Google Play Movies & TV is finally dead
Over a decade after it first launched, Google is about to pull the final plug from Google Play Movies & TV as the Android TV app is replaced with a new “Shop” tab.
Google Play Movies & TV first launched in 2011 as a way to rent or buy movies and TV shows and add them to your library. The service has been a steady and popular option over the years, and came with the perk of syncing your purchases to other Google products such as YouTube.
In 2020, Google hinted that the end was soon to come for Play Movies when it debuted Google TV. The platform didn’t have a Play Movies app and instead relied on a “Library” tab to house your existing purchases, while also directly integrating purchases and rentals into the homescreen. That same year, Google TV also made its way to Android phones, and later to iOS too. In 2021, Google pulled the plug on the service’s app on Roku and other smart TV platforms, instead directing users to YouTube to access their content – that was objectively a major downgrade.
For over two years now, Google Play Movies & TV has only been left on a single platform – Android TV.
Today, that seems to be coming to an end as Google is replacing the app on currently supported Android TV devices by integrating purchases into the homescreen. The update will arrive with a new “Shop” tab on the homescreen, which will support your existing library, synced from Play Movies, Google TV, and YouTube. It works a lot like the “Library” tab on Google TV.
Google says this will be supported in 24 countries and will roll out over the “next few weeks.”
A message spotted by our Kyle Bradshaw will appear on Android TV devices saying:
Google Play Movies & TV is becoming Shop
That said, Google does tell us that users will continue to be able to use the Play Movies app, which just leaves this loose thread hanging.
More on Android TV:
Kyle Bradshaw contributed to this story and this story was updated after publication with context from Google.
Source: 9to5Google
