Engineer Dan Bostonweeks revealed the information based on a reply he received after sending feedback to Amazon about an Apple TV app. An Amazon representative responded by saying the company is working on a tvOS app, and that it will “hopefully be available within a few weeks.”
I sent feedback to Amazon via the Amazon Instant Video iOS app about supporting tvOS. They say it’s in development. pic.twitter.com/52fYUgtgNs
— Dan Bostonweeks (@danimal) November 28, 2015
The news comes a month after Amazon removed the Apple TV and Chromecast from its online store. Rumors said that Apple returned the favor by blocking Instant Video from the Apple TV, but in a response statement to Buzzfeed last month the company said everyone is welcome to build apps for the Apple TV.
Instant Video was one of the few video streaming services not available at launch on the fourth-generation Apple TV. Amazon did not give a reason for the delay — it has not been slow to support platforms in the past.
Amazon has not responded to questions on Chromecast support, so we suspect it isn’t working as hard on that feature for Instant Video viewers. This lack of enthusiasm to support competitors’ platforms might be a problem for Amazon as it tries to compete with Apple, Google, and Netflix all at the same time.
Still, Instant Video is available on a most platforms, including iOS, Roku, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, Wii U, and select Smart TVs. It also comes with the additional benefit of being tagged onto Prime — the company’s one-day delivery service for $99 a year — making it a free choice for Prime customers.
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