topic Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem in TV

BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

zisakjee — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 18:34:55 GMT

I have a 'Manage Devices' problem. With EE/BT TV web player, when I try to watch on my desktop, I get a message telling me I have reached my device limit. I go to device management and I can see that my desktop has used up all 4 devices when I've logged in the previous 4 times. I now get the following message in the app: "

You've reached your device limit

You have reached the limit on the number of devices you have registered for playback. (WP928)

i.e. the app thinks my desktop is a new device every time I log in.

Is there a bug? As it stands I cannot watch anything that I am paying for as the web app has locked me out. Can anyone help?

Many thanks.

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

DarrenDev — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 18:42:52 GMT

Are you using any privacy software on your PC? The app needs to store a unique key on the device to identify itself - if something is wiping that data or preventing it from being stored then it'll appear as a new device every time.

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

zisakjee — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 18:55:45 GMT

Very strange - I don't have any privacy software on the PC.

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

zisakjee — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 19:03:28 GMT

What's more strange is I also have NOWTV as part of my tv package and I don't have the same issue with that when watching it on the desktop. (I'm assuming they would also have a unique key identifier so you can only log in on limited number of devices, similar to EE/BT TV Player...

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

DarrenDev — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 19:09:40 GMT

I can't comment on what they use - that's down to the internals of their code.

I can only suggest you uninstall the app again then install again, and see if things improve. I've reset your devices for now, to allow you to use it again.

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

zisakjee — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 19:38:49 GMT

Thanks - I'll uninstalled the app and will give it another go

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

Midnight_Voice — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 21:33:04 GMT

@zisakjee @DarrenDev

With Now, you can be logged on to an unlimited number of devices at the same time.

However, Now will count the number of programmes you are streaming at the same time on different devices, and prevent you starting more simultaneous streams than you are allowed:-

Non-EE TV users without Boost - 1 stream

EE TV users without Boost - 2 streams (certain restrictions can apply)

Users with Boost, EE TV or not - 3 streams for existing Boost users, 2 streams for new Boost users

Users with Ultra Boost, 3 streams

EE TV does not yet support Ultra Boost, but they are working on it

Note that if you do not stop a stream cleanly, it may be up to 20 minutes before the counter clears, during which time Now count you as still streaming. If you stop a stream cleanly, though, the counter is released immediately.

As with any system, the counting process can go wrong from time to time, such that Now regards you as running more streams than you actually are. If this happens to you, contact Now Live Chat to get the counter reset.

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

zisakjee — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 16:36:31 GMT

The reset and re-installation of the app seems to have worked - thanks for your help!

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

zisakjee — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 21:32:20 GMT

Hi,

This issue has reoccurred. Following your last reset, I've only registered the EE web app on two devices. My desktop player (last used on 02/10/24) and a laptop (last used on 29/08/24) within our household. However, it has wrongly registered two "desktop players" as new devices (on the 16th and 28th of September) when using the laptop. When we try to use the web app on the laptop, the EE app thinks it's a new device which I find very strange and says that I am unable to register....... even though the laptop was registered on the 29th of August.

This time I'm receiving the same error message but with a new error code. "You have reached the limit on the number of devices you have registered for playback (WP933)"

This reoccurring issue is frustrating - can you please look in to the issue on your side to resolve?

Thanks,

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

DarrenDev — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 07:00:24 GMT

Unfortunately I doubt there is anything we can do to resolve this on our side @zisakjee - someone or something is deleting our app data, causing it to be seen as a new device each time. It'll almost certainly be a privacy app or setting of some description, but we've not had anyone report issues like this for many years.

The last time this happened, it was a product called "CCleaner" that was deleting all our data - are you using this? Or anything like this?

I've asked the dev lead for that app whether there's anything we can do to help you identify the cause.

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

DarrenDev — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 08:06:23 GMT

Update: the app uses the system UUID - this is generated by the hardware, and should never change. Even privacy apps cannot change this value. Is it a real Windows device you're using? Or a virtual machine?

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

zisakjee — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 17:28:16 GMT

We don't have any privacy apps on the the laptop. I've never heard of the app that you mentioned.

It is a real Windows device (Lenovo laptop) that was purchased through a reputable outlet. I've not used any virtual machines in our household before.

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

Midnight_Voice — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 21:27:06 GMT

@zisakjee

C(rap)Cleaner is a well respected utility for cleaning up unwanted files (temporary, caches, stuff left over after a delete, etc). It’s not a privacy app per se.

if you are using any sort of disc tidying utility, though, this may be the culprit.

I don’t know where EETV might have stashed a file such that CCleaner thought it was cruft, and I don’t expect @DarrenDev wants to tell us, but no doubt it is in a safer place now.

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

DarrenDev — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 06:15:40 GMT

As mentioned, it shouldn't be possible to change the system UUID - it's generated when Windows is installed, usually based on the hardware. I assume you're not resetting Windows on your laptop either?

I've reset your devices again, and I've requested that additional logging be added to the app to report when we detect the system UUID has changed.

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

zisakjee — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 11:18:12 GMT

We've never reset Windows on the laptop.

Thanks - i'd appreciate that so we can identify this issue if it re-occurs.

On my desktop, I usually select the show I'm going to watch on the BT TV Web App which then opens the show up within the EE TV Player.

On the laptop, we've used the EETV website to select the show and thus opens it in the EE TV Player. Would this have an effect on the number of devices being used (i.e. counting it as a new device each time)?

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

DarrenDev — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 12:54:18 GMT

@zisakjee I assume the "BT TV Web App" looks identical to the EE TV website? We redirected the BT TV web site to the EE one a few months ago, so there should only be one place you can launch video from.

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

zisakjee — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 18:44:30 GMT

Yes the EE TV website looks identical to the BT TV Web App - I can select a show on either of these to open it up in the EE TV player.

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

DaveAdams1974 — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 11:39:43 GMT

Hi @DarrenDev, would it be possible to have my devices reset please

I used to be able to add 4 devices, but it's now only allowing me to have 2.

I've had to factory reset one of my fire tablets and the app is now preventing me from adding a new device.

Many thanks

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

damenzie — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 12:54:00 GMT

Has there been any solution found to this? I have the same problem. Every time I try to watch it is creating a new device record. Now it isn't letting me watch anything as it says I have reached my device limit.

Re: BT/EE TV - Manage Device problem

DarrenDev — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 13:00:53 GMT

We've yet to find out why some installs go rogue @damenzie - the best I can suggest is that you uninstall the current app and then install again from https://player.ee.co.uk/#/desktopInstaller

I've reset your devices to give you access back, but this isn't something I can do on a repeat basis.