The Disney+ app is available on a number of devices, but one of the least pleasant experiences is on the PlayStation 4. Besides Sony's gaming console, the Disney+ app is available to download on mobile devices, smart TVs, and streaming players. However, as is often the case with apps, the experience across platforms and devices is anything but equal.
Disney+ launched in late November and by the end of the first day the service had already accumulated more than 10 million subscribers. In spite of the quick boost in subscribers, users have been experiencing technical problems since the very first day. While technical issues are nothing new, it seems like a significant number of people consider the Disney+ experience on PlayStation 4 to be one of the worst.
Since the early days of Disney+, subscribers have taken to forums, including Reddit, to point out how buggy Disney’s streaming service is on the PS4. Unlike the initial general teething issues, the problem hasn’t gone away nor is it resigned to users in the U.S. Shortly after launching in the UK, similar complaints started showing up Reddit and elsewhere. Complaints often include sluggish response, buffering, screen freezes, and so on.
What’s The Problem With Disney+ On PS4?
In reality, there is no firm reason as to why Disney+ is so buggy on PlayStation 4 consoles, and for some, it might not be a problem at all. However, there are some factors that might help to explain why so many encounter issues and one of the main ones is how app development works in general. Apps are not created equal and this also applies to the same app on different devices. Typically, apps tend to perform better on platforms where the user base is high, and that’s not by coincidence. If many are using an app on a certain device then evidently more time will be spent on perfecting the experience, to ensure the greater number of users are catered to. Likewise, users on platforms that don’t have such a high user base, might find that the app gets updated less often and that fixes or improvements are applied less routinely. Overall, just a different level of support compared to what the same subscriber might experience using the same service on their other devices.
Besides the way developers approach different apps on different platforms, there’s also the issue of Sony’s app quality control. Just like any platform that requires dedicated apps, there is the element of oversight from the platform owner. Apple is a prime example here as it implements strict measures and controls to ensure the app experience is consistent for all apps users. If developers pay less attention to platforms with fewer users, then it is up to companies like Sony to ensure the app is meeting the highest quality requirements before helping to distribute it.
Again, not everyone encounters issues when streaming Disney+ on a PlayStation 4, but there are plenty of examples online of those using multiple devices to access the service and finding the PS4 experience decidedly worse. In addition, for as many complaints as there are online, there’s also suggested solutions and workarounds. One such example is skipping back a short amount of time once playback has commenced to avoid any lagging or buffering issues. However, and while some of these quick-fix solutions might work in some cases, it still doesn’t change the fact that Disney+ is so buggy on PS4.
Source: Reddit