With Google Play Movies & TV Disappearing, Where Can You Watch Your Purchased Shows and Movies?
The Google Play Movies & TV app has been closing up shop in various locations over the past year, and in January it will be gone for good.
Google has made no secret about the fact that it intends to do away with the Google Play Movies & TV digital storefront. For years, this app was the main way for users of Google devices to rent or purchase popular shows and movies, but in January the app is disappearing for audiences of every set-top box, smart TV, and streaming device, and audiences may be left wondering about the fate of their purchased content.
- Shows previously purchased on the Google Play Movies & TV app will still be available to buyers.
- Android TV devices will house purchased content in the “Shop” tab.
- Google first began sunsetting the Play Movies & TV app almost two years ago.
Will Titles Purchased on Google Play TV & Movies Disappear When the App Does?
Customers can certainly be forgiven for not knowing if digitally purchased shows and movies will disappear once the Google Play TV & Movies app is completely mothballed in January. After all, Sony announced in early December that PlayStation owners would see titles they bought from Discovery be deleted from their libraries thanks to an expiring licensing agreement, though viewers got a reprieve when Warner Bros. Discovery and Sony agreed to a new licensing pact.
Fortunately, any shows and movies that were purchased on the Google Play Movies & TV app will still be available for buyers once the app is shut down for good. That’s set to happen soon, as Google’s support page outlining where you’ll find titles bought in the Google Play Movies & TV platform after Wednesday, Jan. 17.
Owners of a smart TV or streaming device powered by Android TV will want to seek out the “Shop” tab. Scroll to the “Your Library” row to locate the titles you’ve rented or bought through Google Play Movies & TV. Those who have a set-top/cable box or want to access their purchases through a web browser will have to find them in the YouTube app; make sure you’re signed into YouTube with the Google account you bought the titles with.
Why is Google Play TV & Movies Going Away?
The Google Play TV & Movies app is seen as redundant, nowadays. The process of making it so started in March of 2022, when the app was pulled from the Google Play store and its functions moved to the Google TV interface. The app continued to function as normal for customers who already had it, but new users would rent and buy movies through Google TV instead.
In June of 2023, Google announced that instead of continuing to support the Play Movies & TV app on Android TV devices, the new Shop tab would let audiences rent and purchase new titles. The app was pulled from Android TV on Oct. 5.
Integrating all of these functions with the Android TV interface allows Google to streamline its offerings. Much like the new updates to the Apple TV app, customers will have to do less navigating to find the title they want to watch and can get to streaming faster. Users of the old Google Play TV & Movies app may have a little confusion in finding their purchased movies and shows, but they’ll soon be enjoying the slimmed-down rental/purchase process with Google going forward.