Amazon Prime Video comes to Apple TV, finally

It's here at last: the Amazon Prime Video app is now available for the Apple TV. The app arrives six months after Apple CEO Tim Cook said it would arrive “later this year” and with just days to spare in 2017. The iOS app was just updated to 5.0 as well, adding iPhone X support and universal search. The tvOS version is available to download on Apple TV 3rd generation devices or later. (If don’t see it, try searching for “Amazon Prime Video” on your Apple TV).

The native Prime Video application joins similar apps from Hulu, Netflix, and other streaming services available on the Apple TV. Previously, Prime Video could only be played on the Apple TV over a wireless AirPlay connection from another Apple device. The new app should be far more convenient to use and greatly improve the viewing experience.

Today’s app release should open the door for Amazon to start selling the Apple TV again. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos refused to sell Apple's streaming TV box unless his company’s Prime Video app could be installed. Amazon did list the Apple TV briefly in September after refusing to sell it since 2015. “We want our player, our Prime Video player, to be on the device, and we want it to be on the device with acceptable business terms,” said Bezos at Code Conference 2016. “And if you can’t, then we don't want to sell it to our customers, because they’re going to be buying it thinking they can watch Prime Video and then they’re going to be disappointed. And they’re going to return it.” It's this same sentiment that's at least partially fueling the current feud between Amazon and Google.