Apple is finally bringing its TV+ streaming app over to Android

Summary

Apple TV+ offers exclusive content and features like six simultaneous streams and six profiles for $10 per month.
The streaming service continues to gain traction with new additions added over time, including live sports.
The long-awaited native Android app for Apple TV+ has finally been released, showcasing Apple’s interest in expanding its reach.

In a long-awaited move, Apple is finally launching a native Android version of its popular Apple TV+ streaming service. The app is now available for download on the Google Play Store, with an adaptive interface that’s optimized for smartphones, tablets, foldables, and TV sets alike.

“Available around the world, the Apple TV app for Android was built from the ground up to deliver Android users a familiar and intuitive interface. Android users can subscribe to Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass using their Google Play account on Android mobile and Google TV devices. Apple TV+ also offers a seven-day free trial,” says Apple in a press statement.

The Android Apple TV+ app includes features that iOS and Apple TV users are already familiar with. These include Continue Watching to sync play history across devices, a Watchlist for keeping tabs on content of interest, the ability to download shows for offline viewing, and both Wi-Fi and cellular data streaming options.

Apple TV+ still has one perk that sets it apart from all other streamers

The attractive streaming service isn’t too worried about password sharing, for now.

Apple TV+

Apple TV+ is a global streaming service which offers on-demand access to a growing list of exclusive content, including Severance, Ted Lasso, Slow Horses, and much more.

Price: $9.99 per month
Free trial: 7 day free trial and 3 months free if you buy an Apple device
Simultaneous streams: 6
# of profiles: 6
Originals: Yes
Live TV:: Limited (There are live sports and some add-on channels offer live TV)
Ads: No
Ad plans: No

Apple TV+ continues to gain traction as a streaming service

A native Android app took a long time to arrive, but its better late than never

Apple first launched its TV+ streaming service in November 2019, differentiating the platform from competitors like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video by providing a library made up entirely of exclusive content.

Over the past five years, TV+ has grown in scope and scale, with a number of notable Apple Original films, documentaries, and TV shows hitting the service. Series like Severance, Slow Horses, and Ted Lasso have proven popular with TV fans, as have films like The Instigators, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Wolfs.

Back in January 2023, Apple launched an official TV+ preview app on the Microsoft store, providing a native streaming experience for Windows users. The app was eventually released in stable form for PC, but Android users were left wondering when their time in the sun would arrive.

My Apple TV makes me wish I had an iPhone

The Apple TV is great, but it’d be better if I had an iPhone to go with it.

It may have taken longer than expected, but the release of a native Apple TV+ app for the Android platform is a positive development. Unfortunately, at the time of launch, this newly-minted Android experience appeared to lack the ability to cast content onto another display, which is disappointing.

On a more positive note, the ability to subscribe to both Apple TV+ and the MLS Season Pass service directly from within the app (via a Google Play account) is a great quality-of-life addition.

…the release of a native Apple TV+ app for the Android and Google TV platforms is a positive development.

For context, within the existing Android TV version of the app, you need to subscribe or enter your payment details externally from a web browser or from an Apple device, adding undue friction to the experience.

For the time being, it’s unclear whether this new Android and Google TV version of the Apple TV+ app will supersede the existing Android TV variant that has been available up until now.