If you’ve been patiently waiting for Apple’s redesigned TV app, which was revealed back in March, today is your lucky day. The company is now rolling out the updated application to iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and compatible Samsung smart TVs, complete with a fresh look, the new Channels feature and curated sections such as “For You” and “Kids.” Aside from the overhauled design, which focuses on offering big, beautiful imagery for movies and TV shows and a UI that’s intended to help you swipe/scroll less, the biggest changes to the TV app are the addition of Channels and the full iTunes library.
Apple says there are now more than 100,000 films and TV series on iTunes, including a large collection of 4K HDR content that you can rent or buy. Now you can get to all of that without having to leave its TV app. With Channels, meanwhile, Apple is giving users the ability to subscribe to a variety of premium networks directly from its TV application, including HBO, Showtime, Starz, Epix, Smithsonian Channel, Tastemade and, later this summer, CBS All-Access. While many of these services already have their own apps on Apple TV, the benefit to channels is that Apple controls the entire aspect of your experience, from how you sign up to how the content is presented to you visually.
In addition to that, those of you who subscribe to Channels can download movies and shows for offline viewing to your iPhone or iPad. HBO, for instance, doesn’t even offer that on the apps it makes itself. According to Apple, Channels subscriptions will work for up to six of your loved ones through Family Sharing, so everyone can have their own watchlists. And for the young people in your life, the new TV app also comes with a dedicated Kids section, which will feature movies and shows that are being curated by Apple’s editorial team.
Of course, as Apple revealed in January, the TV app will be available on 2019 Samsung smart TVs (plus some 2018 models), along with the iTunes app and support for AirPlay 2. The only thing you won’t be able to do is if, say, you have you have Prime Video linked to your TV app, you won’t be able to pause on your Apple device and then resume watching on your Samsung smart TV. Other than that, the rest of the features — Channels, For You, Kids and more — are all there. As for the Mac, don’t worry, Apple is still planing to bring the TV app to its laptops and desktops later this fall.
Source: engadget.com
