Sky's biggest free rival is now even better – every Freely TV and device just got an unexpected feature update

Freely remote control (Manhattan Aero TV) held in hand with Freely on TV in background — (Image credit: Rik Henderson / Future)

Quick Summary

Freely has rolled out a feature update across multiple supporting TVs and streaming devices.

It adds a couple of user experience improvements and should be available for your device now.

There has been considerable interest in Freely over the last 12 months, with new devices joining televisions in offering support for the UK's free TV service.

Indeed, both the Manhattan Aero 4K TV Streamer and Netgem Pleio have been in and out of stock regularly, as eager viewers snap them up as soon as they are available.

That's largely because the streaming platform is steadily becoming a viable alternative to the likes of Sky and Virgin Media, not least because it offers most of the UK's best TV channels with no monthly fees.

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It's also very likely to be the country's de facto TV delivery service, with strong suggestions it'll replace Freeview in the 2030s.

And so it is welcome to see the Freely team adding extra features and functionality to the platform, with a new update rolling out now that brings a couple of neat tweaks to the user experience.

According to Cordbusters, the Freely version 1.21.43.4 started making its way onto supporting TVs and devices from Tuesday this week. If you haven't got it yet, make sure to check your settings for auto-updates.

Changes include a new option to interact with the "On Next" tile that appears on the right-hand side of the Freely Mini Guide during live TV streaming.

Where it was purely informational before, you can now click on the tile to see several options. These include the ability to watch the movie or show straight away (if available on a supported streaming platform), add it to "My List", or browse for more episodes.

In addition, your "My List" collection can now include individual episodes, not just series.

The update also includes bug fixes and performance improvements, which are universal rather than device specific. You might also be served updates for your Freely-enabled tech from time to time, which are delivered by the manufacturers.

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.