Apple's forgotten Trailers app is on its way out
William GallagherApple's iTunes Movie Trailers app still exists
The iTunes Movie Trailers app for iPhone is still on the App Store, but Apple is transitioning away from it toward having the TV app include everything in one place.
Movie trailers were once important to Apple for how it showed off the superiority of video on Macs, most notably with "Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace" in 1999. But since then, Apple has ceased to be the place to go to see new trailers, and has been usurped for this by YouTube.
It's not, though, as if Apple lavished attention on its iTunes Movie Trailers app. Since it was launched in 2012, it has had a total of 16 updates — most of which were minor. Its latest update was in 2018, when Apple released version 1.4.4 with the new inclusion of an Apple Watch icon.
Today the iOS app is headlined by a banner image saying that "Apple TV app is the new home of iTunes Movie Trailers." The banner is in a carousel that rotates to a new message every few seconds — but each image is the same.
At present, the banner can be tapped and it does react but goes to a blank screen and then snaps back like an elastic band.
It's clearly intended to take users to the iOS TV app, and that app is beginning to show signs of being ready for them. While it isn't working, and is only in the US at present, the TV app does now contain a section for trailers.
Apple has not commented and as yet there is no way to know when this rather clunky rolling out of a new feature to the Apple TV app, will take to reach all users.
Mike Wuerthele
Malcolm Owen
Chip Loder
Christine McKee
Michael Stroup
17 Comments
Hmm am I the only one who frequents Trailers!?
Yes.
Who knew they even had an app like that.
Just what I want to do.
Sit and watch a bunch of trailers for movies I'd never want to see.
I guess if you can't afford a streaming service…
I remember in the late 90s visiting the Apple website to watch trailers.