Google Play Movies & TV just received an update, which aims to streamline and enhance the users' streaming and watching experience.
Google is changing the way users search for their favorite and new shows to watch. In the latest update, the company partners with 28 streaming services to bring their libraries right into the app.
How Google Play Movies & TV App Works
The Google Play Movies & TV update now allows users to find any TV show or movie within the app and then see where they can watch it. When they want to watch a title, Google app then takes them to the app that streams it.
"We deeplink right into playback for that [third-party streaming] app," said Ben Serridge, product manager of Google Play Movies & TV.
"So if I wanted to start watching The Good Doctor pilot, I press the play button and it goes into the ABC app and start playback."
Even subscription services are integrated into the app, and Google Play Movies & TV lets users know if they need to subscribe first before they can watch a show. It also displays how much it will cost and if they need to have pay TV credentials.
Google Play Movies & TV vs Apple TV App
Apple fans might already be familiar with this feature, as it's similar to the TV app. It aggregates shows from third-party websites and the user's own library into one place. Apple is a few steps ahead, though, as it supports over 60 streaming services.
One popular service that's missing from Google Play Movies & TV is Netflix. Nonetheless, it's bound to come soon, as Apple's TV app didn't have it at launch as well.
What's surprising is that YouTube TV, whose parent company is Google, isn't integrated into the app yet.
Other New Features
Google Play Movies & TV also simplifies how users can discover something new to watch. Users now have easy access to filters such as genre, rating, awards, and date released.
A thumbs-up/thumbs-down feature has also been added that teaches the Google app what the viewer likes and what they don't. This then allows the app to curate a more personalized recommendation list.
Users will also find three new tabs in the app: Home, Library, and Watchlist. The Watchlist tab displays the list of shows that users want to watch. It also displays the show's price drops (if any), availability to buy or rent in Play, and availability to stream.
The Google Play Movies & TV update will start rolling out to Android devices over the coming days.
