latest
Reminder: Google Play Movies & TV for Android TV dies in one week
Next Wednesday, your content will be moved to other Google apps
Google regularly kills off apps because of overlapping functionality with other existing services. The Google Play Music app was axed in 2020, and in exactly one week’s time, the Play Movies & TV app will meet the same fate on Android TV. However, this step will play a big role in decluttering the Android TV UI because Google has many apps where you can rent or purchase movies and TV shows to watch later. Google will kill the service for good on January 17, but your content won’t be impacted. Here’s why.
Google Play Movies & TV for Android TV is dead, and the funeral is January 17
Your previously purchased titles will move to a new home on Android TV devices next month
Google finally pulled the plug on the confusing Play Movies & TV app on October 5, giving your Android TV device a much-needed decluttering. While the move cleared up a bit of the video app chaos, Google is still juggling too many places where you can buy or rent movies and TV shows. For instance, video content is still available to buy through YouTube, Android TV, and Google TV. Starting January 17, these platforms will also serve as the home of your past purchases from Google.
Google is killing the Play Movies & TV app for Android TV
You have roughly a month to go pay your respects
Some of you might remember how Google Play was, at least at first, more than just an app store. Back when the company first rebranded what was then called the Android Market into the Google Play Store in 2012, Google had a much wider vision for "Google Play" that included music, movies, TV, and pretty much all kinds of media. Over the years, however, all of that slowly died off. Google Play Music was killed off and replaced by YouTube Music, and the same thing happened with Google Play Newsstand and Google News. The latest app to die in this manner is Google Play Movies & TV, as Google is putting the final nail in its coffin with the removal of the Android TV app.
Google is retiring the Play Store's Movies & TV section in favor of the Google TV app
Bye, bye Play Movies & TV
In October 2020, Google released the Google TV app to replace the Play Movies & TV service of old. Despite being pre-installed on most Android devices, Play Movies & TV never really took off as it primarily only acted as a gateway to the Play Store to purchase or rent new content. Now, the company has announced that it is retiring the "Movies & TV" section from Google Play on your Android device. Instead, purchases and rentals will solely be available from the Google TV client.
Play Movies & TV app will disappear from Roku and other smart TVs soon
Roku, LG, Samsung and Vizio TVs will lose the app in June, replaced with access to purchases YouTube
The transition from Google Play Music to YouTube Music has been a rocky and contentious one. But Google isn't finished axing its media apps just yet. According to updated support documentation, the Google Play Movies & TV app on smart televisions is the next one to get the chop. The phone app was replaced with the newer "Google TV" app in October, but the app will disappear from smart TV platforms as well starting in June.
Google Play Movies & TV is now Google TV, including the app (APK Download)
App update rolling out now
Read update
As part of the Google TV hullaballoo, Google is releasing a Google TV app later today, replacing the old Google Play Movies & TV app that some of our readers probably forgot existed. Based on leaks, this change in branding is universal, and Play Movies & TV is being replaced by Google TV everywhere. As before, the new app lets you manage your watchlist, view recommendations, and even watch content, though it also sports a fresh coat of paint to go with the branding change.
By now, you're probably familiar with the new account switcher that many Google apps have been picking up, giving you a nice round icon in the corner for your account and a single downward swipe to quickly switch between them. Well, the change has been rolling out to Google's Play Movies & TV app in recent days.
Read update
Google has announced a couple of significant changes to Play Movies & TV that will have a considerable impact on owners of 4K televisions. Starting today, some previously-purchased movies will automatically be upgraded to 4K quality once it's available. The price of newly-purchased 4K content on the platform is also going down.
Closed captions are essential in certain situations, but when you don't need them, they're just an eyesore. A bug has been forcing some users to wrestle with such unwanted subtitles in Google Play Movies & TV, on both mobile and Android TV.
With the continued proliferation of cheap 4K TVs, more and more people are in the market for content that makes use of all those pixels. Google Play Movies & TV has offered such content for some time now, but movies owned by Disney have languished in 1080p. That's changing today, as Google has announced that many of Disney's properties are now available through Google Play in proper UHD.
Google Play Movies & TV is offering some users 99¢ rentals on select films
Google Play Movies & TV is offering some users 99¢ rentals on select films
Like movies? How about cheap stuff? You might want to check your Play Store rewards, then, because Google Play is offering some users 99-cent rentals of certain titles, including recent popular flicks like A Star Is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Crazy Rich Asians.
Almost a year ago, HDR support came to Google Play Movies & TV by way of Google's 4K streaming dongle, the Chromecast Ultra. Now, compatible Sony smart TVs and the best Android set-top box in the game, Nvidia Shield TV, are getting support for HDR content from Google Play as well — but only if it's cast from another device.
Google Play Movies & TV's Roku channel is getting a face lift. The new channel looks a little like YouTube's TV web wrapper, with content filling most of the screen and navigation on the left. "The entire experience has been redesigned to put the focus on content above all else," Google said in a blog post.
“Well, maybe it's on Netflix. Um … did you check Hulu? What about Amazon?” While streaming services make it easy to dive right into your favorite shows, sometimes tracking down that program can be way more difficult than it needs to be. Maybe one service has the current season of the show you're looking for, but past seasons are on another. And as licensing deals are signed and expire, shows may drift from one service to another. How the heck are you supposed to keep track of where anything is? Today it's Google to the rescue, as the company starts sharing info on which streaming services carry the media you're searching for.
The latest version of Google Play Movies & TV is making the rounds, and this one has quite a bit to discuss. There are several surface-level changes, including a new bottom nav bar, improved support for Rotten Tomatoes, and even some rearrangements to the screens in the app. Digging a bit deeper, we can also see there's a new Guide screen in development, some degree of support for external content providers, and even a rating system for content.
Every week, I examine somewhere in the neighborhood of a hundred app updates while looking for changes. The most interesting things turn into APK Teardowns or Download posts. Many of the remaining updates are unremarkable, amounting to a few bug fixes, routine updates to libraries, or even just pixel-level adjustments to layouts and images. However, there are usually a few updates that land somewhere in between. I don't want to spam readers with dozens of short posts, but I hate to ignore things that people might want to know about, so I'm going to wrap up the leftovers for a little weekend reading and call it Update Notes.
After Google's event finished yesterday, a stream of app updates began rolling out. Among them, Play Movies and TV saw a relatively simple update, but it has a couple of changes that are worth pointing out. The thumbnails for movie trailers are gone, but you can still watch them by tapping on the cover art. Also, TV shows now include the language of captions and audio tracks. A teardown also shows there may be something happening with Disney Movies Anywhere.
We knew this was coming from a teardown a while back, but it's finally here. Now you can watch supported content from Google Play Movies & TV in glorious HDR. At least, if you have a Chromecast Ultra and a compatible television.
The holiday weekend may have come and gone already, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying a free movie by yourself, with your kiddos, or with whomever else you want. A Stork's Journey, a film that hasn't even hit theaters yet in the U.S., is up for grabs over on Google Play Movies & TV. Just tap the "Add to Library" button and you'll be good to go.