Drop everything and download: Sky Go

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Before you check the date to make sure you haven’t travelled back in time to 2011, we’re well aware Sky Go is not a new app. But with its latest update, Sky has turned it into the only mobile app you’ll need, especially if you’ve got Sky Q and you’ve just discovered you’re addicted to Gomorrah.

So what’s new and where does it leave the old Sky Q app?

What does it do?

Sky Go is an app that lets you stream Sky TV on your phone or tablet (as long as you’re a subscriber, obvs) – but the latest version adds a number of features that you used to have to fire up the Sky Q app (or even the creaking old Sky+ one) in order to use.

Launch Sky Go at home and it’ll detect the box on your network, allowing you to use your phone or tablet to watch stuff that’s been recorded or downloaded to the box’s hard drive. Depending on the show, you can also save them offline to watch on the train. Handily, it’ll let you filter out anything on the box that doesn’t allow that.

You can also see what’s on now and later with a full TV guide, and, with the necessary package, you can browse and download from Sky’s exhaustive on-demand catalogue. Downloads remain on your device for a month before self-destructing.

The whole interface has also been revamped to match the menus on your Sky Q box, plus you can now manage which devices are authorised to use your Sky account without having to go to the website. Handy.

Any downsides?

There are some features here that you’ll need to be shelling out a considerable amount per month to take advantage of. Watching recordings from your box requires a multiroom subscription, while downloading on-demand stuff might require a Sky Go Extra account, but most functionality is available to even the most basic Sky accounts.

If you count needing to pay a subscription to use it at all as a downside, and based on a worrying number of user reviews for apps like this lots of people do, then you are a moron.

Where can I get it?

The app itself is a free download from your chosen app store, although it looks like it’s only available on iOS for now. Others are set to follow soon, including Amazon Fire tablets.

About

Stuff's second Tom has been writing for the magazine and website since 2006, when smartphones were only for massive nerds and you could say “Alexa” out loud without a robot answering. Over the years he’s written about everything from MP3s to NFTs, played FIFA with Trent Alexander-Arnold, and amassed a really quite impressive collection of USB sticks.