Crave app refuses televisions based on production date

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As of 2025, 16th September, HBO's streaming app crave refuses to run on smart TV's manufactured before 2018. Independent of the model of TV. Accessing this content through other paid services does still work.

Background

Samsung produces a smart TV's with their own operating system. They have a wide range from cheap to very expensive TV's. This means that manufacturing date has little relevance to the capabilities of the actual TV. The TV's offer an app store to install additional apps like the crave app. Samsung is known for making TV's that last long, outliving their software support date by a long shot.

Crave is a streaming app, home to the content of HBO Max and STARZ. It has multiple subscription options both with and without adds. Most content offered in this app can also be accessed through other paid apps.

The end of compatibility with perfectly working devices

After buying a TV that is compatible with the crave streaming app and purchasing a subscription for that app. The app announces that as of 16th September 2025, it will no longer work on Samsung TV's manufactured before 2018.

The cause of this is likely twofold. On one side, their is samsung who stops supporting expensive devices long before the end of their lifespan. Secondly their is Crave who updates their app in a way that is not compatible with older models that are still in use by paid subscribers. The incompatibility message asks the customer to upgrade their samsung TV model.

Consumer response

Summary and key issues of prevailing sentiment from the consumers and commentators that can be documented via articles, emails to support, reviews and forum posts.

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