Some Roku Users May No Longer Be Able to Access Hulu From Their Devices Soon
It’s been a rough ride for Roku users over the last few days. First Roku owners found out that their devices wouldn’t immediately be able to support HBO Max, then thousands of users received an e-mail informing them that they would no longer be able to access Hulu from their device. There seems to be a bit of confusion regarding what the e-mail actually means.
Roku users got a scare when they received an e-mail that Hulu would be leaving the platform
On May 26, users flocked to the Internet to find out the latest news from Roku. Thousands of people received a message informing them that Hulu would no longer be available on Roku devices beginning on June 24. According to users on Roku’s community page, a link included in the e-mail to find out which devices would be affected was broken.
To make the entire situation even more confusing, several users noted that they received the same message, though they currently own one of the company’s newer models. Roku’s lack of transparency sent the rumor mill into overdrive, with thousands of owners assuming Hulu and Roku had decided to part ways. Such a loss would be a massive blow for Roku, though. Hulu is the second most popular streaming platform. With 26.4 million users, it is second only to Netflix.
So, is Hulu leaving Roku?
The answer is a resounding no. Hulu and Roku’s partnership is alive and well, but that doesn’t mean everyone who owns a Roku device will have access to the Hulu app. Support for the Hulu app will be discontinued on some Roku devices. Only users with very old devices will encounter an issue, though. The Decider notes that Roku devices produced before 2012 will no longer have access to Hulu, but newer devices will experience no interruption in service.
Hulu appears to be the only app that will be discontinued on older devices for now. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Crackle are all safe at the moment, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be safe forever. It’s entirely possible that, at some point, app support on older devices will continue to dwindle.
Why would Hulu decide to pull their app from older devices?
Hulu, and other streaming services, are continually updating their apps to offer users the best possible streaming experience. When an update is too hefty to work seamlessly on older devices, a company may decide to forgo creating a lighter version for an older device. While Hulu appears to be behind the decision to stop supporting older Roku devices, Roku itself has a history of discontinuing support.
In November 2019, the company announced they would stop offering support for several Roku models that were produced in 2013. The decision came about a year after the company announced they would end their support of devices manufactured before 2011. For now, most Roku users will still be able to access Hulu and all other streaming services, with the exception of HBO Max, but it may be time to look into upgrading.
