The BBC has moved to reassure phone and tablet owners who are annoyed at the patchy iPlayer Android app, vowing to bring an update for Android 4.2 Jelly Bean before Santa makes his rounds, and the same features that iPhone customers enjoy.
On its official blog, Auntie outlines a plan to improve playback on Android gadgets, that will involve grouping devices into "classifications based on their capabilities."
That seems to mean low-powered devices will get lower quality video streaming, while smart phones with larger screens will get the same high quality playback that iOS devices already enjoy. Faster connections like Wi-Fi or 4G will also mean better quality video, and a high-quality encode when using Wi-Fi is due before Christmas.
The BBC also vows to get iPlayer running smoothly on Android phones or tablets running version 4.2 Jelly Bean before Christmas. Currently the Beeb lists Android 4.2 glitches as a known issue, so if you're struggling to get the streaming service working on something like the Google Nexus 4 or Nexus 7, then hopefully those errors will be ironed out soon.
Android 4.1 became officially supported in October. The BBC says that a "richer" tablet experience on gadgets like the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD will also be ready for Christmas morning.
Finally, the nation's broadcaster wants the same features on Android as there are on iOS. Features like offline viewing are beyond the reach of 'droid gadgeteers for now, but the BBC says its "investments in engineering" that may mean both platforms' apps move forward at the same pace in the future.
The BBC cites fragmentation as the reason for delays thus far, saying that, "Android as a platform is becoming increasingly complex and fragmented with a huge difference between video playback capabilities across the 1,500+ Android devices."
Fragmentation is something the Beeb has citied before, when I spoke to an iPlayer exec about why Android fans were left waiting. Sky spouts the same line regarding the lack of features on its Android Sky Go app, saying, "The reality is that developing for Android throws up a number of additional challenges when compared to working on iOS devices."
The iPlayer Android app has 4,797 one-star reviews on Google Play, with one recent commenter saying, "The quality is so appalling even on 'high quality' setting, it is embarrassing".
Should organisations like Sky and the BBC be let off the hook because of Android fragmentation? Or is that a poor excuse for dodgy apps? Have your say in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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andydandy 13 December, 2012 16:57
Just provide it for bog standard 4.2. Then it will work on my Nexus 7. I agree with the BBC over the fragmentation though. Android iplayer for Christmas. Whoo Hoo!
anonymous 13 December, 2012 16:59
The update is out now!, go and update your apps on google play. It now works officially on the nexus 7 with 4.2
anonymous 13 December, 2012 18:43
Yeah they have fixed it for android 4.2 but it just is nowhere near the same quality of the iOS app or with the same features. They should make one for HTML5 just like iOS for android with 720p video for high end phones and a version prior to this for the others.
anonymous 13 December, 2012 18:48
yeah it work's but it's so crap, image quality is terrible, other apps do so much better for video quality. Sort it out BBC ffs!
anonymous 13 December, 2012 23:32
Developing for a platform where there are a host of devices with different capabilities and also different versions of the OS can be a real hassle - ask anyone who used to develop products for PCs prior to around the time of Windows 95! But it's not impossible - you choose some target devices that it HAS to work on then you produce a recommended spec - oh, and you do this thing called COMPATABILITY TESTING......and if you don't have the setup yourself there are plenty of outsourcing labs set up just for that very purpose - and they DO exist for mobile platforms.
Oh.....and it also helps if you take care to program according to the guidelines set up by the platform hold which will minimise your chances of screwups. And here's a novel thought - if inb doubt and you're producing a paid-for app......put a partially deactivated free version on the store so people can try it 1st. That might also stop all those products that the market says aren't compatible with my device but work perfectly well once I get em on it!!
anonymous 14 December, 2012 00:04
The BBC iPlayer devs must be people who can't get a job anywhere else. Just tried the new version on my phone - installed fine, went to run it, asked me to install media player....and apparently media player isn't compatible (I installed it fine in the past but deleted to free up some space - bigger fool me - teach me not to just back it up to my SD card in case they do an update that doesn't work). Get your act together.
tvnewswatch 16 December, 2012 21:44
It's not just the BBC that have failed Android users, and particularly those using the latest version of Android 4.2.1. The Amex UK app, the Amazon app and several catch up TV apps including ITV player and Channel Four's 4OD app are all listed as not being compatible. CNN's app which even claims to have been updated with support for Jelly Bean devices is also listed as incompatible. While it is not Google's fault, they as well as Android users must be increasingly frustrated at app developers seemingly ignoring Android in favour of iOS devices, this despite the fact that Android is fast becoming the no. 1 mobile operating system.