This is an elegant option, as it means you do not have to have a separate dongle or set-top box of any kind. Samsung Smart TVsĪpple is also offering the TV app directly on some smart TVs. The TV app will be coming soon to the Fire TV Cube (first- and second-generation), Fire TV (third-generation pendant), Toshiba and Insignia Fire TV edition smart TVs, and the Nebula sound-bar.
It is available now for Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stick 4K and Fire TV Basic Edition users in a plethora of countries. The exact breakdown of what Fire TV devices can access the Apple TV app is complicated. You can watch in 4K on 4K-compatible Amazon Fire TV devices. Your purchases and subscriptions will sync to the Apple TV through your Apple ID. You must first buy or subscribe to the content you want to watch on another device like your iPhone, iPad or Mac. Purchases cannot be initiated from the Amazon Fire TV app. You can watch content from iTunes, view Apple TV Channels like HBO, Showtime and Starz and access Apple TV+ from November 1st. The experience on Amazon Fire TV is almost identical to the Roku app experience.
You can download the app just by asking Alexa with your voice: “Alexa, find the Apple TV app”. The Apple TV app is also available on the Amazon Fire TV platform. As the subscription is tied to your Apple ID, you can still share the purchase across your family’s other devices. Still, buying a $50 Roku and paying $60 for a year of TV+ is the best bang for your buck.
As a third-party product, Roku does not qualify for the free year of TV+ - you only get a seven-day free trial. This connects it to your account and payment method for buying shows or subscribing to Apple TV channels.
When you install the app on the Roku, it will ask you to sign in with your Apple ID. It does not feature the other TV Provider features that Apple TV does. The TV app on Roku can access the iTunes library, Apple TV Plus, and Apple TV Channels. It can play back at 4K resolution if you have a 4K Roku. The Apple TV app is now available as a Roku channel, free to download and compatible with most Roku devices, with support dating back several years. Even the high-end Roku Ultra LT is still half the price of the cheapest Apple TV. RokuĪ much cheaper option for TV accessories to access the TV app on the big screen is to use a Roku device, like one of their streaming sticks. This is technically a $60 value offer, which can reduce the sting of the Apple TV’s price… but for 4K, you need the Apple TV 4K, which is still a hefty $179 starting price. If you buy a new Apple TV - Apple TV HD or Apple TV 4K - you can get one free year of Apple TV+ (which is otherwise priced at $4.99/month). Hopefully, in the future, Apple will offer a less-expensive modern Apple TV option. However, the Apple TV is also the most expensive option for a dedicated Apple TV app box, as it includes powerful CPU to also serve as an Apple Arcade game machine, iCloud Photo library client, and much more. You can even switch between multiple users to manage separate Up Next queues, so you can pick up right where you left off and not interfere with other people’s progress. You can see full-screen trailers as you swipe through shows and even get a glimpse of what to watch right from the tvOS Home Screen. The TV app on tvOS is also the best in terms of user experience with the most fluid animations, transitions, and page design. The third-party recommendations are shown integrated into one place in the TV app, and you can automatically be directed to the apps when you click on something to watch. What makes the Apple TV app on tvOS unique is that in addition to Apple TV+ and Apple TV Channels content, it can also surface content from other apps installed on the Apple TV - for instance, apps from cable providers or streaming services like Hulu.
As well as the newer Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K, Apple is also offering the TV app to the discontinued third-generation 1080p Apple TV. By default, the TV app is the first app in the top row of tvOS, and you can access it just by pressing the TV button on the Siri Remote. Unsurprisingly, the Apple TV has the TV app.