More than eight years after the Apple TV streaming app first came out, the tech giant has finally released a version for Google’s Android.
On Wednesday (Feb. 12), the Apple TV app for Android was published on the Google Play store. It’s compatible with all Android devices including smartphones and tablets running Android 10 and later.
Android users can subscribe to Apple TV+ ($9.99/month in the U.S.) and MLS Season Pass ($14.99/month or $99/season) using their Google Play account on Android mobile and Google TV devices. Those are the same prices for the services as through iOS.
Apple said its engineers built the Android version of the Apple TV app from the ground up to be optimized for the platform and “to deliver Android users a familiar and intuitive interface.” However, the initial version of Apple TV’s Android app will not support casting from a mobile device to connected TVs.
It’s unclear why it took Apple until now to release a native Android app for Apple TV, which debuted in the U.S. in December 2016. There is a “living room” version of the Apple TV app for Chromecast with Google TV (launched in January 2021) — which will be updated Wednesday to let users subscribe to Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass. just as with the native Android app. Meanwhile, in November 2015, Apple released an Android version of the Apple Music streaming app.
The Apple TV app on Android, available in more than 100 markets worldwide, includes key features like Continue Watching to pick up where a user left off across all their devices, and Watchlist to keep track of everything they want to watch in the future. The app streams over Wi-Fi or cellular connections and includes the ability to download to watch content offline.
The native Android version of Apple TV joins the matrix of platforms the app supports. In addition to Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro and Mac), it’s available on smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio, TCL and others; Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices; Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox gaming consoles; and the web at tv.apple.com.
Until now, Apple TV+ users have been able to access the service on Android in a roundabout way: If they signed up for Apple TV+ through Amazon’s Prime Video, a premium add-on that launched last October, they could stream programming through Prime Video’s Android app.
The Apple TV app, in addition to providing access to Apple TV+, lets you buy or rent new movie releases and a catalog of more than 100,000 movies and shows. (If you have an existing Apple TV account, any purchases will be available through the Android app.) The app also lets you subscribe directly to Paramount+, Starz and AMC+ and allows you to search for shows and movies from over 100 video streaming apps, including Disney+, Hulu, Max, Prime Video and Peacock.
Apple TV+ is the company’s streaming service stocked with dozens of original series, films, documentaries, and kids and family entertainment. Featured shows include “Severance,” “Ted Lasso,” “Slow Horses,” “The Morning Show,” “Presumed Innocent,” “Shrinking,” “Hijack,” “Loot,” “Palm Royale” and “Masters of the Air.” Apple original films include “Wolfs,” “The Instigators,” “The Family Plan,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and the Oscar-winning “CODA.” Apple TV+ is also the home of “Friday Night Baseball,” a weekly MLB double-header available in the U.S. and other countries with no local broadcast restrictions.
MLS Season Pass, available separately through the Apple TV app, provides access to every live Major League Soccer regular-season match, the entire playoffs and Leagues Cup with no blackouts. The league’s 30th season kicks off the weekend of Feb. 22. New for 2025, Apple TV+ subscribers can also watch “Sunday Night Soccer,” a weekly primetime standalone match showcasing MLS’s “most compelling” games.