Android Users Can Finally Download The Apple TV App, And It's All Legit

Apple has pulled an unthinkable stunt, of sorts, in the early days of 2025 by bringing one of its buzziest entertainment services to a rival ecosystem. Earlier today, the company announced the arrival of its Apple TV platform on Android devices. The streaming app is now available to download via the Google Play Store on phones and tablets.

"The Apple TV app for Android was built from the ground up to deliver Android users a familiar and intuitive interface," says the company. For folks installing the app for the first time, they also get access to a standard seven-day free trial of the Apple TV+ service (not to be confused with Apple TV).

In case you are hooked to Apple's ecosystem of TV shows, films, and sports content, there aren't any technical hassles to access them. You can subscribe, and pay for the MLS Season Pass and Apple TV+ directly through Google Play Store's native billing system, just like any other app or service tied to a recurring payment on Android devices.  

It is not quite the all-in-on-sports experience that you get with Apple's dedicated Sports app, but the MLS content directory on the Apple TV app isn't too bad on its own. The announcement comes roughly a week ahead of the next season's kickoff, and it seems Apple needs all the extra cash it can milk from Android die-hards in return for exclusive content and expert analysis videos. And that $300 million Brad Pitt-led racing film is also in production, so there's that bill, too.

Apple is offering the core Apple TV experience on Android without too many functional gaps, which means aside from the usual streaming business, you get access to Watchlist, offline downloads, and Continue Watching tools, too. However, the convenience of renting or buying movies appears to be missing. For that convenience, you will have to look at Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. Of course, Apple is pushing the streaming platform on Android as another vehicle for its slate of original series and films, so you will have to bear with large carousels highlighting some of the hits plastered across the home screen. 

As far as the experience, Apple is keeping the UI consistent with other platforms. You even get the facility of streaming content in portrait orientation, alongside support for picture-in-picture mode viewing. However, casting support appears to be missing, and there also doesn't seem to be the option to get notified about episodes when they drop.

Notably, accessibility-focused features such as subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH) and audio descriptions (AD) to narrate the ongoing scene are part of the package. Audio purists will be happy to see support for Dolby Atmos, Dolby 5.1, and AAC formats. The UI is clean, the gestures are fluid, and so far, playback has been a smooth sailing experience in my brief time with the Apple TV app on the OnePlus 13.