TiVo’s Android TV dongle has lost Sling TV integration

Ben Schoon | Apr 17 2023 - 9:55 am PT

In 2020 TiVo launched a new Android TV dongle that brought support for content aggregation well ahead of Google’s effort to do the same in Google TV later that year. Now, though, the TiVo Stream 4K that introduced that vision is losing one of its key features: integration with Sling TV.

The TiVo Stream 4K is an Android TV dongle that’s still sold for $40. Like other Android TV OS devices, it can install apps for various streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and others, as well as other Android apps and use the Google Assistant. But the key differentiator for the TiVo Stream 4K was always its deeper integration with live TV, as we mentioned in our review. With a push of the TiVo button, a new interface would appear that could find TV shows and movies on streaming services or live TV. And from the start, Sling TV was a key part of that functionality.

Now, as CordCuttersNews highlights, TiVo Stream 4K is losing its integration with Sling TV. The live TV service can still be used on the device, but only through its official Android TV app.

TiVo confirmed the removal in a message posted to Facebook.

…the Sling integrated program guide is no longer available in the TiVo Stream app. You can use the Sling app directly on your Stream 4K to access all your channels, content, and recordings!

The removal certainly comes as a surprise, given that Sling TV integration was one of the key selling points of the Stream 4K since its launch. YouTube TV integration is still supported.

Customers aren’t left without alternatives, though. All Google TV devices, such as Google’s own Chromecast and Walmart’s upcoming super-affordable Google TV streamers, feature native integration with Sling on the homescreen, alongside hundreds of free live TV channels.