Apple TV app

The Apple TV app (also known as Apple TV, TV, and the TV app) is a line of media player software programs developed by Apple Inc. for watching television shows and movies. It lets you watch content from the iTunes Store, Apple TV Channels a la carte video on demand service, and the Apple TV original content subscription service.

You can use the Apple TV app on many devices, including iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Vision Pro, and Apple TV. It can also show content from other video services you might have on those devices.

The app first launched in the United States in December 2016 for iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches. It then became available in other countries starting in late 2017. Over the next few years, it was added to Macs and the third generation Apple TV, and later to some non-Apple devices like post-2015 Roku and Amazon Fire TV models. It also came to certain smart TVs made by Roku, Fire TV Edition, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Vizio SmartCast, and select new Sony Android TV models in October 2020.

History

The Apple TV app was first shown at an Apple event on October 27, 2016, and released in the United States on December 12, 2016. It came with iOS 10.2 and tvOS 10.1, replacing an older app called "Videos." The app brings together TV shows and movies from the iTunes Store and other partner apps. It can remember where you left off watching, even if you switch devices, as long as you use the same Apple ID.

The app started with five main sections: "Watch Now," "Sports," "Library," "Store," and "Search." You could turn on alerts for sports scores. In March 2019, Apple redesigned the app to focus more on streaming videos from Apple. This update added support for Apple TV Channels and changed the app's icon. The app also came to older Apple TVs around that time. Later updates added features like watching videos while using another app and switching between different Apple IDs. The app joined Macs with macOS Catalina in October 2019 and was updated to support advanced video qualities on newer Mac computers. Most recently, it launched for the Apple Vision Pro on February 2, 2024.

In January 2019, Apple announced plans to bring the TV app to devices made by other companies. The app arrived on Roku devices on October 15, 2019, and later that month it came to Amazon Fire TV devices from 2016 onward. It appeared on Samsung smart TVs in May 2019, LG TVs in February 2020, Vizio SmartCast in September 2020, and select Sony Bravia Android TVs in October 2020. In December 2020, Google said the app would come to more Android TV devices, starting with the Chromecast with Google TV in early 2021 and then to nearly all Android TV devices by June 2021. The app also launched for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 when they came out in November 2020, as well as for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S when they launched on November 10, 2020. Finally, the app became available for Android phones in February 2025.

While the app on non-Apple devices has some fewer features, updates have made it more similar to the version on Apple devices over time.

Content

The TV app can show shows and movies in bright and clear colors, thanks to special technology like 4K, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, and HDR10. You can watch this on an Apple TV 4K, and on newer iPad Pro and iPhone models.

You can also use your Apple device to send shows and movies to some smart TVs made by Sony, Vizio, LG, and Samsung using a feature called AirPlay 2.