Sky Q finally gets a long-awaited free upgrade - check your set-top box or miss out

If you thought your Sky Q box was being ignored, there's good news. Although the telly firm is clearly pushing more people towards Sky Glass and Sky Stream, it appears it hasn't forgotten about the millions of Q users across the UK. It's just been confirmed that a blockbuster - and very long-awaited - update is on its way with the launch of the U app on Sky Q boxes.

This update arrived on Sky's newer products last September and offers an easy way to tune into hours of bonus content for free.

Customers with Sky Q now join those on Sky Glass and Sky Stream. They now have full access to the U app, which features shows from UKTV's free-to-air channels - U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&W,U&YESTERDAY and U&Eden - plus additional U content.

For those not in the know, U is the new name for UKTV. This popular platform had a major revamp back in July last year in a bid to align channels such as Dave Yesterday and Drama.

Those with Sky Q will now get full on-demand access to shows including The Marlow Murder Club, Outrageous, Bergerac, Pete Wicks: For Dogs' Sake, Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, The Chelsea Detective, Ladies in Black and The Count of Monte Cristo.

The app also lets customers search for shows or lists things in specific categories to make it easier to discover content that suits their tastes. There's also a Watchlists section where you can place things to view at a later date.

Sky Q users should find U available from today, there shouldn't be any need to update the device or restart things.

Speaking about the update Sam Tewungwa, Managing Director, UKTV, said: "U is going from strength to strength with on-going growth in views, reach and quality of content. We're delighted to be building on this success by bringing U to more Sky homes via the hugely popular Sky Q platform."

And Jon Simkin, Managing Director, Content Partnerships, Sky, added: "We're pleased to expand our partnership with UKTV through the launch of the U app on Sky Q, having already launched on Sky Stream and Sky Glass. This gives our customers even more choice and flexibility in how they enjoy great TV on Sky."