After pushing an Android TV app for Amazon Prime to Google Play back in December it seems like there’s progress on getting access to it with the app now available to install on Android TV devices – but don’t get too excited because it doesn’t actually work yet.
The app first appeared in December but was not available to be installed on any Android TV compatible set top boxes or even embedded Android TV sets either. The app was able to be installed to a selection of Android TV devices including the Nexus Player, Xiaomi Mi Box and more, but as of this time it’s showing as not compatible. Once installed, the app didn’t actually appear in your default launcher, and according to Android Police you also couldn’t select the “Getting Started” link you need to kick off your viewing.
The Amazon Prime Video app is still available for owners of Sony’s Android TV powered Bravia TVs, it’s also apparently available for the Nvidia Shield TV set top box as announced back in February last year.
Google and Amazon are currently in a standoff in terms of availability, with Amazon not offering Chromecast support in their Amazon Prime Video for phones/tabletsm nor selling Google Home, Chromecast or Nest products through their retail sites. As ‘retaliation’, Google withdrew YouTube support for Amazon’s Echo Show devices in December, and also revoked access to YouTube for Amazons Firestick Chromecast competitor at the beginning of this year.
There’s signs that Amazon and Google are working their differences out, but in the meantime we consumers are paying the price. I don’t think I’m alone in saying to both Google and Amazon – just sort this out and don’t disadvantage us.
The app on the Sony Bravia’s is their crappy HTML5 based one.. it’s slow and clunky.. would kill for a proper Android app.
It’s like the version of Stan that is on the Sony’s, it is better to download the actual app from the play store.. but then you end up with two Stan icons because you can’t remove their default one with their crappy ‘featured bar’ :/