We were expecting an update to the iPhone SE this week. Instead, we got Apple TV+ on Android. Apple has officially made the app available for Android users through the Google Play store. You won’t have to have an Apple device to sign up for the service or even get billed for it. It’s one less reason for Tim Cook to tell you to buy your mom an iPhone.
The Apple TV+ app is now available in the Google Play store for Android devices of all types. Apple developed the app using the latest frameworks. It works with any device running Android 10 and up. The app will adapt to all displays, from foldable to tablets. That means the old tablet you have lying around could become a dedicated Severance tablet. Wouldn’t that be something?
You don’t need an existing Apple ID to subscribe to Apple TV+. Apple will let you sign up for the service through the app and pay for the subscription through Google Play. Android’s built-in payment system will handle all the billing. You can even cancel your Apple TV+ subscription using the Google Play Store app instead of going through Apple.
This is the first time the Apple TV+ app has been available on Android. It’s only been available on Google TV, a “living room” product for large-screen entertainment devices. The Apple TV+ app works with Android smartphones and tablets as it does inside iOS’s walled garden. You can use the Continue Watching feature to pick up on a show or movie you started on your phone. You can even download content for later to watch offline. The only thing you can’t do is cast Apple TV+ to any other Google devices you have in the home. It isn’t available in the app yet, though I imagine Apple will build it into a succeeding version.
What’s going on here? Is Apple finally acquiescing to the idea that there’s another mobile platform people would prefer to use? Hardly. This particular release of Apple TV+ on Android promotes Apple’s recent partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS). All the games will be available to stream on Apple TV+ subscribers later this month. Apple also has a deal with Major League Baseball (MLB) that will come into play once the season starts later this year. It’s all to get in more users through Apple’s non-hardware offerings, especially since rival products have increased in price—looking at you, YouTube TV. It’s also a way for the company to justify its investment in producing and offering all that original content. Luckily, it has a few Oscar wins to stand on in marketing.
Android users can download and install the app today for a week free of Apple TV+—the same trial period Apple offers everyone. After that, it’s $10/month to keep watching the library or $100/year if you pay all at once.
