Sky Pulls Back Long Awaited Features At The Last Moment

Several long-awaited new features that were supposed to roll out to Sky’s streaming devices, Sky Glass and Sky Stream, have been postponed at the last minute, presumably due to technical difficulties.

Some users have reported getting those features, along with a new software version, in early February – with the update then being rolled back, and their devices going back to the previous version.

Among the new features that users will now have to keep waiting for – again – are the highly requested Personalised Playlists – which finally will finally bring personal profiles to Sky’s devices (something that we never saw on Sky Q).

While Sky confirmed to us that these features have indeed been delayed – there’s no word yet on an official new launch date.

The update, which started to roll out (and then rolled back) during the first week of February, was known as Entertainment OS 1.1, and also included a new direct “Play” voice command, a new Cast and Crew rail, and more (see full details below).

• February 25 Update: The 1.1 update is rolling out again – learn more.

Sky Glass (see my review), released in 2021, is a 4K TV set with a QLED HDR display and a built-in Dolby Atmos soundbar with six speakers. 

Sky Stream (see our review), which launched in late 2022, is a standalone streaming set-top box that works with any broadband provider.

Unlike Sky’s other devices in the UK, Sky Glass and Sky Stream don’t use a satellite dish – instead, they rely on broadband, and stream all the content to the TV, much like other streaming devices like the Amazon Fire TV and Roku – or streaming services like Sky’s own NOW (see our Sky Glass VS Now comparison).

Sky periodically rolls out software upgrades and new features for both Glass and Stream – a couple of months ago, Sky even upgraded the picture quality on Sky Glass, via a software update.

The operating system under the hood of Glass and Stream is now called Entertainment OS, and the new – delayed – software version is 1.1.

Some users on Sky’s community forums reported seeing the new version on their devices at some point – with Build Number QS014 – which was then rolled back to the previous build version, QS013.

This is usually done when unexpected technical issues and bugs, that weren’t caught during early beta tests, pop up on customers’ devices.

If it appears that these will have a serious effect on using the device, and a fix can’t be implemented right away – Sky can roll back the software version, and stop it from rolling out to new devices.

Sky’s original press release for the new version originally said it would be coming by February 4, but the timeframe on the document – which is still online – has since changed to “over the next month”.

A Sky spokesperson told Cord Busters: “We’re aware there has been a delay on the roll out of the features. We’ll confirm as soon as the updates will be available to all customers.”

Sky Glass / Stream: Which Features Were Delayed?

Personalised Playlists

Almost every streaming service (and some streaming devices, such as Amazon’s Fire TV) supports user profiles these days – and Sky’s services and devices were left behind for a long time (even Sky’s other streaming service, NOW, doesn’t support profiles).

With Entertainment OS 1.1, Glass and Stream will finally get a unique version of the Profiles feature, called Personalised Playlists (I got to see and tell you about an early version of it a few months ago).

The Playlist on Glass and Stream is the main “Watchlist” (as it’s called on other services), where you can create a list of everything you want to watch from the TV guide, on-demand and apps, simply by pressing the ”+” button on your remote. 

Until now, the whole house had to share a single playlist – so it was cluttered with shows and films Dad watches, along with kids’ content and maybe even stuff your housesitter saved to the list.

According to Sky, they didn’t want to create separate Profiles that would change the whole experience for every user.

So instead of making you choose a profile when you turn on the TV – you will get a “Shared” interface for the entire family, but specific programmes can then be added to personal playlists – so there’s a separate playlist for Mom, a playlist for the 5-year-old, etc., and also a shared Playlist for things the family watches together.

Once the personalised playlists finally roll out, You can create up to five unique playlists – so for families, you can keep all the episodes of Paw Patrol to the kids’ lists, fill yours with The Last of Us and Gangs of London, and let your housemate – if you have one –  save their favourite sports documentaries in their own Playlist instead of adding it the household’s shared list. 

New ‘Play’ Voice Command

Until now, jumping to a show via Sky Glass and Sky Stream’s voice commands meant having to go through the show/film’s dedicated page before you could actually watch it.

Once the new version rolls out again, getting directly to what you want to watch will become easier – Simply say “Play Love Island“ and pick up exactly where you left off (it simply starts playing) so you don’t have to go via a Show Page or search results. 

Cast And Crew Rail

Just watched a movie with an actor or director you like and want to see more of their work? With the new Cast and Crew rail on Show Pages, you can watch their entire back catalogue (as long as it’s available on Sky or one of the supported streaming services).

Simply select someone from the rail, and see everything they’ve been a part of that is available on the platform.

Improved Bluetooth Support (Glass Only)

A previous update added Bluetooth headphones support to Sky Glass – so you were finally able to connect Bluetooth headphones to Glass, and watch everything without disturbing others late at night.

With the upcoming 1.1 update, you will be able to listen via your Bluetooth headphones at the same time as Sky Glass’ speakers are playing.

It means customers who are hard of hearing can listen with their headphones, while watching with the rest of their household.

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