Plex has confirmed that it will require a Remote Watch Pass or Plex Pass for remote streaming on its TV apps. The change is going into effect for the Roku app first, followed by all other TV apps and third-party clients in 2026.

Earlier this year, Plex increased its pricing for Plex Pass and stopped supporting all options for free remote streaming in the Plex apps, such as adding a custom server connection in the app settings. The company said at the time, "The reality is that we need more resources to continue putting forth the best personal media experience, and as a result, we will no longer offer remote playback as a free feature." That's also when Plex introduced the Remote Watch Pass as a less expensive way to enable remote streaming again.

Plex is now rolling out the remote watch changes to its Roku TV app. If you have Plex Pass, or the owner of the server you're streaming from has Plex Pass, you don't need to do anything. Otherwise, if you are streaming on a different network from the server's home network, you need Plex Pass or Remote Watch Pass.

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[–] SnoringEarthworm@sh.itjust.works 13 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (3 children)

Not for users who paid the mobile unlock fee.

What if I’ve already paid the one-time mobile app activation fee?
For users who have already paid a one-time, in-app activation for either our mobile Android or iOS app, an extended trial for the new Remote Watch Pass subscription is available.
(Source: Plex)

They soften the landing with the "extended trial", but anyone who paid the "one-time fee" is finding out what that really meant.

I wouldn't be surprised if a year from now there's an announcement for Plex 2.0 and my lifetime account only applies to legacy Plex.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 2 points 57 minutes ago

Apparently this extended trial is 3 months. I would have thought that it was just the terminology they needed to use to get it to work with the mobile platforms. This is a really shitty thing to do.

[–] Auli@lemmy.ca -1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Thought it would have happened by now. Life time doesn't make sense as there are recurring costs.

[–] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 6 hours ago

Then they shouldn't have offered it.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today -2 points 13 hours ago (4 children)

What exactly does this mean?

[–] SnoringEarthworm@sh.itjust.works 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Which part?

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today -5 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Is there a difference between the two?

[–] SnoringEarthworm@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 hour ago

You might not understand :

their explanation for what happens to users who've paid
what I mean by "soften the landing"
what I mean by "what that really meant"
what I mean by "I wouldn't be surprised"

I'm not a mind reader, mate. Even less so on the internet. I could be ESL, or from a different part of the world. Whatever's obvious in your head isn't going to be obvious in mine.

So, if you want me to tell you what "this" means, you've got to tell me what "this" is.

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Previously you could pay a one time fee to watch remotely on Android and iOS without having the Plex Pass and now it sounds like they're rolling this into the Plex Pass and asking users to pay again.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 0 points 3 hours ago

Yeah that sounds fucked if true. I'm asking specifically because people's experiences will help so much more than search results.

[–] sopularity_fax@sopuli.xyz 2 points 10 hours ago

Yes

[–] null@piefed.nullspace.lol 0 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

That the one-time fee was a lie.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 0 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

How so

[–] null@piefed.nullspace.lol 0 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

How would you define "one-time fee" in this context?

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 0 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

I am asking about the lie part. I know what a "one time fee" means. I know nothing else.

[–] null@piefed.nullspace.lol 0 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

I'm not sure you do know what it means though. Because if you did, then it would be obvious how requiring another fee for the thing you already paid the one-time fee for makes the original promise of the one-time fee a lie.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 0 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

it would be obvious how requiring another fee for the thing you already paid the one-time fee

I did not know this. I just said that I didn't know this.

[–] null@piefed.nullspace.lol 0 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

You responded to a comment detailing it and linking you directly to the source...

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 0 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Oh my god fuck you. I do not understand what those words mean. I have explicitly said I do not know what this means. Please just tell me.

What was paid for in this supposed one time fee
What was changed/taken away.
What this extended trial does.

The page does not explain what these things are. It just says that one was taken away in favor of the other. I am explicitly asking you this because search engines are near useless now and you have the experience and nuance to tech me this.

[–] null@piefed.nullspace.lol 0 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (1 children)

1. What was paid for in this supposed one time fee

From the link:

What are the features and limitations without unlocking the app?

Free Functionality

The following functionality is available without unlocking the Plex for Android app:

Unlimited casting/flinging of photos and videos from the Camera Roll on your phone or tablet to other Plex apps that support Plex Companion
Unlimited casting/flinging of any media on your Plex Media Server to other Plex apps that support Plex Companion
Remote control your big screen Plex apps that support Plex Companion
“Movies & Shows” video on demand content from Plex
free Live TV channels from Plex
Browse libraries from your own or shared Plex Media Servers
LIMITATIONS: When playing or viewing media from your Plex Media Server on the device:
- Video is limited to one minute of playback
- Music is limited to one minute of playback
- Photos will have a watermark added
- There are multiple ways to unlock/activate the app to remove the playback limitations when streaming from a Plex Media Server.

Unlocked Functionality

Unlocking the app will remove the playback limitations when streaming from a Plex Media Server.

Unlocking or Activating Plex for Android

The Plex for Android app is available to download for free from the Google Play or Amazon app stores. While many features of the app are available to use for free and users can test out all of the features, there are playback limitations when streaming from a Plex Media Server unless the app is unlocked.

One-Time Purchase in the App

Users who don’t have a Plex Pass subscription—and aren’t interested in starting one—can unlock Plex for Android through a simple one-time purchase.

The purchase is tied to your app store account. You can download and use on any Android device with the app store you originally purchased it from with the app store account you purchased it with. The purchase is linked to the app store account that made the purchase and doesn’t extend to other app store accounts or profiles.

For instance, if you purchase the app through Google Play, then the purchase will apply to any Android device using the same Google Play account. The purchase does not extend to a different Google Play account, nor does it extend to other app stores, such as Amazon or iTunes.

2. What was changed/taken away.

From the link:

Can I access my Plex library outside of my home network?

Yes, that's possible! First, you'll need to set up Remote Access on the Plex Media Server to facilitate remote connections. You then need either an active Plex Pass subscription on your server admin account (allowing any user accessing the server to stream remotely) or a Remote Watch Pass (letting you stream remotely from any server to which you have access).

3. What this extended trial does.

From the link:

collapsed inline media

Had to bust out the dictionary for this one:

Extended (adjective)

Continued or prolonged.
extended efforts

Trial

A tentative or experimental action in order to ascertain results; experiment.

The page does not explain what these things are.

Which is why it's crazy that I just followed the link you were given and copied/pasted this information in. Must be magic.

All of that to say, fuck you right back for your obtuse little replies. Try actually reading what you're linked to and asking intelligent questions next time, instead of "Huh? What? I don't know those words..."

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 0 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Okay I think I get it now. How long is the extended trial?

[–] null@piefed.nullspace.lol 1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

You really don't even want to try do you?

https://support.plex.tv/articles/extended-remote-watch-pass-trial/

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 1 points 1 hour ago

It would have been extremely easy for you to say "they took away a supposed one time purchase for a 3 month trial of a monthly subscription" instead of being an asshole. I'm done with this interaction. I agree that this is a shitty thing to do. Thank you for telling me.