The new Google TV app enables Apple fans to, among other things, use their iPhone or iPad as a remote control for their Google TV or other Android TV OS device.
- Google has released an iOS version of its Google TV app. It arrives approximately two years following its Android counterpart.
- It’s a replacement for the Google Play Movies & TV app for iOS. It’s actually an in-place upgrade for Google Play Movies & TV on the App Store.
- The new software lets you view but not purchase movies and TV shows. It also doubles as a remote control for your Google TV or another Android TV OS device.
Say hello to the new Google TV app
The app was announced in a post on the Google Keyword blog, with Google listing some of the key features of the software. Remote control functionality was spotted in testing back in March 2021. So what can you two with it? For starters, you can watch your purchased movies and TV shows just like in the old app. And the same old disclaimer applies: You’re prohibited from actually buying stuff from within the app due to Apple’s policy. To purchase movies and TV shows, you’ll need to use the Android TV app for Android or use Google’s Play Store on the web.
But there are some new features, too. Like creating the master watchlist that draws from a variety of streaming services (kind of like your Up Next queue in the Apple TV app). Any piece of content surfaced via the app’s search function can be easily added to your watchlist no matter the source (for some inspiration, you can check out special watchlists curated by some of your favorite stars).
It could be a movie you bought from Google, for example. But it could also be something you bought from sellers such as iTunes or Amazon and synced with the app using the Movies Anywhere service. And of course, your watchlist is synchronized across any devices signed in to your Google account.
If you’re a Netflix fan, you’ll appreciate that the app also recommends content you might like across your streaming apps. There’s even a dedicated Highlights tab with your personalized daily feed. Last but not least, you can quickly rate shows with the Like/Dislike buttons, which influence the recommendation algorithm, and mark titles as watch or unwatched.
How to control Google TV or Android TV with iPhone
The app supports Google’s digital assistant, too, and allows Apple fans to use their iPhone as a remote control for their Google TV or Android TV OS device running Android 8.0 or higher. So whether you have a Chromecast with Google TV or a TCL Google TV or any other Android TV OS device, you’ll be able to control it using this app. The app even supports using your iPhone’s keyboard to quickly type search terms, show names and passwords. Read: How to block YouTube on your iPhone, iPad and Apple TV
How to download the Google TV app to your iPhone
The new app is an in-place upgrade to Google’s existing Play Movies & TV iOS, which the company previously said would be replaced with a new app. An in-place upgrade means the page for the Play Movies & TV app has been refreshed via an App Store update to reference the new app. So rather than releasing Google TV as a brand new app with its own App Store link, description, screenshots and so forth, it replaces the current listing for the Play Movies & TV app.
Hit the links below to download the app to your device:
- Google TV app [App Store link]
- Google TV app [Play Store link]
The new app has the same ratings, reviews and version history as the old one.