Five years after the arrival of its Apple TV+streaming service, Apple finally carries its Apple TV app on Android, with the desire to seduce a maximum of new users. It remains to be seen if the public will follow.
Apple takes a new step by finally launching the Apple TV application on Android, a decision that comes five years after the launch of the Apple TV+streaming service. Available for free on the Google Play Store, the application is compatible with smartphones and tablets running Android 10 and beyond, which makes it accessible to a large audience.
The arrival of this application marks a strategic turning point for Apple, which, until then, had mainly reserved its services for its own ecosystem. If TVs and TV boxes under Google TV or Android TV could already access the Apple TV platform, Android users on smartphones and tablets had to go through a web browser to view content. With this dedicated application, they will benefit from a practical and intuitive interface, very similar to that of the iPhone and iPad app, as Apple highlights in Its official press release.
Apple TV on Android: Almost like on iOS
It is important to emphasize that the Apple TV application on Android is dedicated exclusively to Apple TV+, the Apple subscription streaming service, similar in principle to Netflix or Disney+. This means that users cannot buy or rent films via the iTunes Store, a function reserved for iOS devices. The application therefore focuses mainly on the streaming service, renowned for the quality of its original productions praised by criticism such as Ted Lasso,, Severance,, The Morning Showor films like Killers of the Flower Moon And CODA., more than by the richness of its catalog; less extensive than that of other platforms.
For the rest, the Apple TV application for Android does not have much to envy its counterpart for iOS. We find there the practical functions, such as the synchronization of the progression of viewing between several devices, the possibility of creating a personalized reading list, as well as the download of content for an offline consultation. One of the rare missing functions is the possibility of “caster” (broadcast) videos to other screens, although this option is expected in a subsequent update.
The arrival of the application on Android coincides with the new season of Major League Soccer (MLS), a football competition broadcast exclusively on Apple TV+. Sports lovers will be able to subscribe to the MLS Season Pass, a paying subscription, and follow the matches directly from their Android device.
Finally, to attract and seduce new subscribers, Apple offers a free 7 -day trial period, an offer that allows you to discover the series and films of the Apple TV+catalog, which platforms are no longer doing like Netflix. It remains to be seen whether this opening to the Android world will allow Apple to catch up with a large competition and well installed on the streaming market.