Introducing the new Plex for Android
Almost a year ago, I wrote a post introducing Plex for Windows Phone. In that post, I had some harsh words for Android. Turns out a lot has changed since then.
One of my biggest gripes against Android was how unresponsive the user interface was, even after four major iterations of the platform. Little did I know, the geniuses at Google were hard at work on Project Butter, and I have to say, butter tastes good.
What Android has going for it, more than any other mobile platform, is a supreme lack of complacency. Besides silky smoothness, Jelly Bean also introduces large improvements in the notification system. And Google Cloud Messaging (which completely replaced Cloud to Device Messaging), is far superior than iOS push notifications.
When the iPhone came out, it was 5 years ahead of anything else in the space. Indubitably. But one would be hard-pressed to argue that the platform has progressed with anything close to the speed at which Android has. Let’s be frank: when it first came out, Android was crap. But when you have two cars racing on a long straight highway, over time, velocity is everything. So 5 years later, Apple is no longer 5 years ahead. And more dangerously, their speed is unimpressive as of late. Their hardware is outstanding, best in the world. But iOS itself, honestly, feels like it’s languishing.
The other big complaint I had against Android was its development ecosystem. This is something Microsoft understood, and got right with its Metro [sic] toolset. It is very easy to make a nice “modern” Windows app (or whatever they’re calling it this week).
When we first started with Plex for Android, the edit/build/deploy cycle was glacial. So bad that when the app finally ran, you literally forgot what change you were deploying to test. That bad. Google should have focused earlier and with more passion on tooling. Empower the developers, and you’ll reap the rewards when they empower your platform. Annoy your developers, and you’ll have a software ecosystem problem.
Today, that problem is mostly solved. I can edit and deploy to my Nexus 7 in a few seconds. The x86 emulator is much faster than the emulator of yesteryear, running inside a Linux VM, on top of an emulated ARM processor (apparently nobody watched Inception). There are still annoyances, and IntelliJ’s UI designer for layouts is sadly primitive compared to Visual Studio, but it’s much, much better.
So where does that leave Android, and perhaps more importantly, Android users? In a good place, and getting better. For the first time ever, you can actually find Android software which is comparable (and sometimes ever better) than the iOS versions. As an example, I love the Lantern Campfire app. It runs in the background, notifies me of new messages, and looks infinitely better than 37 Signals’ pathetic excuse for an official app. I could go on, but our friend Aayush Arya wrote a brilliant article which I highly recommend you read.
I realize, you’re here for Plex news, not a 500 word meandering diatribe on mobile operating systems, so I apologize. I felt the need to update my previous thoughts on the matter, and, as a fellow Plexian said, eat some crow. Nom nom nom.
I’ll make the actual news short and sweet: we’ve rewritten Plex for Android from scratch. Frankly, we learned a lot of lessons from the old app, and it served us well. But we’ve been reading and re-reading the Android Design Guidelines, and we thought we could do better, especially if we dropped support for older versions of Android.
We targeted Android 3.2 or newer, used some great platform features (Google Cloud Messaging, lock-screen music controls, global search integration), and you’re going to love it. It also supports PlexSync. To everyone who has been patiently waiting, I apologize for the delay, but it will have been worth it. The app is fast, smooth, and beautiful. It uses paging and infinite scrolling and network data compression, which means access to giant libraries is super fast. It supports the same rich filters you’ve gotten to know and love from Plex/Web. And most importantly, it’s a great platform to build on.
We’ve prepared a little video which shows off the new Plex for Android (codenamed Kepler, in case you cared). You’ll want to watch it all the way through, because in the video you’ll see unveiled a surprise MAJOR feature (never seen before) that will literally, blow your minds.
We didn’t just set out to make a great Plex Android app.
We set out to make the most beautiful Android app, period.
When will it be released? This week. On Google Play. As a separate app, so you can run both side by side.
Will it be PlexPass only? Yes. Until it’s out of beta, at which point it will be available as a free upgrade for existing Plex for Android users. (Note that it does not, and will not, support Android versions earlier than 3.2). Also note that the PlexSync feature will always require a PlexPass.
Why 3.2? Because the Google TV runs 3.2, and we like the Google TV.
I have an Android 2.x device. Why do you hate me? At this point almost 90% of our users are running 4.0 or newer. We felt that requiring a modern version of Android was the best move for the app, and the vast majority of our user base.
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Hallelujah
Thanks a lot guy’s!
I and Barkley seems to love it!
Very very impressed with the look of the new app! Well done!
Noticed the use of the SlidingMenu
Using that pattern in my own app atm, great for exposing functionality you want to make easy to access but not in your face all the time.
Times are changing… looks like Android is the new first class citizen in town.
I agree on all the comments Elan made on iOS and while I’m still 100% locked into the Apple ecosystem, I have a feeling that this will change when the next phone upgrade.
Awesome news, can’t wait to download!
I’m at work, so can’t watch movie, what’s the new feature?
Oh. And I hoped that the one more thing thinge would be airplay?
No?
Pretty please w. sugar on top?
So the big news is that dogs can now also control Plex? That’s huge indeed!
wow. that looks fantastic!
Sweet!
Will Kepler work on the Kindle Fire HD? If so, it might be time to replace my first-gen Kindle Fire…
I dont normally comment on stuff like this, but this is an amazingly impressive app.
Sure looks great! Good job. I am happy for all the Android-using Plexians out there.
I do hope tho that doesnt leave iOS development behind
Hope we get the Sync-Server feature too, some day in the near future.
Great! I love the way you write your posts. It’s awesome to hear about the technical aspect of development. Not only feature1, feature2, feature3 …
Well, now I *really* have to finally put 4 on my GS2.
So exited to try it, great job team!
Is the beta available for plexpass members today?
Awesome
Woooff! That’s a big one!
Thx for the grat work and the inside scoop!
Wow this is great news, i just bought the app even though it looked crap and had bad reviews. This will surely change that, From the video it looks like everything (or more) than i could ask for.
WOW!
That looks amazing….but…but i have an iPad….i hope you can port most of this amazingness over to iOS otherwise i will have to go looking for a google fondle slab….and get the wifes permission
Anyway…you mention Google TV was the reason for the 3.2 hard deck….so does that mean it will appear on Google play for that also soon?
Fan-droid-tastic!
IOS/OSX which is the original software which makes plex successful is totally being ignored at the moment.
Wow, excellent news for us Android users! Great to see developers turn around their way of thinking and breaking out of the iOS mentality. Fantastic post and new app.
Great job ! Thanks a lot for all your hard work
!
Jizz in my pants.
At first I was disappointed to see Plex shoehorned into a standard Android Holo UI – it’s not that bad, but I’m kinda used to rich visual XBMC skins – but the more I watched and re-watched the video, the more used I become to the new Plex UI on Android. It’s not good – but it’s not bad either!
Would it be possible to set the storage folder for the Plex Sync or at least choose between internal and SD storage? This is very imporant to me because I have 16Gb phone with 64Gb SDXD card I’d like to take advantage of.
Also, the new Media Server functionality is very exciting and while not very useful today, I can see it become indispencable in the future when even 2.5″ portable HDD start packing an Android in them. However, a question, can we daisy-chain Android devices by setting one device auto-sync off another device that is a media server for its own synced content? That would be swell!
Overall, very happy to be a PlexPass member and even considering Lifetime status now that I see how well Plex progresses with each new feature – it has blown the original XBMC into what XBMC should have been all about if it wasn’t stuck in the pre-2007 era.
@Khai: Not at all! Sync came first to iOS and we have have major updates coming. The OSX client just got a big big revamp and is currently in beta for plexpass users. I wouldn’t call that being ignored!
This is amazing, can’t wait to use this on my Nexus 4.
I was going to throw it in the trash on my tablet … Now I have a good reason not to!!!
THX Team!!
Awesome work guys and girls, this is going to be amazing.
What will the new Plex be called on Google Play? If it’s a separate app as you state in the video, will we need to purchase it again?
Cheers
How plexpass users can beta test it ? I’m plexpass user
@tobias: I hope the major updates for iOS is an app update which pretty much mirrors the new functionality of the Android app and Plex/Web. Is there anything in the Android app that can’t be done on iOS due to app store restrictions? Any rough timeline for the next major iOS release?
Looks like great app – good for the Android guys.
As a iOS user, I’m looking forward to what you have in store for that platform. I have to ask, though, which of the new features in the Android app are not possible on iOS?
i loved the berlkey part !!!
What about devices like the Ouya or other Android Tv devices? Will they be running the same client? Has this client been created to allow the use of a remote?
I shed a tear for real. Paying plex pass just paid off
This looks awesome, it sure is a lot of work, I can’t wait to receive my Nexus 4 and go for Plex Pass.
Thanks a lot
I hoped the one extra feature would be Plex for Android acting as a DLNA server. That would make such a big difference. It would mean that the beautiful Android UI could be used directly to play movies on your big screen TV.
This would be essentially cutting out a device (or using an app on your TV). You could take Plex anywhere to play content on a big screen. It would also overcome the lesser functionality of the Plex for (Samsung TV) app.
Anyway, for now, a good step forward!
Will users who purchased via Amazon Appstore also be getting an update to the new version at around the same time as Google Play users?
@Simon: As you might know by now we never talk about our roadmap or release windows in public! That’s how annoying we are, ha ha. But we always have more in store, we will not just sit back and relax.
@MTII: I think Apple’s restrictions are well documented around the web. For specifics, you will have to wait!
I. Love. You. This is superb! I just recently started using Plex instead of XBMC, and this hasn’t made me regret it one bit. Nor has any other feature for that matter, but this is a huge change for the app which I use daily on the lightrail to work.. Amazing, simply amazing! My S3 and N4 will both happily download this
This is amazing! Especially the “One more thing…”
I guess this will be an option of all clients sometimes?
I would relly like to play some offline content to my kids in the rear seat of the car (iPad), and control it with my ipad/iphone/androidphone in the front
Good work! Thanks!
PS: I felt the same way about ealier versions of Android and did not try again since this time. But after this post I will give it a new change…
Looks awesome and I’m so happy to hear some support for google tv!
Great work, the app looks very nice. Will be great to be able to stream from my Nexus 7 to my Surface RT
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Looks amazing, i just paid for myplex as soon as i saw this, with early access to features, plexsync now on my android phone, and getting this new app early, it was about time. Only question i have is when its released on google store can you post it on twitter so we all know how to find it, or will we have to check forums to know when its released?
thank you
And now the one million dollars question: WHAT ABOUT THE WIDGETS?
+1 for Google TV support. Darrin’s last blog update was ages ago (August). Hopefully this means there’s a bit of life left in the old Revue yet!
Great! Looking forward to the release!
One thing I’ve noticed is that you’re using the default Holo colours (for instance in the ViewPager indicator). I think the application could look somewhat better if you would stick to the Plex colour scheme. This is even encouraged by Android designers at Google.
Wow, someone is actually going to pay attention to the design standards? That’s crazy talk.
Literally. Mind blown.
Holy cow, this looks GREAT! Good work guys, I’m really looking forward to trying this out: the performance improvements (responsive UI, yay!) the improved player (does it direct play more formats?)… cleaner, more consistent UI… and offline sync AND serve other devices!? Phenomenal stuff.
Oh just on a side note, the web UI has been getting really awesome of late. Especially compared to the old web UI that could be very slow, and struggled with large libraries…. Looks like the Android client is going through a similar renaissance.
Awesome!
I was glad to buy a lifetime subscription as soon as it was available, you guys earned it then and most certainly are earning it now!
Holy overhaul, Batman.
Barkley nom nom.
I agree with Sander. If you could change the cold cyan with smooth, warm orange, it may actually improve the look of the app. Going strictly Holo UI with its cold cyan color is actually detrimential and was why I at first did dislike the new UI (though I got used to it, watching the video a couple times).
Hey dude , Here on Released date you have mentioned this week but it already showing Plex for android on google play and the amazon .
google play link -
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plexapp.android
amazon link
http://www.amazon.com/Plex-Inc-for-Android/dp/B004Y1WCDE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325218793&sr=8-2
So kidly update released . please ???
So kindly update released . please ???
In the video, when you used the Android device as a server, it told you who/what device was using your server. I know you don’t like to comment, but I’ll ask anyway.
Can you see this information in another area after the pop up goes away? Will this be coming to the other server versions soon?
App looks fantastic, can’t wait to download. Thanks again.
Elan, you weren’t lying when you said I’d like what you guys released if I held out a little longer. Very excited to give it a shot!
I hope you also make the beta available on Amazon as well. I have the Kindle Fire HD that would be very jealous of my Nexus 4 if it’s only available on Play.
where do we download the beta for plexpass users
This is fantastic news. I honestly believed support for Android was going to the wayside. I’m glad @elan and @darrin (and all the other developers) have proved me wrong.
Being only a Android and Google TV client user, PlexPass didn’t really make sense after the initial trial. Congrats fellas, looks like you have a new PlexPass member now.
And to reiterate a couple other comments… the Google TV app is being updated as well, correct?
As an iOS user who just recently paid the annual fee to become a PlexPass member, I’m not sure I’m too thrilled about the iOS-bashing that was delivered in elan’s post. Oh well.
Thaaaank yoooouuu:-)
I am so happy to see a Google TV mention! The app has been crashing a lot lately on my Revue, and it hasn’t been marking media as watched either. If the rewrite comes to Google TV that would be awesome
Looks so much better than the iOS version, that by the way, crashes too often lately.
Man….Looks great. I’ still stuck with an older android OS but that will soon change. Android and the devices with it have evolved so much that it’s worth an upgrade from my good old Nexus One. Looking forward for Plex on Android
WIll you folks update the version on the BN store? My wife has it on a Nook HD+, and I’m very interested in checking it out there. My older nook and my Droid 2 are both Android 2.x so otherwise this doesn’t apply to me.
I take it, this won’t work on the Revue, will it? Will you, at least, include the server part with Plex for GoogleTV?
can’t wait!
Why would someone want to use their android device as a plex server? Maybe if you cached something to your device and aren’t on the same LAN as your server, you could stream across the other LAN? I find that scenario very rare for most people. Or am I missing other uses for that feature.
@John
Lots of small headless devices run Android. I, potentially, could buy a $25 MK802 and leave it at home as my media server and watch my media on the go on my Nexus 4. Just a thought. I’m going to try this out in a couple days.
Hi,
)
Very pleased to see the android plex app upgraded.
Question about the server capabiliry: will it make the videos located on the device available for others plex clients to see or it is just for existing media on a remote server?
If the latter, I can’t rellay see the interest of this server capability…(maybe I’am dumb…
@John I would use it when I travel with workmates on a plane. We can all tether to one device that gets us on the same network, and then watch a movie that one person hosts on all of the devices in our own area with our headphone on.
My heart was beating out of my chest while I watched the video. I ran right out and bought a year of PlexPass. I told myself I would when Android got sync. I can’t wait for the release!
Awesome!! Can’t wait to get my hands on this! I hope to see something new and awesome like this on the Roku platform too! That interface is a bit painful sometimes if you have even an average sized library.
Hoping this makes its way to the Amazon app store. Those Kindle Fire HD’s need some luvin also!
I love that you guys support all your software. But the Windows Phone app is terrible!!! At the time it WP7 didn’t support much but with WP8, not only can you port your already awesome Windows 8 app easily. Please, Windows Phone users are people too.
elan- You absolutely MUST feature Barkley (Chief Marketing Officer) in ALL the future videos! He alone sells the app!
I have a MK802III which supports AC3 output, this version will work like in ATV that transcode audio from server?
elan,
i’m assuming that the advertise to device will only be android-android… ie cant take stuff from an ipad and play it to android.. or vice versa
and well done on the video… gave me the chills.. what song is that?
@ryan: Android is now a bona-fide miniature Plex Media Server. Any Plex client will be able to access it
The track is http://www.themusicbed.com/#!/Home-Instrumental-2883.php – glad you liked it!
Today is the first day I’m trying out Plex, and reading about this, I’m super excited. Many thanks for this wonderful app.
This looks GREAT! I love Holo UI’s and the interface looks fabulous!
Any word on when it will come out of beta?
Just a question with the new interface. Will it work with remote controls?
I have a couple of AllWinner devices for my TV that run the current Plex for Android (Not Google TV version) and those work with a remote in a reasonably fashion.
Thanks
Wow, nice job! The tongue interface looks a bit sloppy though
I guess I’ll still use my fingers for now.
I think this may have already been asked but not answered: if it’s a separate app, does that mean we have to buy it again?
Holy shitballs this looks amazing – And I was just inches from switching from my beloved Android phone to an iOS device.
Cant wait to try it out!
Anxiously awaiting the update to hit the Google Play store. This update really does look amazing and I am glad I became a lifetime plexpass member!
Let us know when the update finally hits the store, please!
Thanks for the amazing work!
If I buy PlexPass, do I have to buy Plex for Android again and pay for it also, or is it included in the Pass Price?
I just updated Plex at Play, but this is an update to the old app. What s the point of updating that one?
Too bad that some of this features will probably never come to iOS. Simply not possible due to both iOS and Apple restrictions. The media server part for instance. Or the Plex in app search. Apple needs to catch up or at least open the platform a bit to let developers build better apps.
elan, there are a lot of comments to sift through, so I apologize if someone already asked and you answered, but when your Nexus 7 is in server mode streaming to your nexus 4, can you also watch it simultaneously on the 7? And would it be in sync with the 4? That would be impressive (not that it isn’t still impressive if you can’t).
I’m gonna be working more and more with Android and am at a crossroads in terms of which IDE to you. Clearly you use IntelliJ IDEA over Eclipse. Is the IntelliJ IDE worth the money?
Thanks for the great work – keep it coming.
A happy PlexPass customer
So… question: What does the following mean?
“When will it be released? This week. On Google Play. As a separate app, so you can run both side by side.”
The reason I ask is that I am a plexpass member and my google and plexpass accounts aren’t tied together in any way. I am very interested in this update and would love to get my hands on it before I head out for a cruise next week.
Thanks!
Noticed today that there was an update to the app as it currently sits v2.5.4.3. I am assuming that it would be best to turn off auto updated for plex on devices that are still on 2.x from this point forward. correct? or will there ever be updates again to the 2.5.4.3 one
@Ed: we use the free version, and it’s quite good. I’ve been an Eclipse fan for years, but pretty much hooked on IntelliJ now.
@olavjunior: for all the Android 2.x users.
@Alian: Google Play and myPlex has no linkage, so it’s not possible for us to offer any “bundles” like that (same with iOS, for that matter).
Man, this is AWESOME! Two Questions, i have a Galaxy S3, will work with hardware acceleration? And with the HDMI-MHL (HDMI out), this is a must ONE feature. Plz say YES!
(Working with subs, for sure!)
Thanks a lot!
As a lifetime plexpass user I would be interested to know how to get the beta onto my devices. This question has been asked several times in this thread. thanks in advance.
As per the FAQ at the end of the post, it will be released to Google Play for all the PlexPassisns to enjoy. We will also provide an APK.
Hey guys, amazing work on the new Android app. Just wondering if you have picked a date for the release of the beta. Hoping it will be up soon.
Regards
Craig
I see a Nexus 7 in my future. Looks amazing. Nice job guys.
I’m an IntelliJ convert too, couldn’t go back to Eclipse now.
Hey guys,
Looking forward to the new release. Any word on when exactly this week it will be available on Google play?
When does the week in the plexicom end? Almost turning blue for waiting thid long, almost like christmas
Looks amazing. Can and will you provide all the same features on iOS eventually?
Looks like there was an update in the Play Store. No sign of the beta though… Maybe there’s a hidden switch in the app.
This update looks great! I have 2 questions though:
Will the mini plex server use dlna so my phone could act as a media server to a game console?
Is there any chance it could be upgraded to use the phone as a sort of bridge between a dlna capable player and a remote plex server?
For anyone wondering about the status of the new Android client: it has NOT been released yet. PlexPass subscribers will receive an invitation to the beta as soon as it’s made available through Google Play.
Fantastic !
Considering that every time they’ve given us in the past has been missed, I’d expect that we’ll not see it this week….
I’d be happy to eat my words though
The update is not this Beta, that will be released separately this week.
The update performs pretty well though, only thing is that it sometimes seems to have overlay/doubleclick problems when I enter a series, it goes one ‘click’ deeper than I selected, but only sometimes. Small inconvienence compared to the speedboost.
BB10 will soon support 4.0+ Android, please convert
I own it for my playbook, and use this app every day. The web version at least for now works perfectly on my new Z10.
Will this have proper direct play so we can off load to MX or Dice Player? I hate transcoding and the lack of DTS support is a killer for me
can you explain the Google TV questions?
Will you be adding these enhancements to the existing Google TV app?
Or will the Android app replace other device specific apps as the only app?
It’s nice to see some polishing for Plex. I’m still awaiting the bugs to be worked out of the PLEX server app on my Synology NAS, so seeing these new features is great because the team is working on making a great product. I’m not sold on the PlexPass quite yet though.
Also, I’m inclined to pass this article around solely as an example of how to write!
It’s on Google Play now, search for Plex Plexpass!
Loving it. I am missing 2 things though… gapless playback and playlist support. Are they coming?
I didn’t see any iOS bashing in there – only mention is that the platform feels stale. To a certain extent it does, but it’s arguable that’s because it got a lot of stuff right that Android is finally catching up on – especially in terms of UI responsiveness and development tools. Now iOS needs to catch up in terms of allowing apps to play together nicely (an Android permissions or Windows contracts system would be very useful).
I saw a few people mention that the server component wouldn’t be possible on iOS. On what is that based? Plenty of iOS apps run servers (see any number of file manager WebDAV apps), so I don’t see what would be difficult or forbidden about a Plex server. That said, I *really* want to see this “mobile Plex server” have the same cloud connectivity of a desktop one, and the same DLNA server. In a nutshell, my phone should be able to relay content from a Plex server in the cloud to a local DLNA device, just like PMS on the desktop can.
Seems very nice application, congrats!
What about future of the windows phone version? It needs some improvements(of not more), i’d like to receive more updates on some minor changes on it. Hope you’ve not stopped to support it. By the way you can work on windows phone/windows RT versions almost simultaneously.
Would love to see some of those UI improvements cross over to your “flagship” media centers for windows… nudge nudge!!
awesome Elan
Hi guys, great Job, thanks for the coolnes factor.
I cant’ find the feature to get the picture in a bigger size to fill up the screen. On the old version i just took the two fingers to get the picture big. Please let me know where the secret is.
Regards, Steve
Great work, much improved android version.
I switch back and forth between Android and iPhone on mobile devices.
Am I missing a setting or can I still not delete media from the Android version, this is very handy on iOS.
Again great work.
Boy, this is a great app. I’m using it on my Galaxy S3 and on my Asus 300tf tablet. I LOVE it. I works so much better than the previous paid Plex app.
Keep up the good and GREAT work!!!
in addition to google play, will you also release the new android app on amazon appstore without delay?
The issue for me is that i have 3 new Tizzbird f20 mediastreamers that runs below 3.x.
What will happen with those? Will server uppgrades make the stop working? Or can we still have a client that works for older versions of android?
regards
Hans
[PLEXPASS User]
@Hans: your older devices will continue to work with the last version of the original Plex for Android.
The new app is nice, but it’s missing essential functionality from the old version: it appears impossible to browse your library by folder, or anything else except in a giant alphabetical scroll.
I just want to say, you guys are awesome. So so awesome.
Really hoping the Plex team has plans to bring the exciting new Android features to the BlackBerry Playbook via port.
Plex is one of the most fabulous apps I have seen… and those of us in love with our BB’s need all the love we can get.
@ elan: Thank you for the answer!
Keep up the excellent work you do on this!
A feature request. Built in support for the “listen to” voice command on Android. I want to launch Google Now and just say “Listen to Pink Floyd” and have Plex as an option.
i have been submitting android bug reports for plex now for over a year – and a paid plex user, so I am glad to FINALLY see some update. I just loaded it and the first couple videos I have watched have played back smoothly. the interface has changed a little bit, will take some getting used to.
A quirk seems to be its seeing my movies and tv share from my plex server (running on linux) twice – and so in the recently added area, it shows everything twice – in “my library” it has 2 tv’s and 2 movie sections.
Other than than, so far so good.
@Comet: Cool suggestion, not 100% how to hook a third party app into that (assuming it’s possible).
Fabulous app. Makes me want to ditch my iPhone and get a droid. Your dog is super cute, the end was too funny!
@AJ: thanks so much
I can’t find the option to choose which player to play a video on. Is this not possible yet with the app?
Slick app by the way. Keep up the good work.
@Chris: not quite yet, sorry! Thanks for the kind words
Excellent. Excellent. Excellent. Thanks for all the hard work! I hope Android continues to evolve at its current rate to become more dev friendly (though I never thought it would just sit still in the first place).
Browse by folder a must, my videos all show up as one massive list, impossible to use when you have many many videos.
I cant get it to work. It insists on transcoding even if I set to highest quality. I am using a Galaxy 10.1
1) How Can I get it to sync without transcoding?
2) It failed to transcode an MKV with an SRT subtitle included as a track.
It is awsome!
@xua: are you sure it’s not remuxing?
Can we expect an android version for large screens (connected devices) with the new developments? with the plethora of android devices with HDMI connections to large screen TVs, the demand is high.
Are there any ideas when the new app will be released?
I just recently bought a Nexus 4 and had previously been using Plex on an iPhone 5. Imagine my surprise when I downloaded Plex for Android. Yuk! Then I stumbled across this blog and watched the video. Can’t wait for it to come out of Beta (any ideas when?). Also, will the new version play the theme tune music when you select a TV Show. I thought that was kinda cool on the iPhone. Thanks!!!!
@Glen: “Soon” and “yes”
we have to pay for the android app and now we have to pay again for updates thru plex-pass?
@Brad: No. Read carefully. All existing Plex for Android users will get this app for free, when it’s out of beta.
Thanks for the quick reply. Seriously can’t wait for this. Looks amazing. The cherry on the top would be to make an application like MetaX so we are able to put Metadata straight into the MP4 video file….or have MetaX compatibility. That really would be a 10/10 product.
I cant get sync to work on the beta.
When launching the beta on any of my devices:
Nexus 7, Asus MeMo or Note 2 it crashes rught away. The second launch gets it going but sync just fails.
Any one got any sugestions?
if the new beta available on the google tv?
Elan, I love you man. But you need to be careful showing off all of the movies that you pirated
Is the features for deleting tv or movies going to be added from the mobile apps? I love the feature on the Windows plex client would love to see it as a option on the iOS, Android and Roku platforms. Then I can officially say goodbye to using WMC completely on my Xbox.
The video looks really nice, but please stop using toasts. In the non-updated android app you have the pop-up style for “No Network Available!”, make all notifications like that. At the very least you need to make sure they don’t get thrown when the app isn’t in the foreground.
I’m all excited about the release. What we talking, days, weeks, months? how soon is soon? lol I NEED it
More than 2 months in beta and still no vague ETA range? Same question as above… is it gonna be week or months?
Sooner rather than later
Works beautifully. I have it installed on an HP Touchpad running Android 4.0.4 – had no problems at all – 720p/1080p smooth as butter. Nice work.
Are you kidding me? 90% are supposed to have gotten an Android 4.0 Upgrade? >> http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html
Only 53.6% have…
@madeupname ~ I’m talking specifically about our users.
This is a horrible mess of an app. Truly awful bug infested stuff. If you’re you’re going to release an alpha bag of junk, just say so… We’ll be patient and give you honest feedback. But to charge money for things that clearly don’t work? Whoever wrote this initial blog is out of touch. If your software doesn’t work and has serious bugs, don’t charge for it. That’s Alpha. Beta would be a stretch. The fine folks at Plex go striaght to GA and collect money? Shameless
@Firchme ~ given the ratings and reviews, I suspect you’re in the minority, but we’d be happy to track track down why it’s not working for you. Can you give us any details beyond “awful bug infested app”?
Are you going to skin Plex for Android so it’s not something I’m ashamed to show my friends and family?
@pat: no, and if your friends and family don’t like it, I worry.
When is this app coming out of beta? Or is the plan to keep it in beta for an extended period in order to milk the PlexPass subscription model?
Any updates on progress or estimations on release date? I would love to be able to use your updated app but I’m not willing to buy a monthly subscription on top of having already paid for it to be on my previous iPhone and then my new Android phone. The preview video looks very nice.