Google TV is finally available on the iPhone, and it’s a great way to keep up with your favorite shows. You can search for shows by title, channel, or genre, and you can also watch shows offline. Plus, you can control your TV with voice commands.
Google announced today that the Google Play Movies & TV app for iPhone and iPad is being updated to Google TV, matching the look and (most of the) features found in the current Android app. You can search for shows and movies from most major streaming services (similar to Plex’s new search), create and organize watchlists, and watch and download content from your Google TV library.
The new app also has a built-in remote for Google TV/Android TV devices, which will presumably replace the outdated Android TV app — Google discontinued the Android version when the Google TV arrived. You can also use the Google Home app for the same purpose.
What you can’t do in the iOS app is buy movies and shows through Google. The company doesn’t want to give a revenue cut to Apple for in-app purchases, so you have to buy shows and movies in the browser, which will then appear in the Google TV app on all platforms. That’s a bit of a pain, but par for the course with many iPhone and iPad apps.
Google TV is rolling out on the App Store starting today. If you have the old Play Movies & TV app, it will be updated to Google TV automatically.
