It’s no secret that Google sometimes has a lot of overlapping and confusing apps even though they eventually end up sunsetting one and keeping the other. When they started making YouTube more robust, some guessed that eventually, another video app will eventually get the shaft. Well we mostly got it right as Google Play Movies & TV will soon disappear on some smart TVs and all their content will be transferred to the YouTube app. That also probably means, we will eventually and officially say goodbye to the app.
Google has emailed users of the Google Play Movie & TV app informing them that it will stop working on certain smart TVs by June 15, 2021. They are encouraging them to purchase and their content through the YouTube app instead. All their existing purchased content will also be transferred to the YouTube app. If they have existing credits on the app, it can be used to make purchases on YouTube, where most of the video content is there anyway.
One thing that won’t be included in the transition is Watchlists so you better stop creating your own playlists on YouTube. Another confusing thing is that purchases that were made under Family Sharing can be accessed on YouTube but the videos that you buy on YouTube cannot be used for Family Sharing. If you want videos to share, you will still have to make the purchase through Google Play Movies & TV. But considering it may not be long for the world, Google needs another plan for that eventually.
As a thank you to users that will be affected by this transition, Google is giving a thank you gift with credits that can be used to make their next movie or show purchase. The instructions are in the email sent to users, as per a Reddit post. Google probably has more plans for YouTube as they near the sunsetting of Google Play Movies & TV. Right now the smart TV app is still built more for searching and viewing free videos so eventually, they have to add more features and create a new UI for movies and TV content.
To access your Google Play Movies & TV content, log into the YouTube app with the same email address. You’ll find them in the Library tab under “Your movies and shows”. This will affect Roku, Samsung, LG, and Vizio smart TVs.