Why the Apple TV App on Android Is Better Than on IPhone
After five long years , Apple TV has arrived on Android phones and tablets , bringing a polished Apple-style experience to every Android device. You can finally watch Severance on your Samsung smartphone (as you should), and if you’re like me, you might actually prefer it there than on the iPhone.
It turns out that the Apple TV app for Android is a stripped-down version of the TV app for iPhone and iPad, and doesn’t include content from partner streaming services or the ability to buy or rent movies. But it’s this stripped-down approach that actually makes the Android app better than its iPhone counterpart, at least in my opinion. In the words of Dieter Rams , “good design is as little design as possible.”
When you open the Apple TV app on Android, the Apple TV+ tab is the default option and displays your Apple TV+ queue at the top, along with your most popular TV shows and movies. The only other content option is Apple’s MLS sports streaming add-on, which also has its own tab.
Meanwhile, on iPhone and iPad, the TV app is actually much more than just Apple TV+. It contains subscription add-ons for various services such as Disney+, Prime Video, Starz, Hulu, Peacock and more. Moreover, you can also use the app to rent or buy movies. This means that when you open the Apple TV app, you might be greeted by a banner with a new movie you wanted to watch, thinking it was added to Apple TV+ for free. However, you will see a large buy button instead.
Because the Apple TV interface is incredibly simple and there are no sections separating services (other than Apple’s own), which can quickly become confusing.
Compare that to Android, where the Apple TV app still has the same design language, the same polished interface, and the same minimal media player, but it’s easier to use because there are no distractions or hoops to jump through.
In the iPhone or iPad app, I dread the extra step of going to the dedicated Apple TV+ tab before searching for streaming content. On Android this is already the default. Android also has a dedicated Downloads tab, and in the iOS and iPadOS apps, you’ll first need to switch to the Library tab to see your downloads. In the iPhone app, everything requires an extra step.
I sincerely hope Apple takes some inspiration from this feedback and works to simplify the iPhone app, but given the nature of the product and all the app features, it might be better to make the Apple TV+ app a separate entity, like the Apple TV app on Android.
The Apple TV app for Android comes with a one-week free trial of Apple TV+, and then costs the same $9.99 per month subscription as elsewhere. While the app is quite feature-rich, it lacks a Cast feature, so you can’t simply cast content to your TV via your Android smartphone. Other than that, it has everything I need, including a watch list, offline downloads, and picture-in-picture functionality.