TV fans have been warned a long-running BBC iPlayer app will be rendered useless from Monday.
The BBC has decided to shutdown its iPlayer download app for PC and Mac.
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BBC iPlayer Downloads allows viewers to save their favourite shows onto machines so they can watch them later without internet or a Wi-Fi connection.
The feature was particularly useful for those who travel abroad with their laptop, as BBC iPlayer isn’t accessible in other countries.
BBC bosses said they “made the difficult decision” to close the app due to “the low number of people using it and the cost required to keep it going”.
The move does not affect downloads on the BBC iPlayer mobile or tablet apps – and people can continue to stream programmes on BBC iPlayer from their PC and Mac devices as normal.
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Users slammed the decision when it was announced last month.
“I DO NOT want to peer at a tiny mobile screen with poor sound quality to watch a film/drama/wildlife program, etc, originally produced in HD,” one said.
“Which BBC idiot or incompetent committee came up with this decision? With this withdrawal of features in mind I will definitely support any move to refuse an increase in the BBC’s licence fee.”
Another wrote: “What sort of people do the BBC employ to come up with this idiocy?
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“Have they actually tried watching programmes on a telephone screen or considered those of us who do not even have smartphones or tablets?”
The app has already been withdrawn so no new users can download it.
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On Monday (March 11) anyone who already has the app will no longer be able to download programmes on it.
And on April 8, the app will close down altogether.
