Xfinity Stream app is designed not to work on my brand new LG smart TV

Perhaps this will be useful for others who try to use the Xfinity Stream app. It turns out the app does not work on most TV installations.

Xfinity Stream fails to work on my brand new LG TV. I installed the app, signed in, and it returned the error message "This package is not yet available on this device." "TVAPP-00195"

I contacted Xfinity support and spent several hours over three days trying to get help. I chatted first with the Xfinity AI assistant.

Then I was directed to chat sessions and phone conversations with Xfinity staff in Bangalore, Delhi, the Philippines, and an unspecified city in northern India.

The problem was finally resolved by an Xfinity technician in Mumbai. He told me the Xfinity Stream app will not work when the TV is connected to the Internet with Ethernet or with a home WiFi network. The app works only if you use an Xfinity WiFi network.

Thus, the app is designed not to work with most Internet connected TVs including mine.

The question that arises is this:

Why when I reported the error message did the Xfinity support staff not immediately ask me about my TV network connection?

Why are they not trained properly to resolve this very simple error with Xfinity Stream?

All of the Xfinity representatives were very pleasant, very helpful, very patient, and followed the script that didn't produce an answer to my question. I rate them all as 10. Great people. I had fun chatting with them half a world away. A half dozen times with each Xfinity representative I was directed to delete the Xfinity Stream app and then download a fresh copy and install it again. Each time we got the same result, the same error message, as expected, of course.

During the process one of the Xfinity reps did something to my Xfinity Gateway modem and I lost my home phone service for two days. It took an hour on my cell phone with the rep in Mumbai to get phone service restored.

One of the reps told me there was a problem with my comcast cable line. He arranged a home service call for two days in the future. I then got phone calls from other Xfinity reps telling me there was nothing wrong with my cable connection, so they canceled the service call they had scheduled.

At the end of three days, some 7 hours online and on my cell phone, multiple logins and reinstallations, I finally got the answer that the Xfinity Stream app will not work on my LG TV.

I have Xfinity because when I moved to this neighborhood it was the only ISP available. The service has been generally good so I stayed with Xfinity. But Verizon installed FIOS fiber optic cable a couple of years ago. As I write this another company is installing a second fiber optic network in the neighborhood. Comcast no longer has a monopoly in my neighborhood and it's supposed benefits don't even work. Time to look at those alternatives as Comcast falls further and further behind its competition.

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Va_Gardener

Frequent Visitor

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13 Messages

14 days ago

When posting my message the system forced the subject Xfinity Stream Website. My post has nothing to do with Xfinity Stream website but rather with the Xfinity Stream app on my LG TV.

Also, this entire forum fails to work with the Vivaldi browser. I had to switch to Microsoft Edge to use the forum. I'll report this to Vivaldi, but I do wonder why Xfinity makes its site incompatible with some widely used browsers.

XfinityThomasA

Official Employee

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3.6K Messages

12 days ago

Va_Gardener- Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience—we truly appreciate your feedback and the opportunity to listen and improve. I can understand how important it is to have clear expectations when getting started, and I’m glad you brought this forward. Your feedback has been documented and passed along appropriately.

To help provide a bit more clarity, here’s a quick overview of what’s needed to use the Xfinity Stream app:
What you’ll need to stream programs:

Be an active Xfinity customer
Have an internet connection (WiFi or a 3G/4G cellular network)
Use a compatible device that meets Xfinity Stream app system requirements or an eligible Xfinity Flex streaming TV Box
Your Xfinity ID and password to sign in

For more details and guidance, you can review the Xfinity Stream app getting started article linked below.

Get started with the Xfinity Stream app

We’re here to support you every step of the way—please let us know if you’d like help reviewing compatible options or finding the best setup for your home.

Va_Gardener

Frequent Visitor

•

13 Messages

Just for a little more clarification:

My equipment and services as a so-called Xfinity "diamond" member for nearly two decades meets all requirements you outline above. I did install the app successfully several times on my LG TV, and I did sign in successfully several times with my Xfinity credentials.

But there was one additional requirement as explained in my original post. That one requirement is the one you do not make explicit in your detailed list.

Your TV must connect to the Internet through an Xfinity WiFi network and no other kind of WiFi network or wired Ethernet connection. The Xfinity Stream app will not work with a wired Ethernet connection to your TV nor with a TV connected to your home WiFi network provided by your home router.

I was told by the Xfinity representative in Mumbai that the app is designed to work only with a TV connected to the Internet through an Xfinity WiFi connection. It will not work with an Ethernet connection to a home router connected to an Xfinity Gateway modem. It will not work with a WiFi connection to a home router connected to an Xfinity Gateway modem.
Any home using its own router will be unable to use the Xfinity Stream app on a so-called smart TV.

It took 7 hours of online chatting and phone calls to several cities in India and the Philippines before I encountered an Xfinity representative who clarified that requirement for me. He alone explained why the Xfinity Stream app is designed not to function on most Internet-connected TVs.

No other streaming app I use on my TV has such a restriction. They can all be used with any WiFi or wired Ethernet connection to my TV.

11 days ago

XfinityAmandaB

Official Employee

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3.2K Messages

Va_Gardener I apologize, but the Xfinity stream app is meant to be used on the go as well as at home. In the guide filters, you have the options TVGO channels or on the GO channels. These are the channels that would be available out of your home, so it would not matter what network type you are connected to can even use cellular data, so a WIFI or hardwired connection would not matter. Now, not all channels are available away from home due to licensing and regional restrictions from the network that provides the content, but we definitely allow you to use the Xfinity Stream app on different connections and while you are away from home. And would apply for different Network/connection types while you are home.

Now there are some issues with specific TV's detecting the correct network type for the app when being used, but that is an issue with the TV's internal antenna, not the Xfinity Stream app. I use My Stream app at my in-laws' and on Vacation away from home, as well as on road trips. You can check out our Xfinity Stream support page for the LG TVs here.

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11 days ago

Va_Gardener

Frequent Visitor

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13 Messages

I'm sorry, but I do not understand what your reply has to do with the problem I described in detail that involves using the Xfinity Stream app on a smart TV in my home with Xfinity Internet service. Several Xfinity technicians in several different cities were unable to resolve the problem until I talked to the gentleman in Mumbai who told me the app will not work for my configuration with my LG TV. It is not a question of being away from home or being on a portable device. It is not a question of what channels are available. No channels at all are available.

As I described in my original post,

"I installed the app, signed in, and it returned the error message "This package is not yet available on this device." "TVAPP-00195""

Included with the error message is one button that says EXIT.

Clicking that button returns me to my LG Home screen.

I use other streaming apps on this TV with no problem. It is only the Xfinity Stream app that fails to work other than to announce that it is not available even though I downloaded it from the LG app store and installed it without any problem.

Perhaps some senior Xfinity engineers with relevant experience could comment on the problem if the Xfinity representative in Mumbai gave me wrong information.

5 days ago

XfinityRichard

Official Employee

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3.3K Messages

Hi there, @Va_Gardener I apologize for the confusion and for any unhelpful previous replies. You are experiencing the well-documented TVAPP-00195 error on your LG Smart TV. This specific error means Xfinity's current licensing and software agreements dictate that the Xfinity Stream app is not supported for live TV viewing on LG Smart TVs. While you can download the app from the LG store, you will be blocked from accessing channels because LG's operating system does not currently support the necessary in-home security and "partner device" configuration required for the Xfinity Stream service. Since the native app will not work, you have three alternative ways to stream Xfinity on your LG TV. Use an Approved Streaming Device: The easiest workaround is to plug a supported device into your LG TV's HDMI port. Xfinity supports devices like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast. You can download the Xfinity Stream app onto these, and it will work perfectly on your home network. Use a Web Browser and Cast to TV: You can stream directly from your laptop or PC using the Xfinity Stream Portal, and then wirelessly cast/screen-share that tab to your LG TV. Connect an Xfinity Box: You can use an Xfinity-provided set-top box or Xumo Stream box for seamless access to your entire package.

3 days ago

Xfinity Stream Website

Va_Gardener

Xfinity Stream app is designed not to work on my brand new LG smart TV

Va_Gardener

XfinityThomasA

Va_Gardener

XfinityAmandaB

Va_Gardener

XfinityRichard

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