With perfect timing, Plex dropped the ability to stream free — ad-supported — media to their users. The catch was that you had to have an account, but not the paid Plex Pass to access the service.
That requirement has been removed with the latest update to the Plex mobile app. Any Plex user can now browse and stream the free media libraries once their app is updated to version 8.2.0 through the Play Store or from their site. Users without an account will be prompted to create (or sign in to) an account, but that banner can be dismissed easily.
The changelog for the latest app update also shows a few items that will interest regular users:
- Live TV: hubs were not being pinned to home screen
- App could crash when cancelling recording in DVR schedule screen
- [Mobile] Correctly display library content as a grid with filters
- [Mobile] Removing a friend could crash the app
The continual development of the platform and expansion of features to all users is really pleasing as a current user. It seems to be steadily increasing the user base and with more features in the works, that surely will continue to grow with many users still locked down across the globe.
What streaming media options do you use regularly?
I wish the other catch-up tv companies would drop the requirement to have an account, but they probably won’t because they use it for marketing purposes. Atleast there is now 1 option that doesn’t require an account.