Apple TV finally gets the free expansion users have requested for years

Apple has finally expanded Apple TV to a platform it's never natively supported before.

Apple TV+ was launched just over five years ago yet it has never been available to Android phone and tablet users as a standalone app. Until now, that is.

An Apple TV app is now available in the Google Play Store and it gives access to Apple's subscription streaming service and the MLS Season Pass ahead of the new season starting later this month.

It is limited, however. You cannot buy shows or movies from Apple through the app, nor access content you have already rented or purchased. But you can subscribe to Apple TV+ and pay for an MLS Season Pass on your Android device.

Apple TV+ is available with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers and then costs £8.99 / $9.99 / A$12.99 per month.

It is home to some of the best shows available on streaming platforms today, including Severance, Slow Horses, Ted Lasso, Silo, and For All Mankind.

An MLS Season Pass is priced at £14.99 / $14.99 / A$22.99 per month or £99 / $99 / A$149 for the whole season. However, if you also subscribe to TV+ you get a decent discount – such as £2 / $2 off per month in the UK and US respectively.

Although previously available on Android TV boxes and sets, Android mobile owners have only had access to the service through a browser before, which was hardly ideal. You couldn't download programming for offline viewing, for example, which is available as one of the app's new features.

Other than that, it's a fairly simple affair and less complex than the equivalent service on iPhone. By having a dedicated downloads button, for example, makes it easier to find your stored shows and movies.

It's worth noting that you can't currently change the video quality for downloads, although you can choose whether to allow downloads to occur over mobile data or restrict them to when you have a Wi-Fi signal.

The Apple TV app is available on Google Play now.