It’s been a long time coming, but Apple TV users can finally watch Amazon Prime Video!
If you’re not familiar with it, Amazon Prime Video is a streaming service for movies and TV shows, similar to Netflix but with a different catalog of content. It’s only available to Amazon Prime customers, a service that costs $99/year in the US or £79/year in the UK. (30-day trials available.)
Apple announced the TV app way back in June, but Amazon has been kicking its heels in terms of actually creating it. Of course, Amazon’s Fire TV sticks are in direct competition with Apple TV, and until now easy access to Amazon’s streaming library was something of a unique selling point for the retail company’s devices. Rumor has it that Amazon was also not happy with Apple’s 30% cut of subscriptions made through iTunes.
The two firms must have come to an agreement to finally get the app to market, which is good news for customers of either company. Meanwhile, Amazon and Google are stuck in a dispute that’s seen YouTube support dropped for the Fire TV.
Previously, the only way to get Amazon’s video content on your Apple TV was to load up the iOS app and stream it through AirPlay. It worked, but it wasn’t an ideal solution and so an app that works directly on Apple TV is very welcome.
To get the app, launch the App Store on your Apple TV. You’ll probably see it featured on the front page, but if not then head to the Search section and enter “Amazon Prime Video” to find it. It’s a free download but you’ll need to log into a paid Amazon Prime account to watch anything.
Meanwhile, the Amazon Prime Video app for iPhone and iPad has been updated with full support for iPhone X.
One limitation of the apps – both tvOS and iOS versions – is that new content cannot be purchased directly. Although most of the stuff is free to stream for Amazon Prime customers, Amazon Video also includes some non-Prime content. If you want to buy anything new for your library you’ll have to do it via amazon.com before you can watch it in-app.
Interestingly, Amazon has always said that it won’t stock the Apple TV until it offers Amazon Prime Video support. We wonder if anything will change now that’s come to pass, or if the company will find another reason not to sell a competing gadget?