The newest update to the Apple TV app for Android TV and Google TV seems to have eliminated the option to purchase and rent TV series and movies. For unexplained reasons, Android TV and Google TV users can no longer purchase or rent content.
Purchasing and renting movies and television series from the iTunes store, as well as access to Apple TV+, were all featured when the Apple TV app first appeared for Google TV and Android TV last summer. Nvidia Shield and Google Chromecast are supported by the app.
For present, the Apple TV app for Android TV and Google TV can only be used with content purchased or rented on an external device. In lieu of the purchase and rent buttons, Apple has included a new “How to Watch” button, which encourages customers to use the Apple TV app to “buy, rent or subscribe.” In the Apple TV app for Android TV and Google TV, purchases and rentals made in the past are still accessible.
Users on Reddit (via FlatPanelsHD) noticed the move and expressed their displeasure. It’s not known how long this workaround will persist for Apple TV users who haven’t updated their software to the latest version.
If this is the case, Apple may have done so to avoid Google’s 30 percent cut of in-app purchases, as FlatPanelsHD speculated. Previously, the commission did not cover all TV in-app purchases, but it is probable that Google presented new conditions that prompted Apple to reduce the fee.
Some Sony Bravia smart TVs, which run Android TV and Google TV natively, seem to be impacted, while other smart TVs running the Apple TV software appear to be immune.
Android TV and Google TV’s removal of content-purchase and -rental options has been attributed to a possible financial disagreement, with Google presumably wanting a share of any purchases made via the Apple TV app. However, it does seem to be an Apple manoeuvre to eliminate the function and push consumers to use another mode of payment in its place.