Apple TV+ Comes to Android Devices

Better late than never, I suppose. Just over eight years ago, the Apple TV streaming app debuted on iOS. It took another three years for it to come to Apple’s own Mac lineup as a macOS app.

But that’s nothing compared to the length of time that Android users had to go without access to Severance, Slow Horses, Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, and… well, not a whole lot else. Apple TV+ has been hard up for original shows worthy enough to take on Netflix and HBO’s Max.

Still, these are acclaimed TV shows that plenty of Android users would want to watch on their phones. And now they can. As of today, Android users can download the Apple TV+ app on the Google Play Store.

growing the subscriber base

Android and iOS don’t play nicely most days. They’re more like those two kids that go to the same daycare and get nudged to interact, and so they begrudgingly tolerate each other’s presence to the most minimal degree that solves each’s own interests.

Still, the Apple Music app has long been available on Android devices. It was nearly 10 years ago that it was released for Android 5.0 Lollipop. Perhaps the difference is that while Apple Music is thriving, Apple TV+ has proven expensive for Apple without garnering a spot on the podium in the grand competition of video streaming platforms.

It’s not exactly limping along, with a respectable performance of nearly matching Hulu in numbers of subscribers, but it attracts only a little less than half of Netflix’s or Prime Video’s number of subscribers.

The decision to keep it off Android devices until now may have signaled that Apple was content for Apple TV+ to remain a carrot on the incentivizing stick to nudge more people to iPhones, iPads, and Apple TV devices.

Given that Apple has sunk a reported $20 billion into Apple TV+ over the past five years in order to get its performance to improve, the promise of access to the US’ more than 130 million Android devices may have proven too tempting a target to raise viewership and revenue for the streaming service.

Not 100% convinced about Apple TV+? Do you have too much pride after eight years of Apple’s snubbing to come running just because it’s finally turned its fickle attentions toward you? Apple TV+ is offering a seven-day free trial, which you can check out (and cancel, if you want) before committing to paying for a subscription, no strings attached.