Moving into new territory. Still / Apple
In a giant leap For All Mankind, the Apple TV app has been released for Android phones and tablets - including support for adaptive displays on models like Samsung’s Fold and Flip.
And you can use Google Pay to subscribe to the app, too - which offers Apple TV+ and, for “soccer” fans, Apple’s MLS Season Pass.
Apple’s app was first released in 2019. No official Apple TV+ viewership or budget stats have been released. But Bloomberg estimated earlier this year that Apple spent more than US$20 billion ($35b) on its all-original content including movies like Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-nominated Killers of the Flower Moon and series like Ted Lasso, Silo, Slow Horses, Shrinking, Pachinko, For All Mankind, Masters of the Air and the iconic Severance.
But despite raves from critics, Apple TV has yet to gain the same traction as rivals like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+. Expanding to Android will widen its potential audience.
Apple TV+ is already on smart TVs running on Google’s Android TV software, but formerly required you to log on to an Apple device, or web browser, to set up an account. You can set up an Apple account and subscribe to Apple TV+ on your Android TV - one of the first instances of subscribing to an Apple service on a non-Apple device (outside of an Apple-Amazon partnership in the US).
Apple expanded its streaming in 2023 as it signed a reported US$2.5 billion, 10-year deal to stream US Major League Soccer (MLS). The league - most famous for the David Beckham co-owned Inter Miami, captained by Lionel Messi - streams worldwide on Apple’s app, with no blackouts.
The 2025 MLS season kicks off the weekend of February 22. A clutch of Kiwis in action will include the Portland Timbers' Finn Surman, the All Whites and Phoenix defender who made a big move to the US last year.
The Apple TV app on Android includes key features like ‘continue watching’ to pick up where a user left off across all their devices, ‘watchlist’ and the ability to download content to watch it offline. You’ll still need a web browser or Apple hardware if you want to access a movie or TV series that’s only available for rent or purchase.
The Google Play listing for Apple TV+ is here.
The ad-free Apple TV+ for Android has a seven-day free trial and costs $14.99 per month (if you’re in the Apple device camp, you get a free year when you buy a new Apple device).
MLS Season pass costs $24.99 per month.
Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is the technology editor and a senior business writer.