In case you haven’t heard, Apple TV+ has finallyarrived on Android devicesafter years of waiting. Now Android users can keep up with the latest seasons of Severance, Silo, andApple TV showsand films, such as Killers of the Flower Moon and the recently released The Gorge. As it turns out, that’s the only thing they can do.
TheApple TV appon Android is incredibly barebones, and if you purchased anything through Apple on another device, you can’t access any of that on Android. For example, I own Magnolia after buying it on myApple TV 4K. I can watch it there with no problem, but if I load up the Apple TV app on Android, there’s no option to look through my library at all.
This very same app on an iPhone or iPad lets me watch anything I purchase, so it feels very strange that Android is left out in the cold like this. If you compare the Android version with the iOS version, you’ll see it’s just missing buttons like the Store option, so it’s a stripped-down version at its core. Although I’m a paying customer, it feels like I’m getting the short end of the stick here, and I’m not happy about it.
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Android owners get shafted
We deserve better than this
I fully understand Apple primarily makes products for people who buy into the ecosystem, and that’s who benefits the most. I haven’t been one of those people outside of an Apple TV 4K, so I understand I’m not the ideal customer. However, I don’t see the purpose of throwing Android owners a bone like this if the plan wasn’t to give them the full-service app. As somebody who buys content through the Apple ecosystem, it’s strange that I don’t get access to it unless I’m specifically on an Apple device.
Of course, Android has been an afterthought by Apple for years, so it’s not all that surprising to see the app launch in this state. As somebody who was excited at the prospect of possibly being able to watch something I purchased in bed, it’s a slap in the face. At the very least, if I wanted to watch Ted Lasso on my tablet, I can do that.
When I saw the app was coming over to Android, I was apparently foolish to think it meant the same app as what’s available on iOS. Although this isn’t the end of the world as I have other ways to watch my purchased content, it would be awful for somebody who didn’t. Imagine if you had an iPad where you liked watching all of your shows and movies, but you decided to ditch it for a Galaxy tablet. That scenario means all of your content is trapped on another device, and it would result in a lot of lost value.
I’m happy I can finally add things to my Apple TV+ watchlist in bed, but I almost wish I hadn’t got access to the app at all if this was what I was going to get. Things could certainly change down the road, but I have a sneaking suspicion that won’t happen any time soon if this is all that came out on the back of what should have been a major announcement. At the time of this writing, Android feels like the worst way to experience the Apple TV app. Even the clunky and very outdated-looking Windows app gives me access to my purchased content.
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I’m being punished for not buying in
A tough pill to swallow
The big moneymaker is the digital library. Many platforms offer digital libraries, whether it’s the Google Play Store, your Xbox or PlayStation account, or even the Movies Anywhere app. If the Apple TV app on Android is your only entry into the ecosystem, you may’t even build up your library. Of course, that’s not a big deal for somebody without any other Apple products, but it’s an issue for people like me.
Apple tends to run deals often, and I have purchased a few things on my Apple TV 4K considering that’s the main place I watch anything. Not having access to any of that on my tablet is annoying. What this does tell me, however, is I’ll always need to have an Apple device handy to access this library, as just having the app isn’t enough.
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A complicated future
I don’t like being tied down
The main downside I see to this decision is being forced to stick with a company. A lot of people do this already by always picking an Android or iPhone when they make a new purchase, but there are a number of things wrong with that. The big one is that companies tend to go through highs and lows, and there’s a chance Apple could be stagnating while there’s something more exciting coming from Google. This could lead you to buying a Pixel, but that means you lose your Apple library by not having brand loyalty.
This is the world we live in now thanks to digital libraries, and it’s actually one of the reasons Xbox head Phil Spencer cited for Xbox’s decline. Once people start building their digital library up somewhere, they tend to stick with whatever platform that is because that’s where all their stuff is. As long as the product stays solid, there are no issues. If PlayStation or Apple start lagging behind the competition, it’s a bad experience for everyone because you either stick with your floundering platform or start fresh somewhere else. Apple’s doing just fine right now, but what if things are different in 10 years?
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