Throughout 2019, those of us in the streaming world were waiting for the new Frndly TV streaming service to get an app for the Apple TV. In December 2019, it finally came and we could not be happier about that.
Frndly TV is a family-friendly live TV streaming service that starts at $5.99 a month and comes with channels such as Hallmark networks, Outdoor Channel and Game Show Network.
With that said, app has now been out for a few weeks and we can now review it. I have decided to start with the clear issues that are primarily the ones from my first impressions article of this new app.
While testing it out, something that I noticed in the app is that it does have audio issues. I have seen this issue in Sling TV’s app, but it was eventually corrected, so I assume this will be the same thing. Still, when programs would go to commercial, the app would have ads that would play very loud on my TV, compared to the program that was currently on that was at an adequate volume level.
This issue was in programs too, but it was based on the scene you were in. Say you had characters that were in the living room that was at a normal volume. In the next scene (say they are in the kitchen now), the volume was turned up exponentially to the point where I had to quickly grab my remote to turn it down.
Another problem that I found in the app is that you cannot tell Siri to go back a certain time limit such as 30 seconds or two minutes. This is a feature that works in other apps like Hulu and Netflix.
However, let’s also factor in that this app is still only in beta, so obviously, it’s going to have some bugs early on.
Some good things that the app has going for it are that it is quite similar to the iPhone and iPad versions of it, creating good continuity. What I also like about it is that when you are watching a TV show or movie on-demand, stop it and then go back it, there is a “Continue Watching” button, making it easier to get back to where you were at previously.
Overall, I’m giving this app 3/4 stars. For now, it’s a good app and will do the job that you want it to do, which is to watch the channels on the service.
Rating: 3/4 stars
