Best Movie Streaming App for IPhone
In a world where multiple apps help you watch movies on the big screen, there is one app that beats all the others. It’s free, easy to use, and the best way to buy movie tickets on the go. Suitable for iPhone near you: Fandango.
Fandango
Platform: iOS (iPhone and iPad) Price: Free download page
Functions
- View the session schedule by movie, theater, or time frame.
- The Go Now feature finds screenings in nearby cinemas.
- Add specific theaters to your favorites list.
- Add movies to favorites to create a watch list of upcoming movies you want to watch or movies you have already watched and want to rate / watch.
- Get notified when tickets go on sale for upcoming movies from your favorites list.
- Get reminders when the movie you bought your tickets for is about to start watching.
- Watch trailers for upcoming films.
- Look for information on the cast, crew, and movie synopsis.
- See which movie tickets are selling like hotcakes in real time using the Pulse app on your iPad.
Where is it best
The Fandango app has all the basic features like finding show times by movie, cinema, GPS location or time frame, but it’s also the best way to buy movie tickets using your phone. Fandango’s movie ticketing system (including a paperless, scannable mobile movie ticket ) is used by several other movie screening apps and services, so why not cut out the middleman apps and pick a source? You can save your credit card details in the app and buy movie tickets for the whole family in one go with just a few taps.
The Go Forward feature allows you to turn a boring evening into a spontaneous movie night on the fly. You will see every cinema near you and see which films will be showing soon, so you don’t have to search anymore. Just select a movie, buy tickets in the app and go. You can also get directions to the cinema, and Fandango lets you choose between using Google Maps or Apple Maps. If you have notifications turned on, you will receive a reminder that your movie will start in half an hour. That way, if you’re out and about, you won’t be distracted by something else and don’t miss out on a bite to eat before the show starts.
Fandango’s favorites system is also simple and straightforward. You can specify specific cinemas as preferred locations and follow movies that have not yet been released. Just select a theater or movie in the app and tap the heart in the upper right corner. Any theaters you like will be the first to appear on the list when you search for screenings, which is good if you visit the same theaters most of the time. When you add a movie to your favorites, it is added to your My Movies list. Once there, you will receive news updates, exclusive offers and ticket-on-sale notifications so you don’t miss your first weekend.
Where it fails
However, the fandango isn’t perfect. There are two things that prevent Fandango from this name: ads and testimonials. Regardless of which tab you are in the Fandango app, there is usually a small ad banner at the top or bottom of the screen. Sometimes, when you change tabs, you also get full screen ads. There is no “premium” fee, membership or version of the app to get rid of, so they can be frustrating for some.
When it comes to Fandango ratings in reviews, they aren’t nearly as useful as the ratings you’ll find on some competing apps like Flixster and IMDb. Fandango user ratings in reviews are based on a five-star system, which is more difficult to pick from than an aggregated percentage-based system like Rotten Tomatoes . Additionally, Fandango fan ratings are dubious because films never receive less than three stars, according to a recent analysis by FiveThirthyEight . Luckily, Fandango does feature ratings from professional film critics (and Metascore based on all related ratings from critics), as well as links to every full review you can read.
Competition
Fandango just bought one of its biggest competitors , Flixster (our previous pick) and movie review site Rotten Tomatoes. Both Fandango and Flixster will work as separate entities for now, but Flixster’s best features are likely to appear in Fandango soon, and vice versa. Perhaps Fandango is gearing up to improve the rating system (hopefully) and Flixster, the only movie viewing app that didn’t use Fandango’s ticketing system, is likely to start using it.
IMDb (Free) is definitely a solid alternative ( just like our Android pick ) if you’re a serious movie buff who wants more behind-the-scenes information. In addition to everything IMDb is known for, you can check the show schedule of any movie in the theater or within a certain time range, as well as watch trailers for upcoming films. You can even buy tickets through the app, but the service is supported by Fandango.
Moviefone Movies (free) is another alternative, but the app’s features are few and the ticketing system is powered by Fandango. However, Moviefone has no ads and uses Metacritic to rate movies, so it’s worth it for some. At the same time, Showtimes (Free) is pretty straightforward when it comes to functions. There are banner ads in the app, ticket sales are done using Fandango, and the Showtimes movie ratings are just average ratings from the Flixster app.