When you open up Amazon’s Prime Video app on any Apple device, you will now be greeted with the message: “Browse, rent, or buy new release movies, popular TV shows, and more—now within the app.” Before now, Amazon did not allow users to rent or buy Amazon Prime videos on iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, instead of asking users to use a web browser to make purchases so that they can avoid the App Store fee.
It wasn’t clear right away whether Amazon had quietly reached a deal with Apple or if they were planning on paying the full 30% commission. However, Apple later on confirmed that it has brought Amazon Prime Video into an ‘established’ program for premium video services.
“Apple has an established program for premium subscription video entertainment providers to offer a variety of customer benefits—including integration with the Apple TV app, AirPlay 2 support, tvOS apps, universal search, Siri support and, where applicable, single or zero sign-on,” Apple told Bloomberg in a statement. “On qualifying premium video entertainment apps such as Prime Video, Atlice One, and Canal+, customers have the option to buy or rent movies and TV shows using the payment method tied to their existing video subscription.”
So, if you want to buy Amazon videos on iPhone, you can now do so on the app itself! A notable change in how in-app purchases were handled previously.
The new Prime Video app does not require an update and now includes a full-blown Store tab at the bottom. The app features lists of popular new movies, including many recently released films like Invisible Man and Sonic the Hedgehog. And we all know what this means! Time to go into potato-mode and binge till our eyes melt (because self-care).
