Apple TV app now available to all Android TV devices... except Sony!

[fabulosa]

I have a 49XF9005 which was purchased at the beginning of 2019, so it's not exactly what I would call out of date.

Apple have now released the Apple TV app for all users of Android TV devices, but it's not available for us Sony owners.

Obviously this is Sony blocking the app in the belief that we will upgrade to a new TV to get it. Well, let me tell you Mr Sony, if I have to buy a whole new TV set then you can rest assured that it will NOT be a Sony! 

Rant over.

[naamane]

clickMe 

[rooobb]

How do you thin Sony is blocking an app in the Google Play Store? It should be related to constraints the developer has implemented and will be probably removed due to the announcement which declare only Android 8 as pre-requisite

BTW XF is a 2018 model, even if you bought it in 2019.

[Joe_Dohn]

Supporting apps is always an agreement, it wouldn't benefit Sony to alienate users just to push for you to buy a new TV, since most people would literally just buy an Apple TV box.

It's probably either a restriction by Apple devs as mentioned by rooobb or the TV just isn't powerful enough to support it.

@naamane PS: your hyperlink doesn't link to anything 🤔

- JD

[fabulosa]

Well Sony already alienated their users by not including the upgrade to have the Apple TV app and AirPlay 2 functionality on a TV which was, at the time of the announcement, only 1½ years old!

I read about the latest app announcement here: https://9to5google.com/2021/06/01/apple-tv-android-tv-app/. In the article, they say "... any Android TV device running 8.0 Oreo or higher that’s notan operator-tier device" and the link on "operator-tier advice" takes you to another article which says that "...it’s a level of certification for an Android TV device which allows companies, such as pay TV operators, to customize the platform". 

So, Sony do have a mechanism to block apps on their devices. The original decision to not include a 1½ year old TV in their original Apple TV/AirPlay upgrade is obviously one made purely for marketing purposes as, checking the specs of the XF90 (mine) and XG90 (the next year's model which was included in the upgrade) there's barely any difference!

My XF90 TV is fully updated to ATV 9.0 and is perfectly capable of running Netflix, Prime, Disney+ & Discovery+ apps in 4K HDR/Dolby Vision, so that's not a factor either.

[rooobb]

Sony implemented airplay compatibility only to those model for which it was specified and not supplied when launched: did you buy a set in which was written that was expected to support Airplay? 

And btw, my old KD55A1 can support it via other apps found in the google store (airscreen for example)

[Joe_Dohn]

I second rooobb's question, I haven't seen this functionality advertised on your model. The ones that had this functionality advertised as "coming soon" or "in a future update" (don't quite recall how it's worded) were the ones that received it.