Last year, Sling TV brought a redesign connected TV App to Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku and then to your web platform. Starting today, they have now brought it to iOS users with redesigned apps for iPhone and iPad.
Old Sling App
New Sling App
You’ll notice that the new layout gets rid of the sidebar and replaces it with tabs at the bottom of the interface. The new interface replaces My TV with Home and gives DVR a tab of its own. Also gone is the Channels tab, but you can access channel pages by tapping the Channel’s icon on the newly designed Grid Guide.
One really nice feature is that you can now continue watching TV while browsing the app. It will display a live video on a preview bar, while you’re browsing the app. Sling also is taking advantage of the native P.I.P. functionality of iOS, allowing you to watch TV on both iPhone and iPad while also browsing other apps on your device.
There is one oddity though. While the iPad app supports both portrait and landscape in their interface, at least for now, the iPhone app is only in portrait, unless you are watching video. When you click on a video, there is a nice new interface in portrait mode, that lets you quickly access “Recent Channels” and “Favorites.” When you rotate to landscape, however, you will then immediately see full-screen video.
The new Grid Guide lets you manage your favorites and quickly filter through All, A-Z, Favorites, Recents, Sports, and more. If you tap “Today” in the top right, you can skip ahead, up to six days in the future. The one benefit to the old guide is that you could see almost twice as many channels in the grid at once.
Old Grid Guide
New Grid Guide`
One of the best enhancements to this updated app is that there is now a dedicated section for your DVR. Previously, you had to access it via the “My TV” section. Now, you can just switch to the “DVR” tab to view and manage all of the programs stored and scheduled on your DVR.
Currently, Sling TV is offering new users 50% off their first month of service, meaning that you can stream for just $17.50 for your first month, perfect for the NBA and NHL Playoffs, or if you just want to try their new and improved app.