Samsung helped convince consumers that their smart TVs could double as gaming consoles. Now Microsoft is ending Xbox Cloud Gaming support on compatible 2020 models, raising some uncomfortable questions about how long smart TV features should last.
One of the biggest selling points of modern smart TVs is that they can do almost everything without another box connected to an HDMI port. Streaming movies, playing music, accessing cloud games, and even pretending that their AI assistants understand what we’re saying have all become part of the package. Samsung has been particularly aggressive about promoting console-free gaming, but owners of some of its older televisions are about to discover that software support has an expiration date.
Microsoft has informed affected customers that the Xbox app will no longer be supported on 2020 Samsung Smart TVs beginning November 3, 2026. The change affects the ability to stream Xbox Cloud Gaming directly through the television, even though the display itself may continue to perform perfectly well. Owners of supported Samsung televisions from 2021 onward with software version 1300 and higher are not included in the announced cutoff.
The notification was first reported by Windows Central, whose executive editor Jez Corden received the email from Microsoft. According to the company, updates to the technology powering Xbox Cloud Gaming are no longer compatible with the operating system available on the affected televisions.
Six years now qualifies as old age in the smart TV business. Somebody should tell the millions of people still watching perfectly good televisions from 2015.
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Which Samsung TVs Are Affected?
The change applies to the Xbox app on compatible 2020 Samsung smart TVs, not every Samsung television manufactured that year. Samsung originally extended cloud gaming support to selected older models through individual gaming applications rather than the full Gaming Hub experience introduced with its 2022 televisions.
Samsung’s published compatibility information includes numerous 2020 QLED and lifestyle models, including the Q60T, Q80T, Q90T, selected 8K QLED televisions, The Frame, and The Serif. Owners should verify their exact model because support was never universal across the entire 2020 lineup.
You can find your television’s model information under Settings > Support > About This TV. The distinction between model year and purchase year is important; a television purchased in 2021 could still be a 2020 model.
Why Is Microsoft Ending Support?
The official explanation concerns software compatibility, specifically the older operating system used by Samsung’s 2020 televisions. Windows Central subsequently reported that newer Xbox Cloud Gaming functionality requires Chromium browser capabilities unavailable on those sets, while Samsung has no plans to provide the necessary platform updates.
That is a more credible explanation than suggesting Microsoft simply got bored with older televisions. It also exposes a fundamental weakness in smart TV design: expensive display hardware can outlast the software infrastructure that makes some of its advertised features useful.
This is not evidence that Microsoft is discontinuing Xbox Cloud Gaming generally, nor does it mean Samsung’s Netflix, YouTube, or other streaming applications will stop working on November 3. The announced withdrawal concerns the Xbox app on the affected models only.
What Can Samsung Owners Do?
Fortunately, losing the built-in Xbox app does not mean buying another television. Owners have several alternatives that may allow them to continue using Xbox Cloud Gaming on the same screen.
The most straightforward solution is a compatible external streaming device. Microsoft supports the Xbox app on selected Amazon Fire TV hardware, including the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, second-generation Fire TV Stick 4K, and third-generation Fire TV Cube. A compatible controller, supported Game Pass subscription or eligible free-to-play title, and sufficient internet bandwidth are still required.
Users can also access Xbox Cloud Gaming through supported computers, phones, tablets, and Xbox consoles. Those options do not necessarily recreate the convenience of launching games directly from the Samsung interface, but they provide a way around the television’s aging software.
The Bottom Line
This is a warning about the increasingly temporary nature of smart TV features. Consumers should not automatically assume that every connected service advertised when they purchased a television will remain available for the useful life of its display panel.
Samsung’s older TVs are not suddenly becoming obsolete, and there’s no reason to replace a working television over one unsupported application. But if manufacturers want consumers to consider software platforms a major reason to buy expensive televisions, they should also be prepared to explain what happens when those platforms stop delivering what was originally promised.
For more information: support.xbox.com
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