Disney+ has launched a new app in South Africa, replacing the version subscribers have been using since the streaming service arrived locally in May 2022.
Rather than arriving as a normal update, the replacement needs to be downloaded separately. Existing customers can sign in using their current Disney+ account details and will be guided through the process of confirming their account and setting up profiles. The existing app will continue working until 12 October 2026, after which Disney will retire it.
The move brings South African subscribers onto Disney’s newer streaming experience, with a redesigned homepage, simpler navigation and recommendations influenced by both viewing habits and what’s popular locally. Disney says the interface should also make it easier to find content across Disney+, Hulu and ESPN, while surfacing new movies, series, originals and live programming more prominently. Subscribers can find the replacement through the official Disney+ website.
There are changes elsewhere too. The app supports up to 25 audio and subtitle languages where available, along with improved video and audio quality on compatible hardware. Junior Mode now includes expanded parental controls such as profile PIN protection, adjustable content ratings and notifications when profile settings are changed. Disney+ can also be used while travelling in supported countries, although the available catalogue may vary depending on where you are.
The content available to South Africans isn’t being replaced as part of the migration. Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic remain alongside Hulu and FX programming, with Disney currently highlighting titles including Grey’s Anatomy, Modern Family, The Simpsons, Only Murders in the Building, The Kardashians, Avatar: Fire and Ashand The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Your watchlist and viewing history won’t transfer
Anyone with several years of Disney+ viewing behind them may want to spend some time in the old app before deleting it because watchlists, recommendations and viewing history won’t transfer to the replacement.
That means subscribers may need to rebuild saved lists and manually find their place in shows they’re already watching. The old app remaining available until 12 October at least gives customers a window in which to check what they’ve saved or make a note of unfinished episodes before moving over completely.
The change is more substantial than a cosmetic refresh because South Africa is moving away from the platform setup used when Disney+ first launched locally and onto Disney’s newer app infrastructure. That’s also why subscribers need to download a separate app rather than simply installing an update over the existing one.
DStv Streama and Explora Ultra support is ending
Anyone watching Disney+ through DStv hardware has a more immediate problem, because the replacement Disney+ app won’t be supported on either the DStv Streama or Explora Ultra. Customers using those devices can continue with the existing app until 12 October, but no new Disney+ content has been added to it since 9 September. After that deadline, they’ll need another supported device to continue watching. DStv has published more detail about the change on its support site.
DStv has also stopped allowing new customers to add Disney+ subscriptions to their DStv bills, while existing add-to-bill customers are being contacted separately about their options.
There have been reports of installation problems elsewhere, although they need some context. Two South African users testing the new app on LG TVs reportedly struggled to install it, but those televisions were also experiencing problems installing or updating other apps. There isn’t enough evidence to describe this as a wider Disney+ compatibility problem affecting LG televisions generally.
Disney’s current support information lists LG WebOS televisions alongside Samsung Tizen TVs, Android TV devices, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, PlayStation and Xbox among the platforms supported by Disney+. Older hardware or unsupported operating-system versions can still cause problems, so anyone who normally watches through a smart TV or streaming box would be better off testing the replacement before October.
Disney+ Basic replaces the Mobile plan
The migration also changes Disney+’s cheapest South African subscription. Existing customers on the R49 Mobile plan are being moved to a new Basic package, which keeps the lower-priced tier but expands access beyond phones and tablets to include TVs. Disney says customers will also eventually be able to subscribe to Basic through MTN, with details still to be announced.
Basic supports streaming at up to 720p and allows one stream at a time, while offline downloads aren’t included. The move makes the entry-level plan less restrictive for people who want to watch on a television, even though the resolution and single-stream limit still separate it from Disney+ Premium.
For existing Premium customers, the subscription itself isn’t changing as part of the app move. They’ll still need to download the replacement app, sign in and recreate anything that doesn’t migrate from the old service.
Disney has given South African subscribers just over a month of overlap between the two apps. If Disney+ is installed directly on a TV or streaming device you’ve been using for several years, it makes sense to test the replacement before 12 October rather than finding out afterwards that the device you usually watch on can’t run it.