You have roughly a month to go pay your respects
Summary
- Google Play is discontinuing the Google Play Movies & TV app on Android TV on October 5, 2023.
- Users can still access their movies and TV shows through the Shop tab on Android TV and continue to purchase or rent movies through this tab or services like YouTube.
- The app had already been removed from newer Google TV devices and replaced by the Google TV app on Android phones.
Some of you might remember how Google Play was, at least at first, more than just an app store. Back when the company first rebranded what was then called the Android Market into the Google Play Store in 2012, Google had a much wider vision for “Google Play” that included music, movies, TV, and pretty much all kinds of media. Over the years, however, all of that slowly died off. Google Play Music was killed off and replaced by YouTube Music, and the same thing happened with Google Play Newsstand and Google News. The latest app to die in this manner is Google Play Movies & TV, as Google is putting the final nail in its coffin with the removal of the Android TV app.
Google has sent out an email confirming that the Google Play Movies & TV app will stop working on your Android TV on October 5, 2023. If you have any movies or TV shows in your library that you would like to keep watching, those can still be found in the Shop tab on your Android TV, and likewise, you can continue buying and renting movies through this tab as well. You can also buy movies through services such as YouTube. This is just Google getting rid of the legacy experience.
The Play Movies & TV app was already not included on newer Google TV devices such as the Chromecast with Google TV, but it was still present on older devices such as the Nvidia Shield TV. On Android phones, the Play Movies & TV app was replaced by the Google TV app, and Google has taken a more phased approach to Android TV streaming devices and TVs for its removal — with the company still intending to phase it out eventually. It looks like that day is finally here. You still have roughly a month to pay your respects, so go do it now.