Google starts removing Movies & TV tab from Play Store on Android

Earlier this year in March, Google announced that the Google TV app “will be your home for buying, renting, and watching movies and shows on your Android mobile device or tablet” and that it will begin removing Movies & TV starting in May 2022.

Google Play Movies & TV tab is bidding goodbye for good. Android users are starting to see Google’s dedicated for on-demand movies and TV shows disappear from the Play Store to ease the adoption of the Google TV app. Google does not want Android users to browse, search, buy, or rent any television shows or movies from the Play Store because it has intended the Google TV app for that. With a new Highlights news feed on its app, the Google TV app is what the company thinks you should use going forward.

Your past purchases, family sharing, payment information (such as Play credit and gift cards), refunds, Play Points, and even your wishlist in the Play Store app, however, will not be affected by this change. The redesigned web interface is not going anywhere. But the change brings more focus on the rest of the tabs in the Play Store, namely, Games, Apps, and Books. There could also be a Play Pass tab on the bottom but not everyone will see it. Also, since this change will come into effect for everyone over the next few weeks, if not days, you might still see the Movies tab.

Earlier this year in March, Google announced that the Google TV app “will be your home for buying, renting, and watching movies and shows on your Android mobile device or tablet” and that it will begin removing Movies & TV starting in May 2022. And it is likely that you will not miss it — even though getting used to not seeing the Movies & TV tab in the Play Store might take some time — because Google said the Google TV will offer the same experience “you are used to on Google Play Movies & TV with the latest new releases, rentals, deals, and great recommendations for you.”

Google has been hinting at the death of Play branding for its media content for a long time now. It previously killed the Play Music app in favour of YouTube Music. With Google TV, the company wants to segregate streamable video content from the Play Store — even though this could be a little annoying for users who are used to seeing everything under one roof. Also, Google TV does not stream all the content it recommends from other apps. You need to have the respective app installed on your smartphone to be able to watch what Google suggests to you. That makes the Google TV app only so much relevant for some users. People who rent or buy movies or TV shows, however, will find the Google TV app useful.