by Jason Snell
Who knew that Apple’s apps would be the worst part of Apple TV+?
I quite like the first three episodes of “For All Mankind.” But I had to deal with the app losing my viewing progress, and failing to sync it with other devices. And then I heard from people who were confused why HBO shows were showing up in the TV app when all they wanted to do was see what shows were available on Apple TV+.
Is the TV app the achilles heel of Apple TV+? That’s the thesis of 9to5Mac’s Benjamin Mayo:
Apple has made very few changes to the TV app design and feature set to accommodate the TV+ launch. TV+ is shoehorned in as just another source of content with very little consideration. With other streaming services, if you want to commit to their world and explore everything they have to offer, you can just open the dedicated app and never touch the TV app. With TV+, that’s simply not possible.
There is a channel section of the TV app that is dedicated to TV+ content — but it’s far from perfect. Finding the TV+ section requires a lot of scrolling, meandering past several screens worth of Watch Now recommendations for everything in the iTunes catalog.
When you get there, it lacks basic hierarchy like filters or subcategories. And most annoyingly, you can’t see the Up Next queue because you aren’t on the main screen anymore.
The list goes on, as does Mayo’s article. Apple has made some interesting shows, but it’s being let down by its own app.