There is only one place to buy and rent movies from Google in the future
Google announced earlier this year that it would remove the “Movies & TV” section from the Play Store. Instead, you will only be able to use the Google TV app to rent or purchase new movies or TV shows. That transition has finally begun, as the big G has begun phasing out the Movies tab from Google Play.
The company has updated its original announcement on the Google Support page (via 9to5Google) from March 22, 2022, to reflect that “Movies & TV is now being removed from the Google Play app.” If the Movies tab still appears in the Play Store on your device, you will see a banner on the tab informing you of the impending transition.
You do not have to worry about losing access to your previously acquired movies and TV series from the Play Store. Your existing library, wishlist and purchased content are still available from the Google TV app. You can also continue to pay for new movies or rent TV series with Play Store’s credit and gift cards.
The Google TV app provides better content recommendations thanks to its deep integration with various streaming services, though Netflix in particular lacks. You can stream content from various sources instead of just being limited to Google’s paid library. The new Highlights tab in the app shows entertainment news, interviews, trailers and more, so you can always find interesting things to see. It also provides a better viewing experience for many as it has a built-in virtual remote control for your Android TV or Chromecast.
The change is only limited to mobile at the moment, as Play Store’s webfront still has a Movies tab from which you can rent or purchase content. If you were used to buying movies from the Play Store on your phone, you might first find this change annoying. However, the Google TV app seems to be able to offer a better media consumption experience, and it has long been the place to go for a hassle-free shopping and viewing workflow.
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