Google has confirmed that it is shutting down the Google Play Movies & TV app next month. As a result, those still using the app on an Android TV player or smart TV will lose access to the app on their device.
Google has been making a number of changes to its Android TV platform in recent years, with the most obvious being the slow transition from Android TV to Google TV. One of the features that has made its way out to both Android TV and Google TV devices is the new Shop tab. As the name suggests, the Shop tab offers an easy way to buy and rent content.
It appears the new Shop tab is the very reason that Google is now shutting down its Google Play Movies & TV app. In an email sent out to affected users, Google explains that the app is going away on October 5, 2023 and will no longer be available on Android TV devices.
Google then goes on to explain that device users will still be able to access all of the same content, including their existing purchases and active rentals on the Shop tab on Android TV and Google TV devices.
In short, now that the Shop tab is commonly available, it is replacing the Google Play Movies & TV app on devices that still use the app. This is primarily just Android TV devices that have never been updated to Google TV, as Google TV devices, as well as mobile devices, already saw their Google Play Movies & TV apps replaced with the Google TV app.
