Apple significantly expanded the reach of its streaming ecosystem on February 12, 2025, when it released a native Apple TV app for Android phones, tablets, and foldable devices through Google Play. The launch meant Android users no longer had to rely on a web browser or living-room streaming device to access Apple's subscription video service on their phones and tablets.
At launch, Apple said Android customers could use the app to subscribe to what was then called Apple TV+ as well as MLS Season Pass, with subscriptions handled through their Google Play accounts. The Android app also brought several features already familiar to users of Apple's other platforms, including cross-device viewing progress, a Watchlist, cellular and Wi-Fi streaming, and downloads for offline viewing.
What Apple launched on Android in 2025
According to Apple's February 2025 announcement, the Android version was built specifically for the platform rather than simply repackaging another version of the app. It initially supported Android smartphones, tablets, and foldables and was made available in markets where the relevant Apple services were offered.
The release included several practical features:
- Continue Watching: viewing progress can follow the user across supported devices signed in to the same account.
- Watchlist: users can save movies and shows they want to watch later.
- Offline downloads: supported movies and episodes can be downloaded to an Android device for viewing without an active internet connection.
- Wi-Fi and cellular playback: streaming works on both types of connection, subject to network conditions and the user's data plan.
- Google Play subscriptions: at launch, Android users could subscribe through their Google Play account rather than needing an Apple device.
The current Google Play listing confirms that the app remains available on Android and continues to receive updates. Apple's Android support documentation also confirms that users can sign in with an Apple Account, access an Apple TV subscription, and download supported shows and movies directly to an Android device.
The Apple TV name has changed since the Android launch
One important detail has changed since the original announcement. When the Android app launched in February 2025, Apple's subscription streaming service was called Apple TV+. In October 2025, Apple dropped the plus sign and renamed the subscription service simply Apple TV.
Apple confirmed the change in an October 2025 announcement, stating that Apple TV+ had become Apple TV.
That creates some potentially confusing terminology. Today, Apple TV can refer to the subscription streaming service, while the Apple TV app is the application used to access that service and other supported content. Apple also continues to sell Apple TV 4K hardware, which is a separate physical streaming device.
What Android users can watch
The service's core attraction remains Apple's library of original programming. Titles promoted around the time of the Android launch included Severance, Slow Horses, The Morning Show, Shrinking, Hijack, Ted Lasso, Masters of the Air, and films including CODA and Killers of the Flower Moon.
The exact catalog changes over time and can vary by country or region. Apple's current Android documentation therefore provides a better guide to availability than the list of titles promoted when the app originally launched.
The Android app is also more than a catalog of Apple Originals. Apple's current Apple TV App User Guide for Android identifies live sports such as Major League Soccer and Friday Night Baseball among the content that may be available, depending on location and subscription terms.
MLS access changed after the original launch
MLS Season Pass was a major part of Apple's Android announcement because the app arrived shortly before the start of Major League Soccer's 2025 season. At that time, MLS Season Pass was sold as a separate subscription offering access to every MLS match without traditional local blackouts.
That arrangement changed after the 2025 season. Apple and Major League Soccer announced in November 2025 that the standalone MLS Season Pass subscription would end after the 2025 season.
Beginning with the 2026 season, MLS matches are instead included with an Apple TV subscription at no additional charge. Apple said the package includes regular-season matches, the Leagues Cup, the MLS All-Star Game, the Campeones Cup, and the MLS Cup Playoffs, with no blackouts.
This means the original 2025 description of Android users subscribing separately to MLS Season Pass is historically accurate for the app's launch, but it no longer reflects the current MLS subscription model.
Live sports have expanded further
Apple has continued adding sports programming since the Android app debuted. In the United States, Apple became Formula 1's exclusive broadcast partner beginning with the 2026 season under a five-year agreement.
Apple says U.S. Apple TV subscribers can watch Formula 1 practice sessions, qualifying, Sprint events, and Grands Prix through the service. This Formula 1 arrangement is specifically a U.S. rights deal, so Android users outside the United States should not assume that the same live F1 coverage is included in their local Apple TV subscription.
Apple's Google Play listing and support documentation emphasize that sports, channels, features, and other content can differ by country or region.
Why the Android release mattered
Apple had already made its streaming service available on a wide range of televisions, streaming boxes, game consoles, and web browsers before February 2025. The notable change was direct support for Android mobile hardware.
For someone who uses an Android phone but watches Apple Originals on a smart TV or another device, the native app makes the service considerably more practical. Viewing progress can follow the account between compatible devices, shows can be downloaded for travel, and users can browse or watch without switching to a mobile browser.
The release also reflects Apple's broader strategy of making its subscription services available beyond its own hardware. An iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV 4K device is not required simply to subscribe to and watch Apple's streaming service.
How to get the Apple TV app on Android
Android users can search for Apple TV in Google Play and verify that the developer is Apple before installing it. After opening the app, users can sign in with an existing Apple Account or follow the available subscription options.
Users who experience playback problems should keep both Android and the Apple TV app updated. Apple specifically recommends installing the latest Android operating-system version supported by the device and updating the Apple TV app through Google Play.
Availability, subscription options, live sports rights, and individual titles can vary by market, so users should check the app itself for the options available in their country.
What began in February 2025 as Apple's long-awaited native Android expansion has therefore become a permanent part of the Apple TV ecosystem. The original Android launch remains significant, but the service around it has evolved: Apple TV+ has been renamed Apple TV, the standalone MLS Season Pass has ended, and Apple's live-sports offering has expanded substantially since the app first appeared on Google Play.
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