Predictably, the tvOS 26.4 developer beta has removed the apps for iTunes Movies and iTunes TV Shows, migrating users to the TV app for media purchases and playback.
Apple has slowly been migrating users away from buying content from the iTunes TV Shows and Movies apps for a few years. In Monday's developer beta, Apple has taken another step to kill off the apps completely.
Under the developer beta, Apple has removed the iTunes Movies and iTunes TV Shows apps from tvOS 26.4, as spotted by MacRumors. Consumers will not be able to buy shows or movies through the apps anymore, but will be able to do so via the Apple TV app directly.
Users will still be able to access their previous purchases through the Apple TV app. Purchases from Apple are made through it too.
The move is the continuation of a long-term effort by Apple to consolidate its media storefronts. Rather than buying content from two stores and accessing the streaming service through a third, it's all now under one app.
The decision to remove the tvOS versions arrives long after similar moves were made in 2023. For iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2, Apple updated the iTunes Store app so that the Movies and TV Shows sections pointed users to the TV app.
The iTunes Movies and iTunes TV Shows apps on tvOS performed a similar act, telling users to use the TV app instead. However, while it was believed that the apps would be killed off in December 2023, it seems that Apple relented to give users a longer period to migrate their media shopping habits.
Other changes in tvOS 26.4 include Apple TV Audio Format setting changes that replaces Dolby Atmos immersive audio with Spatial Audio, and a Continuous Audio Connection option for HDMI.
