First look: Amazon Prime Video for Apple TV launches on tvOS App Store

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in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV
Six months after being announced, Amazon Prime Video for Apple TV has debuted on the tvOS App Store, meaning subscribers will be able to view hits like "The Man in the High Castle," "The Big Sick," "Catastrophe," and "The Grand Tour" on Apple's latest set-top boxes.




The fourth-generation Apple TV, as well as the newly released Apple TV 4K, both now have access to the official Amazon Prime Video app. It's a free download available on the tvOS App Store.

After installing Amazon Prime Video, users are asked to login to their Prime account either via the device or on the web. Once logged in, the full Amazon library of originals, licensed movies, and purchased content are all available to stream.




Prior to Wednesday's official launch, native support for tvOS was announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June. At the time, it was said Amazon Prime Video would debut on the Apple TV before the end of the year.

The launch ends a years-long dispute between Amazon and Apple, after the online mega retailer ceased sales of the Apple TV in favor of its own Fire TV lineup in 2015. With Prime Video now on the Apple TV, it's expected that Amazon will resume sales of Apple's set-top box.




The new app lets users add videos to their watchlist and continue watching from any Prime-compatible device later.

Notably, the Amazon Prime Video app for tvOS boasts integration with Apple's proprietary TV app for tvOS and iOS, as well as Siri voice search results. Customers in select countries will be able to find movies and TV shows to watch on Amazon through these services.




Videos purchased or rented on Amazon are restricted to viewing in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Austria and Japan. And subscriptions to HBO and Showtime paid for through Amazon can be viewed in the U.S.

Internationally, Eurosport subscribers through Amazon can watch in the U.K., Germany, and Austria. And in India, Prime mebers can watch top Bollywood and regional hits, including "Sultan," "Baar Baar Dekho," "Kabali," the "Dhoom" series, and more.




Amazon Prime Video for tvOS is a universal app, meaning the same build and download also runs on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 68
    Finally.. but the UI is kinda meh. I think Hulu has the best UI for video apps on Apple TV.
  • Reply 2 of 68
    thrangthrang Posts: 1,007member

    4k? HDR? I don't see any indication in the copy or screen shots.

    If not, its a bit a of an fu from Bezos

    edited December 2017
  • Reply 3 of 68
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,520member
    Well hell, it's about damn time.
  • Reply 4 of 68
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    Amazon was the last man standing against AppleTV. No more. Will help 4/5th gen AppleTV sales.
    edited December 2017 StrangeDaysjbdragon
  • Reply 5 of 68
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    thrang said:

    4k? HDR? I don't see any indication in the copy or screen shots.

    If not, its a bit a of an fu from Bezos

    Users on other forums are reporting that the app does indeed include 4K.
    racerhomie
  • Reply 6 of 68
    tjwolftjwolf Posts: 424member
    Anyone know whether it's available on the older Apple TVs?  The article in the Verge a couple days ago (https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/4/16734628/apple-tv-amazon-prime-video-app-delay ) indicated that Amazon promised to make it available on all Apple TV boxes.
  • Reply 7 of 68
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    No Apple TV hardware available on Amazon yet. A search of ‘streaming devices for tv’ turns up Fire products and Roku. Search of ‘Apple TV’ turns up nothing but mounting cases, remotes, etc. You cannot buy an Apple TV on Amazon. I thought this was part of the deal. No?
    edited December 2017
  • Reply 8 of 68
    tjwolf said:
    Anyone know whether it's available on the older Apple TVs?  The article in the Verge a couple days ago (https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/4/16734628/apple-tv-amazon-prime-video-app-delay ) indicated that Amazon promised to make it available on all Apple TV boxes.
    3rd Gen and newer only.
  • Reply 9 of 68
    nhughesnhughes Posts: 770editor
    thrang said:

    4k? HDR? I don't see any indication in the copy or screen shots.

    If not, its a bit a of an fu from Bezos

    Content is advertised as "4K Ultra HD." If you swipe down while playing, you can see if the current program is HDR as well. So it has support for both.
    jbdragon
  • Reply 10 of 68
    jeromecjeromec Posts: 190member
    When I tried, 5.1 sound and HDR were not working, but were advertised in the content's description.
    So they will more than probably come very soon.
  • Reply 11 of 68
    thrangthrang Posts: 1,007member
    nhughes said:
    thrang said:

    4k? HDR? I don't see any indication in the copy or screen shots.

    If not, its a bit a of an fu from Bezos

    Content is advertised as "4K Ultra HD." If you swipe down while playing, you can see if the current program is HDR as well. So it has support for both.
    TY
  • Reply 12 of 68
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,015member
    I have 2nd and 4th gen Apple TVs.  Guess I need to upgrade my older one, in the man cave :)  It's been flakey for a long time anyway, so it's about time.  
  • Reply 13 of 68
    peteopeteo Posts: 402member
    F-I-N-A-L-L-Y! 
    StrangeDays
  • Reply 14 of 68
    Finally.. but the UI is kinda meh. I think Hulu has the best UI for video apps on Apple TV.
    Surely, you jest! The current Hulu interface is a catastrophe at best. It takes an inordinate amount of swipes and clicks to navigate.

    The Netflix interface is somewhat easier to navigate, but the video previews that can't be turned off are maddening.

    I MUCH prefer the Hulu and Netflix interfaces in the 3rd generation Apple TV. They're clean, simple, and organized.
    tomkarlspliff monkey
  • Reply 15 of 68
    sdw2001 said:
    I have 2nd and 4th gen Apple TVs.  Guess I need to upgrade my older one, in the man cave :)  It's been flakey for a long time anyway, so it's about time.  
    The listing for the app in the App Store says 3rd gen or newer.
  • Reply 16 of 68
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator
    thrang said:

    4k? HDR? I don't see any indication in the copy or screen shots.

    If not, its a bit a of an fu from Bezos

    It was an iffy rollout and initially didn't appear to do so, but it does now.
    edited December 2017
  • Reply 17 of 68
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,858administrator

    tjwolf said:
    Anyone know whether it's available on the older Apple TVs?  The article in the Verge a couple days ago (https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/4/16734628/apple-tv-amazon-prime-video-app-delay ) indicated that Amazon promised to make it available on all Apple TV boxes.
    It is on the third generation Apple TV, but not the second. If you don't see it in your list of content provides on the third, cycle power on the unit. If it still doesn't pop up, then log out, then back into iTunes on the Apple TV.
  • Reply 18 of 68
    Available in Canada????
  • Reply 19 of 68
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    So Amazon made their deadline, but it's probably buggy and missing features to make their self-imposed deadline. I just hope they fence off their free-to-stream and rentable content so they don't overlap.
    zroger73
  • Reply 20 of 68
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    haven't tried it yet. does it do purchases? if not i can't imagine what the delay was other than trying to use their customers as pawns in a battle with apple....
    edited December 2017 williamlondon
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