It’s been five years since the Apple TV app was launched, and we’re now getting a version for Android devices — built from the ground up for native Android integration — in the Google Play store that will have the same Apple TV+ functionality as the Apple ecosystem version. The new app means users with Android OS 10 or later will finally have the ability to sign up for Apple TV+ on their Android-based phones and tablets to watch shows and movies like Severance, Silo, Killers of the Flower Moon, and CODA. There will be no difference in pricing on Android compared to Apple.
This should enable seamless interactivity across platforms for features such as Continue Watching — which keeps track of where you are in a show or movie and allows you to pick up from that spot when you return, regardless of the device you watch on. Customer’s Watchlist will be kept up to date across devices as well, and since purchases are linked to your Apple account, all the content you own will be accessible on any device with the new updated app. One thing missing at launch, though, will be the ability to cast Apple TV content from your Android device.
The demo Digital Trends saw was on both an Android phone and tablet, and looked incredibly similar to the experience on an Apple device. On phones, along the bottom of the screen will be dedicated tabs for Apple TV+, MLS, Downloads, and Search, and scrolling through the app will reveal Continue Watching, Top Charting shows and movies, and — for new Android subscribers — a section highlighting the top Apple original productions. With tablets, the sizing will adjust based on the screen size, and the same menus found on the phone layout will be accessible through a hamburger menu at the top left of the screen.
Also featured within the new app is MLS Season Pass. There will be a highlighted match of the week under the banner “Sunday Night Soccer” and pages for each upcoming match that will include details and links out to the soccer club pages. You’ll have the ability to favorite teams to prioritize them and have them show in a separate “Supporters’ Section” row.
The app version that already exists on Google OS TVs — such as the TCL QM8, Sony Bravia 9, and Hisense U8N — will get integrated Google Play billing, but at least as of now, will not be a new app.
Based on user ratings and comments in the Google Play store as of just this morning, this will be a very welcome addition. The previous app listed had more than 50 million downloads but a rating of only 1.6 stars (and we weren’t able to download it on our devices).
