Summary
- Apple TV 4K is my favorite streamer, but it lacks casting and some apps.
- I use Android, so AirPlay isn’t an option — that makes the Apple TV feel closed off.
- Roku and Google TV play nicer with Android, so I’d hesitate recommending Apple TV for mixed homes.
There are many reasons to pick up an Apple TV, and if you do, I promise you won’t be disappointed. I have an Apple TV 4K, Roku Ultra, and Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max, and the Apple TV 4K is the device I spend the most time with. I even do it with it as my only Apple device, but that comes with some unfortunate downsides.
As you might know, an Apple TV isn’t guaranteed to have the same apps as your phone, so you can’t always watch something directly from your Apple TV 4K. If you have an iPhone, that’s not an issue, as you could mirror your screen or use AirPlay. However, I have an Android, so that’s not something I can do. Typically, I rely on casting, but I can only do that if it’s on a Google device or something that supports that. Unfortunately, the Apple TV 4K is not a device that supports this feature.
- Brand
-
Apple
- Bluetooth codecs
-
5.0
- Wi-Fi
-
6
- Ethernet
-
Gigabit (128GB model only)
- Storage and RAM
-
64GB, 128GB
An unexpected downside to Apple TV
I didn’t see this coming
To be fair, in most situations, I’m able to install an app onto my Apple TV 4K without an issue, but that’s not the case for everything. For example, I watched a wrestling event that was available on both an Android and an iPhone app, but not an Apple TV app. This meant I had to install the app on my phone and cast from it, only to be met with the realization that it wasn’t possible.
Thankfully, my TV is a Google TV, so the only thing I had to do was turn the Wi-Fi on and cast to that. While that worked for me, that won’t be the case for people who don’t have that as an option for their TV. I understand why Apple wants to build a walled garden of sorts, but it’s only bad for the consumer.
I’m likely in the minority with the Apple TV 4K being my only Apple product, but that’s the way the dominoes have fallen. When the time comes to get a new phone or tablet, I’ll consider something from Apple, but I’m not in a big rush. If I didn’t have an alternative means to watch something on my TV without using my Apple TV, maybe it’d be different, but I have a Google TV and a cable that lets me connect my phone to my TV, so I have my bases covered in a few ways.
I wish Apple could be a little friendlier
It’s better for everybody
In the future, I hope Apple starts to play nicer with others. Going to the Roku Ultra as an example, I’m able to use my Android phone just fine with that, and there’s no need to use my TV’s UI or anything of the sort. In fact, Roku works well with both Android and iOS, so it’s a good pick for people who have a lot of different brands in their house. Apple makes it difficult to mix products like that, and I often feel like I’m being punished for dipping my toes into other ecosystems. Obviously, I could’ve done my own research and found that Apple typically works like this, but, alas, I did not.
Ultimately, it’s not a major issue, but it is one reason I’d be hesitant to give a full recommendation for the Apple TV 4K if somebody who isn’t fully invested in the ecosystem is asking. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the next-gen Apple TV 4K will allow for more interconnectivity, but I won’t hold my breath. In the meantime, I’ll keep using my Apple TV 4K and hope situations where I can’t cast don’t arise too often. Thankfully, the majority of apps I use exist on the Apple TV, but it’s rather annoying to come across when it is a problem.
