Amazon Says Prime Video Had Most First-Week Downloads of Any Apple TV App Ever

by

Amazon's long-awaited Prime Video app for Apple TV had the most first-week downloads of any app in the history of the tvOS App Store.

amazon prime apple tv
"Prime Video has been a hit with Apple TV customers around the world — it had the most first-week downloads of any app in the history of tvOS," an Amazon spokesperson reportedly told BestAppleTV.com.

Amazon and Apple haven't disclosed any actual download numbers, nor do we know the previous record or the app that achieved it. The tvOS App Store launched alongside the release of the fourth-generation Apple TV in October 2015, and thousands of apps are now available to download on the platform.

Amazon Prime Video launched on the tvOS App Store for the fourth-generation and fifth-generation Apple TV earlier this month, and it was also automatically made available on the non-tvOS third-generation Apple TV.

Similar to the Prime Video app on other platforms, the Apple TV version enables Amazon Prime subscribers to watch Amazon Prime exclusive TV series, and a collection of movies, including some titles in 4K HDR. Prime Video for tvOS supports both the Apple TV's universal search functionality and Apple's TV app.

Amazon achieved this accomplishment despite some criticism about the Prime Video app having a poorly designed interface. Apple reporters John Gruber and Rene Ritchie, for example, have both said Prime Video is the worst tvOS app they've ever seen, echoing a sentiment shared by some users on Twitter.

Nevertheless, given Prime Video is a popular service and was already available on so many other platforms, many Apple TV owners are likely happy that at least some kind of app is finally available on tvOS.

BestAppleTV.com is run by Brad Gibson, who has previously worked for Apple-related publications such as MacUser, MacFormat, MacNN, The Mac Observer, MacCentral, and Macworld, some of which have shut down. We haven't confirmed the accuracy of Amazon's statement with Apple or Amazon.

Update: Gary Ng at iPhone in Canada informed us he received the same statement from Amazon, confirming its authenticity. We've also learned the statement originates from Apple, despite being distributed by a PR agency working with Amazon.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tags: Amazon, Amazon Prime Video
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater

Popular Stories

Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Saturday August 16, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report this week, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform will blend...
Read Full Article • 125 comments
apple beta 26 lineup

Mark Gurman Responds to Last Week's Apple Device Leaks

Sunday August 17, 2025 7:03 am PDT by
Last week, Apple released and then pulled a software tool that accidentally contained identifiers for many unreleased devices and chips, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. His findings included new models of the Studio Display, Apple TV, Apple Watches, Apple Vision Pro, iPad mini, HomePod mini, and more. Here is what was uncovered in the file, according to MacRumors contributor ...
Read Full Article • 114 comments
iOS 26 Feature

Here's Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 7

Monday August 18, 2025 11:59 am PDT by
The seventh developer beta of iOS 26 is now available. While we are now in the later stages of the iOS 26 beta cycle, there are still some changes. Below, we outline everything new that we have found in iOS 26 beta 7 so far. Redesigned Blood Oxygen Feature The seventh developer betas of iOS 26 and watchOS 26 include a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch ...
Read Full Article • 55 comments
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max's Internal Design With Metal Battery Allegedly Leaks

Friday August 15, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Alleged images of the iPhone 17 Pro Max's internal design have surfaced, offering a potential look inside the device before it is announced by Apple next month. The images were shared by the account "yeux1122" this week, in a blog post on the Korean platform Naver. The account aggregates Apple rumors and leaks, so it is likely not the original source of the images, and it is unclear if they...
Read Full Article • 74 comments
iPhone 16

No iPhone 18 in 2026, Another Report Claims

Monday August 18, 2025 7:34 am PDT by
Apple is expected to delay the launch of its base iPhone 18 model until spring 2027, marking a major shift in the company's long-established release cycle, according to South Korea's ETNews. The report claims that Apple has informed some of its suppliers that the iPhone 18 will not be part of the September 2026 iPhone lineup. Instead, the company will unveil only higher-end models in the...
Read Full Article • 128 comments
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Reportedly Set to Receive 'Significant Redesign' Next Year

Friday August 15, 2025 1:31 pm PDT by
At least one new Apple Watch model launching next year will feature a "significant redesign," according to Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes. In a paywalled report this week, citing supply chain insiders, DigiTimes claimed that a high-end 2026 Apple Watch model will feature "exterior design" changes, including but not limited to "eight sensors arranged in a ring pattern visible...
Read Full Article • 94 comments
apple design award 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Design Award Winners Ahead of WWDC 2025

Tuesday June 3, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
As we wait for WWDC to kick off next Monday, Apple today announced the winners of its annual Apple Design Awards, recognizing apps and games for their innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement. The 2025 Apple Design Award winners are listed below, with one app and one game selected per category: Delight and Fun - CapWords (App) and Balatro (Game) Innovation - Play (App) and PBJ -...
Read Full Article • 25 comments

Top Rated Comments

mgollaher92 Avatar
mgollaher92
100 months ago
Gee it's like they should've created it a long time ago
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Colonel Badger Avatar
Colonel Badger
100 months ago
And still no 5.1 sound !!!!!!!!!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cambookpro Avatar
cambookpro
100 months ago
It's a really lazy port, and it's really not great to use compared to the vast majority of tvOS apps, but it has meant I could bin my awful Fire Stick to watch The Grand Tour - so I won't complain too much...
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bmunge Avatar
bmunge
100 months ago
Anyone saying it’s the worst tvOS app ever clearly hasn’t used DirecTV Now
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
asdavis10 Avatar
asdavis10
100 months ago
Doesn't surprise me. Amazon essentially let the pool of Apple TV customers build to such a large size. I downloaded it on both of my boxes and know many people who did the same. Amazon Prime Video is a pretty good service considering I have it because I mostly care about Prime shipping.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
zorinlynx
100 months ago
How these guys singled out Amazon Prime, I have no idea.

There are a LOT of very poorly designed apps on ATV. Many of them will start autoplaying video you didn't ask for (Netflix, Cartoon Network, MTV). What a garbage design decision, and no way to turn it off. Apple let us block autoplay from Safari, how about ATV apps?

And the menu structures on a lot of them are fiddly and counterintuitive. The Hulu app in particular is a dumpster fire. All we need is a basic hierarchal menu, and somehow they screw that up. All I'll say is, thank god for Siri search, because sometimes it's just about the only thing that tames the interface ****-show in a lot of these apps.

And I'm not even going to get into the fact that so very many of them keep needing to be reauthenticated over and over if your cable provider isn't fully supported by single sign-in.

I keep using ATV because I have Macs and iOS devices and it connects well with those things, but I have to say, it's just gotten crappier and crappier over time.
What makes this even worse is that app makers actually have to go OUT OF THEIR WAY to develop these bad interfaces. The Apple TV SDK provides a smooth, easy to use browsing interface for content right out of the box, but they still insist on rolling their own slower and inferior interface.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments