Amazon at long last has introduced a native macOS app for Prime Video, which includes support for offline downloads, in-app purchases, and movies and TV show rentals for you to enjoy on your brand new 16-inch MacBook Pro (or an older Mac, as long as it’s running Big Sur or later).
Now available as a free download in the Mac App Store, the new app grants users access to the full library of Amazon Prime Video content with essentially the same user experience you’d have on the platform’s sister apps on iOS and Apple TV. A pop-up appears after installation asking if you’d like to receive notifications and other alerts with recommended content.
In-app purchases will allow you to make payments directly in the Prime Video window using whatever payment method, if any, is linked to your Amazon account, instead of having to slog through to Safari in order to pay (the free-with-Prime-subscription selection will still be there and still won’t require any form of payment, obviously). You’ll also be able to make some of the more standard settings tweaks from within the desktop app, including toggling subtitles on or off, tweaking parental controls or managing the other devices that have been registered to your Prime account.
If you do have other Prime-linked devices, there’s good news on that front as well, as the new app is capable of syncing your content across platforms in order to allow you to pick up whatever movie or show you were watching exactly where you left off.
The new app will also marry support for native Mac features like Picture-in-Picture support and AirPlay, alongside Prime Video mainstays, like the X-Ray feature that offers casting info and trivia tidbits. While movies and TV shows can be enjoyed in full-screen mode, the app itself, curiously, can’t be maximized, which makes for a kind of bizarre experience in our testing.