
This was always going to happen, sky were always going to try and recoup some money, too much money to be made through sky go.
Nathan Explosion 22 January, 2013 14:31
@Peter Hudson
If they developed their Android apps in the proper device independent way that Google, then they wouldn't have these problems.
A single Android APK can support multiple layouts, and share common business logic, it's not hard. However if you employ 14yr old iPhone hackers, that don't know good app design if it came up and slapped them on the face, THEN you have a problem.
I have no problems supporting almost every Android device out there, regardless of DPI, screen resolution, or screen size. It's all about good app design, Android lends it's VERY well to adapting for all the combinations out there, compared to iOS (which is fixed to TWO sizes. Ever wondered why the iPad Mini was lumbered with such a rubbish screen and "fat" aspect ratio - because they can't support anything else without further fragmenting iOS).
anonymous 22 January, 2013 15:08
@Nathan Explosion 22 January, 2013 14:31
".....Ever wondered why the iPad Mini was lumbered with such a rubbish screen and "fat" aspect ratio - because they can't support anything else without further fragmenting iOS)".
You are correct that the iPad mini screen resolution was chosen to avoid fragmentation, but the choice of the non-retina iPad option was because a retina screen at the mini size was not attainable or cost effective at the price point yet.
Where you are incorrect is in the statement “rubbish screen”. It is far from rubbish, even if the resolution doesn’t match that on other competing small tablets.
Any side by side comparison with the Nexus 7 will clearly show how the higher res screen is weaker in presentation (brightness, contrast and colour saturation levels), despite it’s sharpness in close detail like text.
The Kindle Fire HD is a higher res screen, but colours are off and White’s heavily tinted.
The “fat aspect ratio’ is actually better for most tablet applications, such as web browsing, documents, reading magazines, newspapers and books.
16:10 is a better compromise for video, but 16:9 is rubbish for anything other than video.
anonymous 22 January, 2013 15:22
Sky Go working perfectly on our iPad 4.
We have it on the kid's Nexus 7 too, but the app isn't as polished.
Nathan Explosion 22 January, 2013 15:38
@anonymous
I'm guessing you wasted your cash on a iPad Mini then, and are desperate to believe the screen is somehow better.. The Nexus7 screen is not only higher res, higher DPI, it's also brighter and more accurate.
And on the app front, the great thing about Android, is of course you only need to buy your apps once, the tablet and phone versions include layouts to suit each. Only Apple get away with double-dip selling.
anonymous 22 January, 2013 16:38
If you're spending nearly £100 a month on Sky, you really ought to get on the phone and get a better deal ...
anonymous 22 January, 2013 16:42
All getting a bit tesy in here.
If you can make Netflix, iplayer, itv player, Crackle, countless games all compatible with the majority Android devices (I get you need hardware minimums) why is it so difficult to do the same for skygo?
The simple fact that skygo was rolled out for ICS with JB about to be rolled out higher end / high volume handsets (S3) just suggests that Sky won't prioritise, or even treat Android as an equal priority is madeniing.
Everyone has a choice about what equipment they want to buy (whether allegence driven, budget orientate or just like the experience of certain tech) but sky not offering wider support, does just show them favouring some consumers over others.
Just pull your fingers out Sky!!!!
sheepybach 22 January, 2013 17:57
No 10.1 tabs supported due to a lack of use in uk, from sky forum manager lol
anonymous 22 January, 2013 19:49
So i've been forced to update my Sky Go app to 3.0 and now it all it shows me is an advert for Sky Go Extra and won list live TV, all just as I log in to watch the football..
Is this correct ie: same for everyone?
What if I dont want to sign up for extra £5 a month? if it's all or nothing then it's not sky go extra its just a change to sky go isnt it?
anonymous 22 January, 2013 22:09
Sky go no longer working for me either, on demand works OK (but is woefully slow now). Missed the football, not happy.
anonymous 22 January, 2013 22:31
This has now been going on for 13 months and now apparently sky has decided to withdraw support for android 10 inch tabs it just confirms that sky really does have an exclusivity deal in place with apple.
anonymous 23 January, 2013 06:40
galaxy tab 2 7.0 is supported now but not 10.1 i put the apk on my galaxy tab 2 10.1 all worked fine untill i tried to log in then it said this device is unsupported if that message didnt pop up then im pretty sure it would have worked, i am fuming as i got my daughter the tab 2 for xmas and said to her you can have sky on it, but later found out you couldn't,
anonymous 23 January, 2013 08:19
If Carlsberg did sky go it would probably be the best sky go in the world....
sheepybach 23 January, 2013 09:05
All Sky need to do is remove the in house block for devices to work, which was done by mistake a while ago for a few days and then they blocked it again. This post shows customers what sky really think of them and the stupid way they come to decisions about what devices to support:---
Although Android has a high penetration of sales in the UK, we assess the penetration of devices into the Sky TV customer base as this gives us a better insight into the most popular devices.
"We regularly include questions about device ownership and usage in customer research which gives an on-going pulse/update of what customers are using and how.
We have identified the devices we support as being the most popular and will continue to build on our device list."
Sounds good by is a laugh as Sky did a survey asking customers what devices we have and there was a grand total of ZERO MOTOROLA RAZRi phones on the list but way over 150 10.1 tabs and yet Sky says the RAZRi is more popular than 10.1 tabs as it's supported and 10.1 tabs are not. I give up
sheepybach 23 January, 2013 12:52
there will be no support on 10" devices until later this year.
Stacey
Community Engagement Manager
anonymous 23 January, 2013 14:12
Sky Go is great on my HTC One XL, however I have a Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and I cannot undertstand why the app can work on the ipad which is 10" and not Android devices of 10" As far as I know there is no difference between the Tab 2 7 and 10 apart from the screen size, (please corrrect me f I'm wrong) so why no Sky Go on the 10" tablets. Come on Sky, with all your technical know how, surely its possible if you really want to keep your current customers current......
sheepybach 23 January, 2013 15:05
See my post above, there is no reason it's just Sky stopping what their customers want. Yes it works great on Nexus 10 with xda apk and people have said the same about Tab 10.1 but as far as I know nobody have tried the apk on a Tab2 10.1.
billfred 23 January, 2013 18:33
"The “fat aspect ratio’ is actually better for most tablet applications, such as web browsing, documents, reading magazines, newspapers and books.
16:10 is a better compromise for video, but 16:9 is rubbish for anything other than video."
Nah, every screen I look at should be 16:9.
billfred 23 January, 2013 18:36
@anonymous 22 January, 2013 16:38 - exactly. Sky is overpriced anyway, but that prices is sodding ridiculous!