Disney+ Subscribers In South Africa To Migrate To New Version

Earlier this week, Disney announced that it had updated the Disney+ app to support 17 additional languages, bringing the total to 58 languages.

This is part of a larger plan to bring together Disney+ around the world, as back in 2022, when the app started a new wave of expansion in many regions across Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and South Africa.  However, these countries had a different version of the Disney+ app, known internally as Hotstar X, which is a variant version of the Indian platform, Disney+ Hotstar.  

However, after the merger of Disney+ Hotstar into JioHotstar last year, we’ve been seeing Disney+ slowly adding more languages to cover areas currently serviced by the Hotstar X variant.

This week, Disney announced that Disney+ subscribers in South Africa will migrate to the same Disney+ app used in countries across Europe and the Americas.   Customers have been emailed informing them that the change will happen on September 9th 2026.

Subscribers will have access to more features available, lining up with the general Disney+ experience, with access to smarter content recommendations, an enhanced ESPN viewing experience, a new Junior mode for kids and the ability to watch Disney+ more easily when travelling.

At the moment, subscribers in South Africa don’t need to do anything, but another email will follow nearer the time about how to download and log into the new app.  The existing app will be available to use until October 12th, so Disney is giving users a month’s grace to download the new version. 

Also, as part of the change, Disney+ is getting rid of its current mobile plan, rebranding it to the “Basic” plan, which offers all of the same content, but at a lower resolution and without access to downloads. 

No details have been revealed on when other countries currently using the Hotstar X version of the Disney+ will be migrated over, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this either happens globally at the same time, or if they do it country by country, to reduce overloading their servers.  

Making Disney+ have one single app globally will make it much simpler on the tech teams behind the app, especially as not only will the Hotstar X version be gone, but once the Hulu app in the US is also removed, this will drastically help keep things in line globally.  It also makes it much easier for people to travel with Disney+.

What do you think of this change?  Let me know on social media!

Thanks to Calvs for sending over this information.