When Apple retired iTunes and pushed everyone into the TV app, they didn’t just change the name. They removed features that buyers used daily. The wishlist? Gone. Clear 4K labels on purchases? Gone. A store built for people who buy movies instead of renting them? Also gone.
If you’ve opened the TV app hoping to browse deals or check whether a movie is real 4K before buying, you already know the frustration. The TV app is a streaming hub first, a store second. For anyone building a digital movie collection, that’s a problem.
TL;DR: The TV app dropped wishlists, hid purchase quality info, and buried deals inside algorithmic recommendations. CheapCharts is a free iTunes replacement that tracks prices, shows real 4K data, and alerts you when movies on your watchlist go on sale.
Apple TV App Missing Features: Wishlists, 4K Labels, and Deals
The list of Apple TV app missing features is longer than most people realize. Three removals hurt buyers the most:
1. No more wishlist. iTunes let you save movies and check back for sales. Apple killed the wishlist with no replacement. If you want to track prices on 20 titles, your options are a spreadsheet or a third-party tool.
2. Confusing quality labels. The TV app shows resolution based on your device and streaming capability, not the purchase format. A movie might display “HD” even though buying it gives you 4K + Dolby Vision. Apple’s own support page on 4K, HDR, and Dolby Vision confirms that displayed quality depends on device capability.
3. No deals section. iTunes had a clear “On Sale” area. The TV app mixes sales into recommendations alongside full-price titles and streaming content. Finding what’s on sale means scrolling through pages of content that isn’t discounted.
CheapCharts rebuilt the wishlist with price alerts, shows purchase-quality data from the iTunes Store catalog, and surfaces every iTunes movie deal in one filterable page.
Apple TV App vs iTunes: Buying Movies Is Harder Now
Try to buy movies on the Apple TV app. Search for Dune: Part Two and the app pushes you toward a rental or streaming subscription first. The “Buy” button exists, but you scroll past three streaming options to find it.
iTunes was a store. The TV app is a streaming launcher that happens to sell movies on the side. That’s the core difference, and it’s why the “iTunes Store gone” complaint keeps showing up in Apple’s support forums.
On CheapCharts, every listing shows the actual purchase quality upfront. Oppenheimer in 4K Dolby Vision for $9.99? It says so on the page. No guessing.
CheapCharts reads quality data from the iTunes Store catalog for every title:
- 📀 Purchase resolution (HD, 4K, 4K HDR, 4K Dolby Vision)
- 💰 Current price and lowest-ever price
- 📊 Price history chart so you know if a deal is worth taking now or waiting
iTunes Replacement for Your Digital Movie Collection
Apple’s wishlist was basic. You added movies, checked back when you remembered, maybe caught a sale. CheapCharts rebuilt the concept with upgrades that make it a proper iTunes replacement for managing a digital movie collection:
- 🔔 Price drop alerts: Add a movie to your watchlist, set your target price, get a push notification when it drops. No manual checking. Last week, Interstellar hit $4.99 down from $14.99, and everyone with it on their watchlist got notified before the price reverted three days later.
- 📈 Price history: See the full price timeline for any title. The Dark Knight hit $4.99 twice in the past 12 months based on our tracking. That data tells you whether to buy now or wait for the next cycle.
- 🌐 Cross-platform tracking: Works for iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon, and Vudu. One watchlist covers all stores, because deals don’t always line up across platforms.
iTunes still runs weekly sales. $4.99 collections, studio spotlights, holiday promotions. The store isn’t gone, just harder to find inside the TV app. CheapCharts surfaces every price drop in one place, with filters for 4K-only deals so you skip the SD bargain bin.
The Bottom Line
Apple built the TV app for streamers, not buyers. If you buy movies to own, the TV app hides purchase quality, killed the wishlist, and buried deals inside algorithmic recommendations. CheapCharts brings back the features Apple removed, adds price tracking and alerts, and shows you real 4K purchase data for every title in your digital movie collection.