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The Android TV version of the Prime Video app has now received an update on the Google Play Store although it still remains unclear if this is the version that makes the app widely available on Android TV devices.
Earlier in the week both Amazon and Google confirmed they were increasing the support of YouTube and Prime Video on each other’s platforms. This essentially meant that Prime Video would no longer be resigned to the select few companies Amazon had prior arrangements with. When the announcement was made it was assumed the support would go live immediately although that does not seem to have been the case and especially considering at the time the Google Play Store listing for the Prime Video app had not been updated since July 4.
Now the app has received a July 12 update it would be assumed this update brings with it the support for additional devices, but that remains to be seen. As of right now, the Google Play Store listing is still showing a number of Android TV devices, including the Xiaomi MI Box as incompatible. In addition, searching for “Prime Video” via the Android TV version of the Play Store on an incompatible device is still not returning any results.
The “What’s New” section of the app listing also does not specify wider Android TV device support although it does improve the Android TV functionality of the app. For example, the latest version apparently now allows Android TV device owners to make use of the Android TV Remote Control app to search for TV shows and movies. This support has also been extended to Bluetooth keyboards as well.
The only other improvements noted is the ability to use a number pad to bypass parental controls and/or purchase restrictions as well as the more general “improved playback performance.”
The latest version of the app is 4.12.10 and as this still only seems to be available on select Android TV devices, these latest features currently will only apply to those devices.
When the original announcement was made it was sort of a joint announcement as the support for Prime Video was also being extended to Chromecast. That support seems to have now gone live for many with the mobile version of the app also having received an update earlier in the week adding the Cast support. However, this is different to the promised wider Android TV support which has yet to arrive.
To avoid any confusion between whether Android TV devices are expected to get the native Prime Video app or just support through Chromecast, here is the statement that was included in the original announcement from Google regarding wider Android TV support.
“In addition to the select Android TV devices that currently have Prime Video, many more Android TV smart TVs, set-top boxes and streaming devices will also soon have Prime Video, with rollout starting today. You can download Prime Video by clicking the app icon directly from your home screen or in Google Play. ”
In the statement Google does clearly point to the app version of Prime Video that’s available on “select Android TV devices” as well as the option to download. This is in addition to confirming the rollout was believed to have started on July 9. Since then devices with the existing Prime Video support have already begun to receive this latest version of the app so it now is just a question of when previously incompatible devices will see their app support going live.
Those waiting on the support can check to see if their device is now listed as compatible by heading over to the Prime Video Google Play page.