Samsung TV Plus suits people who want cable-style live channels on a phone without paying for a subscription. The app comes from Samsung Electronics and is listed under TV and radio apps. It is available through Google Play only.
750+ live channels with no subscription
The defining fact is the price. The app is free, and it offers more than 750 live TV channels plus thousands of movies and shows on demand. Google Play lists no in-app purchases, so the cost of access is the ads that run alongside the content.
The channel lineup leans on news, with names such as ABC News Live, CBS News, CNN Replay and Bloomberg Originals. Movie channels include Paramount Movie Channel and Hallmark Movies & More.
How a session works on a phone
You open the app and pick a live channel, much like flipping through cable. There is no contract or set-top box involved. Alternatively you can browse on-demand titles, including full seasons of shows like Top Gear, Dateline and Law & Order.
An internet connection is required to stream. The developer says new channels, shows and movies are added regularly, so the lineup changes over time. The app carries a Teen content rating.
Where it sits next to Google TV and Amazon Fire TV
Google TV, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV appear among the listed alternatives, and they work as platforms for many services. Samsung TV Plus is one free service with its own channel lineup. TuneIn Radio, Simple Radio and Radio FM cover audio, so they answer a different need.
The app is built into Samsung devices, which include 2016 to 2023 Smart TVs, Galaxy devices, Smart Monitors and Family Hub refrigerators. The web is also supported. On other Android phones you install it from Google Play.
Samsung TV Plus pros and cons
Pros
- Free to use, with no in-app purchases listed on Google Play
- 750+ live channels plus on-demand movies and shows
- News channels such as ABC News Live and CBS News are included
- Works on Samsung TVs, Galaxy devices and the web as well as Android phones
Cons
- Contains ads
- Google Play rating is 3.9 from about 26.8 thousand ratings, which is middling
- Needs an internet connection to stream
- The version number varies by device
Is Samsung TV Plus safe?
Samsung Electronics publishes Samsung TV Plus under the package name com.samsung.android.tvplus. The content rating is Teen, and since the service is free, it runs ads alongside its live channels and on-demand titles. There are no in-app purchases, so nothing in the app asks for payment.
How to install Samsung TV Plus
- Press the Google Play button on this page.
- Check the listing in the Play Store and press Install.
- Open Samsung TV Plus when the install finishes. Updates arrive through Google Play.
