Apple is making it easier for Android users to watch Apple TV content on the big screen. The company on Monday said the Apple TV app for Android will now support Google Cast functionality, which lets users stream videos and audio directly to their TV.
The tech giant’s adoption of Google Cast signals its interest in making Apple TV a more competitive streaming service at a time when the market is seeing increased consolidation. Netflix and Paramount are fighting to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney is preparing to merge Hulu into its own streaming app.
The feature is arriving just after Netflix quietly abandoned support for Google Cast in its own app, angering many subscribers. Apple’s support for the feature could potentially attract Android users upset by Netflix’s decision who choose to move their streaming dollars elsewhere.
Apple TV’s lineup of original content is smaller than what other streaming services offer, but it still features a number of popular shows and films like “Severance,” “Pluribus,” “The Studio,” “The Morning Show,” “Slow Horses,” and the recent summer blockbuster, “F1.” For sports, Apple TV offers live-streamed “Friday Night Baseball” doubleheaders, plus Major League Soccer matches, and Formula 1 races in the U.S.
To cast to their TV, users will need to install the Apple TV app from Google Play, which works on smartphones, tablets, and foldables. Just tap the Cast icon in the top right.
