All the big platform players have their own ecosystem of digital content, and Microsoft is all-in on Android for its mobile plans these days, including the brand new Surface Duo. That re-focused approach to mobile opens up new possibilities for content, including Google Play Movies & TV, content that can be purchased in the Play Store on any Android device.
But, while Microsoft doesn't have an app of its own to watch video content bought from its store on Android, likewise Google doesn't have one for Windows 10. But that doesn't mean you can't purchase content on your Android device and watch it on your PC. You just need to know how.
Here's how to watch Google Play Movies & TV on Windows 10.
How to watch Google Play Movies & TV content on Windows 10 with YouTube
If you have a Google account, then you also have a YouTube account, and with the latter, you can watch any movies or TV shows you've bought from the Play Store on any PC with a web browser.
Just follow these steps.
- Log in to YouTube with the same Google account you purchased the content with.
- In the sidebar, locate Purchases and click on it.
- Choose the movie or TV show you want to play and it'll play in a regular YouTube window as any other video on the service would.
You can also purchase movies from YouTube to watch on either your PC, mobile, or other supported devices by visiting the dedicated store page.
All purchases use whatever payment method(s) you have attached to your Google account, and content bought this way will then become available to watch on your Android device and anything else with the Play Movies application or the YouTube application.
For most people around the world, this is the method to use, but for folks in the U.S. there is also an alternative way.
How to watch Google Play Movies & TV on Windows 10 with Movies Anywhere (U.S. only)
If you're in the U.S., there is the alternative of using Movies Anywhere. Both Microsoft and Google are among the companies that support the platform, which is designed to help you watch all of your movies on all of your devices no matter which store you bought them from.
So, if you buy something from Google Play on your Android device, the service will be able to sync it to your Windows 10 PC for you to be able to watch in Microsoft's Movies & TV app.
Besides only being available in the U.S., the other caveat is that it only supports movies, not TV shows. So if you buy TV shows from Google Play, you'll need to resort to the steps above to be able to watch them on your PC.
Whichever method you use, however, it isn't difficult to watch Google-bought content on your Windows 10 PC. It's certainly easier than buying from Microsoft and watching on your Android phone (at least, outside the U.S. anyway).
Richard Devine is an Editor at Windows Central. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently you'll find him covering all manner of PC hardware and gaming, and you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
