Sony Brings Apple TV App To Android TV On Select Smart TVs

How much TV can you handle? If you ask Sony, the answer might be "as many as it can cram into a single device." Of the major Android phone makers, Sony is perhaps the only one outside of Chinese brands that actually produces smart TVs running Android's TV incarnation. That makes it almost odd, then, to hear that it is bringing Apple TV to some of these, but that might all for be the best as it could indicate a rollout of Apple's video streaming app to Android TV in general.

The Apple TV app, not to be confused with the black box of a similar name, has been making its way to platforms outside of Apple's direct control. That includes Samsung and LG, two Android phone makers who use non-Android platforms for their smart TVs. Android support, unsurprisingly, has been missing, making this particular Android TV announcement surprising.

Sony just announced that it will be adding the Apple TV app to the X900H, one of its latest 4K HDR LED TVs that were announced a few months back. Of course, this smart TV is running Android TV, which means this would be the first Apple TV Android app of its kind. This would go well with the smart TV's support for AirPlay 2 and HomeKit, Apple's other smart home and entertainment technologies.

With Apple TV, Sony smart TV owners will get access to hundreds of thousands of movies and TV shows, some of which may already be available from sources that have been on Android TV for some time now. For the real Apple exclusives and originals, however, owners will have to subscribe to Apple TV+ for $4.99 a month.

The Sony X900H, however, is just the opening salvo. Sony says that the Apple TV app will also launch on select 2018, 2019, and 2020 models before the year is over. Whether that means Apple TV will be available on other Android TV devices is still an open question.