Skip to main content

Apple TV app hits Amazon Fire TV devices in preparation for Apple TV+ launch

There’s nothing quite like a deadline to get things moving. With one week to go before the official launch of Apple TV+, Apple added its TV app to Amazon’s Fire TV platform. Available starting October 24 for both the Fire TV Stick (second generation) and Fire TV Stick 4K, the Apple TV app will also be making its way to other Fire TV devices in the coming weeks.

Apple’s TV app gives users access to a single environment in which they can stream video content from a wide variety of sources, including any previous iTunes purchases stored in iCloud. But the biggest reason Apple has to put its TV app on as many devices as possible is that it’s the exclusive home of Apple TV+, the company’s soon-to-launch $5 per month video streaming service.

Related Videos

Apple TV+ needs all of the potential eyeballs it can get. It launches into a video streaming market that is already fiercely competitive and getting hotter each month. With Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Sling TV, and dozens of other subscription services vying for consumers’ dollars, it will be interesting to see how much of a dent Apple can make. Not only will the service have limited content at launch, but Disney+ will be hot on its heels when it debuts on November 12.

Apple previously announced that it would roll out the TV app for many of the biggest streaming device platforms, including smart TVs from LG, Vizio, and others. So far, (in addition to Apple’s own devices) those platforms include select Samsung smart TVs, which also received AirPlay 2 support, Roku devices, and computers with modern web browsers. The addition of Fire TV streamers is a big milestone toward making the TV app accessible to everyone.

Fire TV Stick (second generation) and Fire TV Stick 4K customers will be able to download the app starting today in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and India. Fire TV Basic Edition customers in over 50 countries can also find the Apple TV app in the Amazon Appstore on their Fire TV. Fire TV Cube (first and second generation), Fire TV (third generation pendant design), Toshiba and Insignia Fire TV Edition smart TVs, and Nebula soundbar will all get the Apple TV app “soon,” however,  Fire TV (first and second generation) and Fire TV Stick (first generation) won’t be getting it.

Editors' Recommendations

YouTube TV: plans, pricing, channels, how to cancel, and more
The YouTube TV on a Roku TV.

When you think of streaming video, you think YouTube. And so YouTube TV — Google's live TV streaming service — very much just makes sense for a lot of people. Designed for those who want to cut the cord and ditch their cable or satellite subscriptions (and known in the industry as a multichannel video programming distributor, or MPVD), YouTube TV competes in the same arena as other streaming television services like DirecTV Stream (formerly known as AT&T TV Now and DirecTV Now), Sling TV, FuboTV, and Hulu With Live TV.

And YouTube TV offers a unique mix of features that make it very appealing, so much so that it's now the No. 1 service in the U.S. in terms of the number of paid subscribers, with some 5 million subscribers as of June 2022 — up some 2 million from the last time the service gave an update in October 2020. The popularity is due to several factors. YouTube TV is easy to use. It's got a selection of channels that's competitive with all its rivals. And the YouTube TV price is competitive, too. You're able to watch YouTube TV on pretty much any modern device. And the fact that parent company Alphabet (aka Google) has been marketing the heck out of it the past few years certainly hasn't hurt, either.

Read more
YouTube TV increases its monthly prices by $8 – is now the time to switch?
YouTube TV on Roku.

YouTube TV has raised the price of its monthly subscription by $8, from $65 to $73. The move comes on the heels of its announcement that it will be adding a multiview feature for sports channels. The change in price will hit current subscribers on April 18, however, the streaming service, which is owned by Google, has already started charging new customers the higher price.

It's been a while since YouTube TV last raised its prices. That was in 2020, when the streaming service increased subscriptions from $50 to $65. When the service first launched in 2017, it only cost $35 per month.

Read more
What is Dolby Atmos Music, and how can you listen to it at home and on the go?
best tech under $100

Whether we get our music through streaming services, satellite radio, CDs, or vinyl, most of it has been recorded using the time-honored technique of two-channel stereo. But over the past few years, there's been a growing movement in the recording industry toward so-called spatial audio formats. The most popular of these formats is Dolby Atmos Music, and it can make good ol' stereo sound like mono AM radio.

But what exactly is Dolby Atmos Music? How is it different than stereo? And what kind of gear do you need to listen to it at home and on the go? We've got everything you need to know to get on the Dolby Atmos Music train.
What is Dolby Atmos Music?

Read more