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Earlier this month, Sky announced another blockbuster upgrade to its Sky Q box, which brings a swathe of new features. While some customers have already received the update on their set-top box, some are still missing out on the latest tricks from Sky. Since there’s no way to manually update your Sky Q box, you’ll need to wait for Sky to roll out the upgrade to your kit overnight. Thankfully, that looks set to finally happen in the next few days.
Pushing out a feature-packed upgrade to millions of homes is a pretty monumental task, which is why Sky updates its set-top boxes in stages. This practice, which is pretty standard across the industry, also means any showstopping problems with the update can halt the roll out before every single Sky Q subscriber is left without a working box, for example.
If you haven’t received the latest feature drop from Sky – don’t panic as the satellite firm is promising that every customer will have the upgrade by this Friday, April 30, 2021.
So what is new from Sky and how does it change the experience?
Perhaps the biggest news is that Sky has finally fixed one of the most annoying things when using Disney+ on the platform. Anyone who has ever tried to use Disney+ on Sky Q will know how hugely frustrating it currently is. Unlike Netflix, which is fully integrated into Sky Q, so you can find shows and films using the same voice search feature, Disney+ and all of its content is buried within the app itself.
Sky Q explain simple way to navigate the home screen
That means scrolling through menus before finding and launching the service on the screen. It also means you might search for a title from voice search on your remote, not realise it’s included in your Disney+ subscription as it doesn’t show up in the search results (unlike those on Netflix) and accidentally rent or buy it from the Sky Store.
Luckily this is all being fixed in this new update with better integration when watching straight from the Sky Q box. The change now means you can simply speak into your remote to find blockbuster shows on Disney+ such as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier or WandaVision.
Another bonus is that you will no longer need to dig into that Disney+ app to get the content you want to view with everything appearing on your TV in a more seamless way.
Another important change coming in this new update improves the accessibility features on Sky Q. Sky has made its Voice Guidance more intuitive which will make navigating Sky Q’s TV guide, menus, Show Centres, collections, and on-screen messages much easier for customers with visual impairments.
Simply activate Voice Guidance by saying “Voice Guidance on” or “Voice Guidance Off” into your Sky Q voice remote. Once started, you will hear spoken descriptions of the menu you’re currently navigating, the option you’ve selected and how you can easily get to your favourite shows and movies.
There’s also a new High Contrast Mode which changes the screen from Sky’s iconic blue colours to a dark grey which makes things easier to read.
Speaking about the changes, Fraser Stirling, Group Chief Product Officer, Sky, said: “Today marks another big moment for Sky Q as we roll out exciting new voice features. Integrating Disney+ into voice search means it’s now much easier to find more of what you love and adding voice guidance to our strong accessibility offering helps to create an even better experience for all Sky Q customers.”
If you haven’t spotted these new tricks by April 30, then it seems something that gone awry with your Sky Q box. Since Sky claims every box nationwide will have the update downloaded and installed by the end of April, it might be worth calling the customer care line to try to figure why you’re missing out on the latest update.
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