Google is quietly phasing out a well-liked app that allowed customers to buy premium Hollywood movies and TV reveals.
The web large emailed customers of Android TV to say the ‘Google Play Motion pictures & TV app will now not be obtainable in your Android TV machine from 05 October 2023’.
Prospects will as an alternative be capable of purchase or hire films by means of the ‘Store’ tab on Android TV, whereas content material can also be obtainable by means of YouTube and Google TV.
Some customers reacted with shock on the announcement, with one writing ‘WTF!?!?’ and one other saying it was ‘so unhappy’.
Others had been extra scathing, claiming the app was ‘garbage anyway’ and that its elimination was as a result of Google ‘most likely could not get anybody to look at their content material’.
Scrapped: Google is quietly phasing out its Google Play Motion pictures & TV app for Android TV clients. The app allowed customers to buy premium Hollywood movies and TV reveals
The transfer all however indicators the ultimate nail within the coffin for Google’s Play model.
Launched in 2012, the concept was for Google Play Retailer, Play Music, Play Newsstand, Play Books and Play Motion pictures & TV to compete with Apple’s choices throughout its iPhone vary.
Nonetheless, simply six years later the corporate started phasing the title out.
Play Newsstand was rebranded as Google Information in 2018, Play Music turned YouTube Music in 2020, and Play Motion pictures & TV morphed into Google TV for smartphone customers in 2021.
That left Google Play Motion pictures & TV solely obtainable for Android TV clients, however this may now come to an finish subsequent month, too.
As a substitute, an replace will combine purchases into the homescreen with the brand new ‘Store’ tab, which works rather a lot just like the ‘Library’ tab on Google TV.
It’s going to help customers’ present library by syncing from Play Motion pictures, Google TV, and YouTube.
Many shoppers will not discover the distinction, particularly in the event that they personal newer Google TV devices comparable to Chromecast, which is a streaming media adapter that enables customers to play on-line content material comparable to movies and music on a digital tv.
Like on smartphones, the Play Motion pictures & TV app on Chromecast had already been changed by Google TV.
Nonetheless, in case you have older merchandise such because the Nvidia Protect TV then the change will have an effect on how you buy movies and TV reveals.
By way of the Play model, solely Play Books now stays within the Play Retailer app.
Earlier this 12 months, the shop hit the headlines when it emerged that, together with Apple’s App Retailer, it was being flooded with faux critiques which are distorting the recognition of apps.
Some customers reacted with shock on the announcement, with one writing ‘WTF!?!?’ and one other saying it was ‘so unhappy’
Others had been extra scathing, claiming the app was ‘garbage anyway’ and that its elimination was as a result of Google ‘most likely could not get anybody to look at their content material’
Change in technique: The transfer all however indicators the ultimate nail within the coffin for Google’s Play model
An investigation revealed that as much as 1 / 4 of critiques within the well being and health part of Google’s Play Retailer had been suspicious, whereas for Apple’s equal 17 per cent seem faux.
The evaluation by client group Which? means that tens of millions of customers might be unwittingly handing over their private information or cash to apps which have cheated their strategy to the highest of the world’s two most distinguished cell app shops.
Such is the size of the issue that Which? additionally discovered that faux critiques are being brazenly bought by brokers, who pay Google to look on the prime of its search outcomes.
These providers supply bulk downloads, critiques or upvotes to assist push apps up the rankings, making them appear extra respected if they’ve been downloaded an enormous variety of occasions.
Google didn’t touch upon the evaluation however stated it had taken applicable motion in opposition to evaluate brokers who used its search engine.
