For several years (since iOS 15.x) you can find the option ‘TV provider’ in the settings of the Apple TV and iPhone. Maybe you have already come across this institution. When you select ‘TV provider’, you will immediately see a list of countries in which the function is available. The Netherlands is still missing in the list, but Belgium is at the top of the list.
At the moment the Belgian Proximus Pickx is the only one in the Benelux to support the TV provider institutions. In the Netherlands there are no providers who support these institutions.
What are the TV provider settings used for?
The TV provider institution is part of Single Sign-On and Zero Sign-On. Single Sign-On is a feature that you only have to log into the account of your TV provider once, in order to be able to use the apps offered by the provider afterwards.
So you only have to log in on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV once with the details of your account. Internet and TV providers often offer multiple apps, for example for watching TV and for managing activated services.
With Single Sign-On on your Apple devices via the TV provider option, logging into the various apps is automatically arranged in the background.
With the help of Zero Sign-on you don’t even have to log in anymore, because your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV automatically recognizes the network of the provider with which it is connected.
Use the TV provider Settings on Apple TV
You can set the TV provider Settings on Apple TV if your provider supports this function. Via iCloud passwords, the data is automatically synchronized to all your other Apple devices. So if you are logged in via an Apple device, your other devices will also be logged in automatically.
- Open the Settings app and select ‘Users and Accounts’.
- Scroll down and select the ‘TV provider’ option.
- Click in Log and select one of the supporting countries.
- Then choose a provider that you want to use and enter the login details of your account.
TV provider Settings on iPhone and iPad
You can also use the settings on the iPhone and iPad, you set them as follows:
- Open the settings app on iPhone or iPad.
- Go to General â–¸ TV provider.
- Select your country, for example Belgium/
- Select the provider, in the case of the Benelux, only the Belgian Proximus Pickx is available in the list.
- Enter the login details of your account and tap the ‘Log in’ button.
No support in the Netherlands and only limited worldwide
In the Netherlands, the Functions TV provider and Single Sign-On are not supported by providers such as KPN, Odido and Ziggo. It is not known whether there are plans from these providers to support this. Given the limited number of providers of the position worldwide (only 1 or 2 providers per country), the chance is very small that Dutch providers will support this functionality.
At the moment it is primarily a function that is used in the United States. In recent years there have been no further developments in this area and the position could also just disappear in the long run.