Apple’s TV app (finally) appears in 44 more Sony TVs

by Jonny Evans · Published November 27, 2020 · Updated July 24, 2021

Now available in 44 recent and semi-recent Sony televisions

Happy Thanksgiving! Sony has ushered in Apple TV app support across a much broader range of 2018, 2019 and 2020 smart TVs, making a software update introducing this available across multiple countries.

Check your TV system updates

Once installed you can rent or buy content from Apple, watch your existing purchases, subscribe to channels within the TV app and – of course – watch all those Apple TV shows, once you subscribe to Apple TV+. The news comes as Apple continues to set the scene for what I guess it hopes is big growth in use of its services.

Some Sony TVs already support AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. AirPlay 2 lets users stream videos and other content from their iPhone, iPad or Mac directly to their smart TV, while HomeKit lets you control the TV from the Home app.

Sony promised us it would introduce Apple TV app support in its televisions in early 2020 and began roll out in October 2020, starting with the X900H series. The company recently made the app available on the Playstation 4 and 5 games consoles.

FlatPanelsHD reports:

“Firmware v6.4960, which is rolling out now in Europe and coming soon to North America, introduces the Apple TV app widely across Sony’s TVs from the last few years.

As far as we can tell, this includes all 2020 Android TVs models, most 2019 models (but not AG8, XG83, XG81 and XG80 at this time), and two high-end 2018 Android TVs (AF9/A9F and ZF9/Z9F). The full changelog and a list of compatible TV models can be found at the bottom.”

Apple’s Ted Lasso series should keep you occupied this winter.

Apple TV app appears in 44 Sony televisions

The full list of 44 Apple TV app compatible Sony televisions is available here.

Here is the complete changelog of the Sony TV system software update:-

Introduces Apple TV app
Introduces a new parental control function that can limit viewing time
Introduces an automatic addition of frequently used apps/settings to the Input menu and Quick Settings
Adds accessibility shortcuts to Quick Settings
Improves the usability of HDMI connected devices
Resolves an issue where channels switch by themselves after changing the channel order
Resolves an issue of no sound from the optical out after AC reset
Resolves an issue on OLED models where the screensaver is sometimes activated while watching HbbTV content
Resolves a network error issue caused by an incorrect system time setting
Resolves an issue where Dolby Atmos sound is sometimes distorted
Resolves an issue where the default DNS would always be set to a specific value
Resolves an issue in the Netherlands where teletext would not launch or would disappear
Resolves an issue of intermittent sound drops in sound bars connected via HDMI ARC while watching content in streaming apps
Resolves an issue where the video freezes briefly while watching content in streaming apps