A new Amazon Prime Video app has appeared in the Google Play Store. The app, which was first spotted by AndroidPolice, is marked as an Andorid TV app, making it the first time Amazon has hinted at releasing a video app for all devices running Google’s television and set-top box operating system.
Earlier this year, Amazon released a video app for the NVIDIA Shield TV. While that device runs Andorid TV, the Amazon Video app was added through a software update from NVIDIA, which allowed it to bypass the Google Play Store.
The new Prime Video app for Android TV in the Google Play Store is currently marked as incompatible with all devices, making it impossible for anyone to download and install. It’s unknown why, but it seems like Amazon wants everyone to know that the app is coming but is not yet ready to release it to the world.
The arrival of a Prime Video app for Android TV devices is likely part of Amazon and Google’s ongoing discussions to make each company’s content available on both company’s devices. This hopefully means that Amazon and Google are close to coming to an agreement that will keep Google from blocking YouTube on Fire TV devices in 2018.
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By all means Amazon? Move at a glacial release pace. You know how that thrills me! Should’ve been released years ago and we wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with! And it better be released to every Android TV box from here to Timbucktu! Xiaomi Mi-Box, Nexus Player, Sling AirTV, the mid-January Channel Master Stream+ box and even the upcoming DirecTV NOW box set to be released next year! And Amazon Music for Android TV better not be too far behind either!
Now Amazon just need to remove area restrictions from its devices..
It’s a little bit strange not be allowed to watch Amazon Prime Video on my US AFTV just because I’m not in US…
That’s not strange at all. They don’t have the global rights to certain content with the US version of Prime.
That’s not strange at all. They don’t have the global rights to certain content with the US version of Prime.
Damn ….. Finally decided to sell my Nexus Player and sold it last weekend.
Can someone tell me if this is working in 5.1 unlike Apple TV. Also is the app working on the mii box ? Thanks
Hope it finally allows universal search.
^^This and the ability to manage watch lists please.
Exactly. Who wants an app that is completely walled off from the rest of the OS? Makes using Search with Prime Video worthless.
This is all a matter of jockeying for position.
What Amazon wants is to be able to sell digital content for its services without having to give 30% of the revenue to the operator of the store the app is downloaded from.
That’s the reason they began this standoff situation. Removing devices from the store was an escalation on Amazon’s part, threatening to block Youtube was a corresponding escalation on Google’s part.
If I were to interpret the listing of an app that wasn’t made available, it would be effectively as a statement from Amazon to say “The app is ready”, in order to show that they’re not just doing an Apple and refusing to allow their services to exist beyond their own ecosystem. But I don’t think it’ll be released until there’s an acceptable in-app-sales compromise.
Amazon seem to have made a concession now by selling Chromecasts, though, so things are moving.
My opinion on this is that Amazon are likely to drive so much business through the store that it’s maybe acceptable for them to negotiate a special bulk rate, or conversely if they want to use their own Amazon Pay apparatus, that they should maybe agree pay the platform holder some form of “platform tax”.
All I want for Christmas is Directv Now on my Nvidia Shield TV!
You can sideload it for now; works well…
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/att-services-inc/directv-now℠-android-tv/directv-now℠-android-tv-1-0-6-2828-release/
Thanks. My experience with DTVN sideloads has been on the bad side. No On Demand content, low frame rate, low resolution within the first minute of tuning into a channel. I’ll give this apk a shot though. Maybe this are better now.
Ive tried this link a couple times. It doesnt work. when i tried it just now it said it was a corrupt apk.
Maybe after DirecTV NOW releases their own Android TV box next year? They’ll finally release the app for general Android TV boxes!
I do not see this listed in the playstore from a MiBox with Android TV. Directlink to the apk indicates that this is not compatible.
Does anyone have a link to this apk that can be sideloaded?
Thanks