Just a year ago Apple TV + landed on Android TV and Google TV with its own application that is practically identical to the one on Apple devices. Enjoying award-winning series like Ted Lasso or movies like Greyhound or Finch with actors like Tom Hanks is now possible on more and more devices. Nevertheless, there is a very clear disadvantage.
Downloading the Apple TV application from Google Play is simple, but the disadvantage that we are commenting on lies not only in the operating system for Android televisions, but also in the mobile ecosystem and even in those who want to enjoy the Apple TV+ catalog in Windows. And it is that, if you don’t have an apple device you will have it extremely complicated. Either you checkout with their cheapest device or break the privacy of a friend or family member.
No iPhone, iPad or Mac, no Apple TV+
If you are not a user of at least one of these apple products, you can have the Apple TV app very well located on your Android TV, you can even enter and maybe even navigate through the app. However, it will be impossible for you to enjoy a single content.
And it is that really the need for one of these devices is not so much that they have to be operational to synchronize the content or anything similar. What happens is that yes or yes you need an Apple ID to do it. And to your misfortune on this occasion, if you want to create an Apple account you will need at least one of its star devices, being able to create said account during the initial configuration of it.
If you have had an Apple device in the past and you still have your account and password, it may still help you sign in to the Apple TV app on your Android TV. Although this is not always the case, since in case of having activated the two-factor authentication, an Apple device could be required in which to carry out the steps.
Having your account shared is not a safe (or private) option
While platforms like Netflix already warn that they will ban account sharing, this is still possible today just by giving someone else an email and password. Nevertheless, the case of Apple TV + is very unique in this sectionsince there is no account for this service, but the account used is the Apple ID.
And what is the problem? They could perfectly share the data of an Apple account, log in and start enjoying streaming content through your Android TV. Nevertheless, sharing an Apple account means that access to other key data is also being given. Data like photos, videos, messages, contacts or even documents from iCloud Drive. We do not know the level of trust you can have with a person who gives you their Apple account, but surely they would not be happy to give such open access to such private information.
Buying an Apple product just for that is not cheap
iPad (2021), the cheapest Apple device to create an account that gives access to Apple TV +
Whether or not Apple products are expensive is a matter that has been debated for years. In this case we will not enter to feed if they are more or less justifiable prices. We are going to stick with objective data and that is, apart from the 4.99 euros per month that Apple TV + costs, you should invest at least 379 euros to get the cheapest device of the company and that will allow you to create an Apple account.
Those 379 euros correspond to the iPad 2021, the company’s cheapest tablet model. If you wanted an iPhone you would have to go for an iPhone 11 of at least €589. In the Mac field we have the Mac mini M1 from €799 -and not to mention that it needs a separate screen and peripherals.
Therefore, unless you want to make the leap from an Android phone or tablet to iOS, we don’t think it’s worth buying an Apple device just to enjoy its streaming platform. In this case, he will forgive us for saying that it is absurdly expensive.
Apple TV + is a platform that, despite still having little content compared to others, has very appealing series, movies, and documentaries. However, Apple does not make it easy for the consumer. It is evident that it is a strategy with which to try to capture users for its ecosystem, but along the way the opportunity to gain relevance is left in an increasingly competitive sector.
