• The Plex app solves the problem of finding where a show or movie is streaming on different services.

• Third-party app searches are unreliable on Apple TV due to lack of data exposure by streaming services.

• All Apple TV searches now start with Plex thanks to its powerful content search engine.

If you’re like me, you probably have multiple streaming services running side by side. It’s pretty annoying, but trying to figure out which show or movie is streaming turns into a real waste of time for me, until I discovered that Plex has solved this problem with its streaming app.

I’ve always asked for unified streaming search

All I want is a single app or search tool that will tell me where something is streaming. There are of course sites like JustWatch who do exactly that. However, as someone who lives outside of the United States, these types of sites tend to be less useful, as their availability in my area is invariably wrong. So most of the time when it tells me something should be on Netflix, it’s not on my region’s Netflix.

Even if you live in a location that matches the information on sites like these, it’s still annoying to use a completely different device just to figure out what content is on the streaming box that’s right in front of you! This led to me renting content on Apple TV while it was streaming on an app already there, or simply giving up and watching something else, probably from my computer. Blu-ray and DVD collection. Since I can at least look at my shelf and know what I have!

Third-party app integration is spotty on Apple TV

I use an Apple TV 4K as my primary streaming device and tvOS has a system-level search feature. The problem is that not all streaming services expose their data in a way that tvOS search can determine whether something is in their catalog or not. In my experience, this means that the built-in search function is virtually useless for finding anything that isn’t on one of Apple’s services (or YouTube), since they obviously have the best integration with their own device.

I can’t blame Apple too much, if at all. Ultimately, streaming app creators have the option to fully integrate their apps with the system’s search function, but that still leaves me with the consequences of streaming service fragmentation.

The Plex app knows where things are streaming

Except, as I recently discovered, the Plex app fulfills this role almost perfectly. Plex is a streaming app that lets you stream your own digital content locally. So you can, for example, digitize your physical media collection or download public domain movies and series, and Plex will extract all the metadata and organize everything for you. It’s easy to configure Plex and I have a dedicated Plex server At my house.

Apple TV 4K (3rd generation)

You’ll get the full Apple experience with this streaming device. The A15 chip provides great hardware for all your apps, Apple exclusive or not.

Plex now also has its own live streaming channels, almost like traditional cable TV, as well as a library of ad-supported streaming content that you can watch for free. I was looking for something in Plex, hoping it would be in its free catalog, when I noticed that not only did Plex tell me if a show was on my server or in its library, it also told me if it was streaming . Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, etc.

I can also just select a button, and it would take me directly to the show in question. I can also tell at a glance if I should rent the show, and I can see if it’s cheaper on Apple TV or Google Play.

All my Apple TV searches now start with Plex

After learning that Plex is a very powerful content search engine, any movie or show search now starts on Plex, and within seconds I know exactly where to go to see the content I want. Even if it means ordering a DVD or Blu-ray, because it isn’t available anywhere. This doesn’t just work in the app, if you use Plex on desktop in a browser it offers the same functionality. Research. Click. Start watching.

I will never go back there.