CES 2020: Apple TV App Debuting on 2020 LG OLED TVs, Coming to 2019 and 2018 Models Later This Year

LG today expanded on last week's announcement of new 8K OLED TVs with new details on the full lineup of 13 new OLED models, including a new 48-inch size.

lg tvs 2020
Most notably for Apple fans, LG says the new lineup of OLED TVs will include an Apple TV app, letting users access ‌Apple TV‌+, ‌Apple TV‌ channels, and iTunes video content. In addition to the new 2020 models, LG says the app will also be coming to 2019 and 2018 models later this year, although exact details on which models will be getting the app have yet to be shared.

New for 2020, the Apple TV app allows customers to subscribe and watch Apple TV+ and Apple TV channels as well as access their iTunes video library and buy or rent more than 100,000 films and TV shows. Customers with 2018 and 2019 LG TV models will also be able to enjoy the Apple TV app this year.

While AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support have rolled out to a number of TV models from LG, Samsung, Sony, and Vizio, the ‌Apple TV‌ app has until now been exclusive to certain 2018 and 2019 Samsung models. The ‌Apple TV‌ app is also available on certain Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, providing owners of non-Samsung TVs with some alternatives beyond the ‌Apple TV‌ set-top box, but native integration with ‌Apple TV‌ on additional TV brands will be a welcome addition.

Tags: CES 2020, LG

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. 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 in 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....
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport. To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need: An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on An Apple Account ...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...

Top Rated Comments

npmacuser5 Avatar
77 months ago
Not sold on smart TV’s. Rather TV manufactures put maximum smarts into the video, interfaces and leave the rest to sticks or boxes. So far not one of the TV OS has been impressive. Lag behind the sticks and boxes getting new and or updated features. More complexity for essentially no gain.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WWPD Avatar
77 months ago
I wonder if this means the end is near for Apple TV hardware wise.

I hope not, I'm still waiting on the Apple TV stick.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BODYBUILDERPAUL Avatar
77 months ago

Side by side, the Apple TV version of the app starts up much faster and has fewer buffering issues than the same for Roku TV devices. I hope these LG models don't have similar performance discrepancies.
Yes, the Apple TV 4K has the beast of the A10X chip in it along with proper Apple OS so my opinion is that the Apple TV box from Apple will always give a far better user experience in terms of performance and reliability. Don't forget the Apple TV OS gets updated every 4 weeks or so and has the extremely important frame rate matching etc.
This will always outperform a smart TV app with its basic CPU/GPU etc.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
happygodavid Avatar
77 months ago

I wonder if this means the end is near for Apple TV hardware wise.

I hope not, I'm still waiting on the Apple TV stick.
Same here. ATV is far superior to any Airplay options I've seen or tried.


Not sold on smart TV’s. Rather TV manufactures put maximum smarts into the video, interfaces and leave the rest to sticks or boxes. So far not one of the TV OS has been impressive. Lag behind the sticks and boxes getting new and or updated features. More complexity for essentially no gain.
Have a 2018 LG with ATV4K, and a 2019 Samsung with Airplay built in. Bar none, hands down, my wife and I prefer the Apple TV interface to using Airplay and/or the Apple TV app on the Samsung. Sure, we'd rather not have to deal with the delicate hatchling that is the ATV remote, but other than that, it's no contest; Apple TV is so much easier and less of a hassle to use than Airplay. So much so that we've considered just spending the money on another ATV for the Samsung. Which sucks, because the reason we bought it in the first place was to have built in Airplay and not have to deal with another device/remote. Oh well, lesson learned. Unsolicited advice given to anyone who happens to read this: save your money on a TV with Airplay built in. Get an Apple TV instead. Not even close on the advantages of an ATV. Edit: Totally agree with you that TV manufacturers should stay in their lane. Let Apple, Roku, Google, etc. design their UIs in the form of external sticks/boxes. Exactly the same thing with car manufacturers. My gosh, I wish car manufacturers would just stop. Stop burying temperature controls, audio controls, etc. in a freaking touch screen... Give us Carplay, Android Auto, and the screen either does one of those or the radio. That's it. Leave UI stuff to the folks who know it. Okay, end of rant. :)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
77 months ago

Im on my 2nd panel since 2017

hope you got a long warranty, my oled has already been replaced due to burn in and now the replacement is starting to have issues after a year
Certain usage definitely risks burn in, most notably:

* Using TV as computer monitor or kiosk
* Playing many hours of games a day with static elements (e.g., HUD)
* Watching the same TV channel many hours a day with network logo or scrolling banner (e.g., CNBC)

Beyond these and similar scenarios, it's extremely unlikely for modern OLED to be damaged with permanent burn in images.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
77 months ago
This is a great move to include 2018 models.

While AirPlay 2 is a great bandage fix, webOS Apple TV would be far more useful. Judging by Apple TV app on other platforms (Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Samsung), it may only support HDR10 and stereo sound. And Apple TV app is limited to Apple TV+ and Apple TV Channels, sometimes iTunes purchases and rentals, and definitely no Home Sharing/Shared Libraries. It's good that LG version will support all Apple contents excluding Home Sharing/Shared Libraries.

Between 3 TVs at home, I have only 1 Apple TV 4K, hooked up to LG C8. My other 2 TVs have AirPlay 2 and HomeKit (LG B9 and Sony X950G). I may eventually get Apple TV 4K for at least one of these 2 TVs, but only after new model is released.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)