AT&T is bringing users the ability to watch live television without requiring additional hardware, like Echostar’s Slingbox, on their Android or iOS smartphone and tablets. At this time, only a limited number of channels and a limited number of smartphones are supported at this time for the streaming of live channels, and customers must be a subscriber to Uverse services and must authenticate their account using the app to participate.
Uverse live content has been available since earlier this month for Apple’s products, and the announcement now pertains more specifically to Android. On iOS, Uverse if compatible with the iPhone 3GS or later, the third generation iPod touch or later, and various models of iPad tablets. A number of Android phones are supported through the Android app, available as a free download through Google’s Play Store, though many of the Android phones listed are supported through AT&T Mobility. As such, you won’t find many phones that are specific to rival carriers, such as Verizon’s Droid series.
AT&T promises that more devices will be added in the near future.
“AT&T U-verse offers more than 100 live channels on the U-verse App and Uverse.com, with more than 20 channels available to watch outside the home. The new channels are available to U-verse TV customers as part of their U-family or higher U-verse TV package,” the company said in a release. “AT&T plans to add more live channels on an ongoing basis.”
The good news about the service is that if you have a compatible mobile product–a phone or tablet–and Uverse TV service, this service is free and no additional hardware is required. You can even browse on-demand shows and videos as well as manage your home DVR for recording shows when you’re not at home to watch them.
Just be mindful of your data use if you’re not on WiFi when streaming video content from Uverse.