After 5 lengthy years, Apple TV has made it to Android telephones and tablets, bringing a sophisticated and Apple-like interface to each Android machine on the market. You may lastly binge-watch Severance in your Samsung smartphone (as you very a lot ought to), and for those who’re like me, you may really choose it there than on iPhone.
The Apple TV app for Android, it seems, is a stripped down model of the TV app from iPhone and iPad, not together with content material from companion streaming providers or the power to purchase or hire motion pictures. But it surely’s this stripped down strategy that really makes the Android app higher than the iPhone counterpart, not less than in my view. Within the language of Dieter Rams, “good design is as little design as attainable”.
While you open the Apple TV app on Android, the Apple TV+ tab is the default possibility, exhibiting your Apple TV+ queue and prime TV exhibits and films proper up prime. The one different content material possibility is Apple’s MLS sports activities streaming add-on, which will get its personal distinct tab, too.
On the iPhone and iPad, in the meantime, the TV app is definitely a lot larger than simply Apple TV+. It carries subscription add-ons for various providers like Disney+, Prime Video, Starz, Hulu, Peacock, and extra. Plus, you may also use the app to hire or purchase motion pictures. Which means that while you open the Apple TV app, you is likely to be greeted by a banner for a brand new film you have been eager to see, pondering it has been added to Apple TV+ free of charge. Nonetheless, clicking in will greet you with a giant purchase button, as an alternative.
As a result of Apple TV’s interface is extremely easy and there is no sections dividing up providers (save for Apple’s personal), that may get complicated quick.
Credit score: Khamosh Pathak
Examine that to Android, the place the Apple TV app nonetheless carries the identical design language, identical polished interface, and the identical minimal media participant, however simply feels higher to make use of as a result of there are not any distractions and no hoops to leap via.
On the iPhone or iPad app, I’ve come to dread the additional step of navigating to the devoted Apple TV+ tab earlier than I search for streaming content material. On Android, that is already the default. Android additionally has a devoted Downloads tab, whereas on the iOS and iPadOS app, you first have to change to the Library tab to see your Downloads. Every part takes an additional step on the iPhone app.
I sincerely hope that Apple is impressed by this suggestions and works on making the iPhone app less complicated, however given the character of the product and all of the issues that the app does, it is likely to be higher to make the Apple TV+ app a separate entity by itself, sort of just like the Apple TV app on Android.
The Apple TV app on Android comes with a one-week free trial for Apple TV+, after which it is the identical $9.99/month subscription as elsewhere. Whereas the app is kind of feature-rich, it does lack the Forged characteristic, so you’ll be able to’t simply stream content material to a TV through your Android smartphone. Apart from that, although, every thing I would like is right here, together with my watch record, offline downloads and picture-in-picture.
