Hands-On With the New Plex App for the Apple TV

Earlier this week, Plex released its highly anticipated app for the tvOS App Store, making Plex officially available on the Apple TV for the first time. Given Plex's popularity, we decided to check out the new app and do a quick video overview for those who might be interested in getting a new Apple TV to use with Plex.

Plex is a media server and personal library that's able to organize the media stored on your computer, like videos, TV shows, music, and stream that content to iOS devices, the Apple TV, and other set-top boxes.

When you install Plex and let it organize your content, it'll add artwork to movies, TV shows, and music, along with information like cast members, plot summaries, and Rotten Tomatoes ratings. On the Apple TV, this turns into a nicely organized media library that largely resembles iTunes or Netflix.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

Plex has been available for a long time on set-top devices like the Chromecast and the Fire TV, but it has not previously been available on older versions of the Apple TV in an official capacity. Those who have jailbroken an Apple TV in the past have been able to unofficially install the Plex software.

The Plex app for the Apple TV can be downloaded from the tvOS App Store. The app is free to download, and unlike the iOS version does not require a $4.99 in-app purchase or Plex Pass subscription to unlock functionality. Apple TV and iOS App Store apps are universal, so if you've already downloaded the app for iOS, it can be found in the Purchases section of the tvOS App Store. [Direct Link]

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: Plex
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
apple news banner

Apple News Loses CNN

Monday November 24, 2025 7:56 am PST by
American multinational news company CNN has abruptly pulled its content from Apple News, Semafor reports. CNN quietly removed its stories from Apple News over the weekend and there is no longer a feed from the network to subscribe to in the app. This effectively ends its distribution agreement with Apple while the two sides negotiate new terms. Discussions are apparently ongoing and CNN's...
amazon black friday

Amazon Kicks Off Black Friday Sale With Major Discounts on Apple Accessories, TVs, and More

Sunday November 23, 2025 7:12 am PST by
Black Friday deals have begun, and Amazon is one of the best places you can find steep discounts on numerous products this week. We've already collected all of the best Apple-related deals you'll find at Amazon (and other retailers) in our Apple Black Friday Deals post, so below you'll find other discounts on devices like Anker accessories, Beats headphones, video games, TVs, and more. Note:...
Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...

Top Rated Comments

budselectjr Avatar
131 months ago
Plex just didn't live up to my expectations. I installed it on my NAS and only asked it to share out one folder. It goes and catalogs everything which is mess. I'm not a fan of it's slow buffer speed and recommendations littered about.

I would highly recommend Air Video HD over Plex, even with the $4 cost. It has a very simple interface which allows for quick browsing and playback. It can play more file types than Plex and every type of subtitle, something I was surprised Plex can't do.

Plex sure does look better and has some nice extra features but if you have lots of movies that need subtitles and loads up files in an instant, I would recommend Air Video HD.
Your problem is running Plex Server on a NAS with a slow processor.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
camnchar Avatar
131 months ago
Plex is super speedy running on a Mac Mini as the server and the Apple TV 4 as the client (my Synology NAS just acts as storage). Using a NAS as your server is always a bad idea.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fabian90 Avatar
131 months ago
Plex is super speedy running on a Mac Mini as the server and the Apple TV 4 as the client (my Synology NAS just acts as storage). Using a NAS as your server is always a bad idea.
Yes same here. Super fast. :)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
benjitek Avatar
131 months ago
Yeah, you should really go with the Air Video tvOS App of you want something easier and quicker.
How so...? You didn't back up your statement with any examples of 'easier' or 'quicker'...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
camnchar Avatar
131 months ago
Plex is the reason I bought the new Apple TV. It is hands down the best server-client combination I've used, and to have one device that supports Plex, iTunes purchases, and Netflix is awesome.

Amazon, get your app on there.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
grundoon Avatar
131 months ago
If it needs a server process to be executed on a Mac or a NAS then it's worthless. We need an app that runs the server on the TV itself, that can scan network for media files during all day's idle time in background, so there's no need to keep a computer turned on. Having a Mac AND the TV running at the same time it's nonsense in 2015. Talk about sustainability and power savings too. Sorry Plex, I think I'll pass.
Please tell us more about this magical storage device that sits on your network serving up files, without using a CPU, or power.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)