How to Activate Discovery Plus on TV

Discovery Plus was just launched and it seems to be gathering a lot of attention and rightly so, the platform boasts a huge content library of over 55,000 shows in 25 different countries. Additionally, Discovery Plus supports most platforms including Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Android TV, Amazon Firestick, Roku, and much more. If you are a TV user looking to activate Discovery Plus on your TV then we have a nifty guide that can help you along the process. Let’s take a quick look at it.

What TV platforms are supported by Discovery Plus?

Discovery has not discontinued its channels, you can still watch them with your regular subscription through your cable provider. To keep the two worlds separate, the Discovery Plus Streaming platform is a completely web-based utility that can be installed on any supported platform. The company also has dedicated apps for devices which will make it easier for you to access Discovery Plus.

TV Platforms currently supported by Discovery Plus

  • Android TV
    • Android TV 5.0 or higher
  • Amazon Fire TV
    • Fire TV Cube
    • Fire TV
    • Fire TV Stick
    • Fire TV Edition
  • Apple TV (tvOS 12.0 or higher)
  • iPadOS (iOS 12.0 or higher)
  • Roku
  • Samsung Smart TVs (2017 or newer models)
  • Xbox One, Series X & Series S

While some of these apps support the purchase of a premium plan from within the app, others do not. Hence, if you wish to purchase the premium plan then we recommend doing so on your PC or Mac and then simply logging in with your account on your TV. This will help prevent you from being redirected to a desktop in case the app does not support this feature or prevent failed transactions in case the recent release of the app is not well optimized for your platform. Once you have subscribed to the premium plan, you can follow one of the guides below to get Discovery Plus on your TV easily.

How to activate and watch Discovery Plus

On Android TV

When it comes to Android Smart TVs most of them come bundled with some version of the Play Store. Signing in to your Google account through the Play Store will allow you to download and stream most apps. However, in case you have an Android TV that does not have a Play Store, you can still use dedicated .apks to get Discovery Plus. This however does not guarantee the platform’s functionality due to incompatible hardware and software. Let’s take a look at how you can achieve the two.

Via Play Store

Launch the Play Store on your Smart TV and search for Discovery Plus. Download and install the app from your search results. Once the app has been installed, launch it and login with your Discovery Plus account. If you do not already have an account, you can sign up using your Facebook account, Google account, Apple ID, or even your phone number. Once signed in, select your preferred genre of content and you should be able to watch Discovery Plus in no time. You can even purchase the Premium version to get access to exclusive originals as well as enjoy an ad-free watching experience.

Note: While you can purchase premium through the Android TV app, it can be quite cumbersome considering that you will be using your remote as your input device. You can instead purchase premium for the same account on your smartphone and the changes should reflect on your Android TV.

Via APK

.APK is an installable Android file that can be used to install signed and unsigned third-party apps on your Android devices. It is a nifty way to get modern-day apps working with older hardware or to get apps on a platform that is currently not supported by Google. Let’s take a quick look at the procedure.

Required
  • A USB drive (if you do not have a browser app on your TV)
  • Discovery Plus .apk file | Download Link
Guide

You need to start by transferring the .apk file to your Android TV. You can download the file directly to your TV using the link above if you have a browser app. In case you do not, you can download the file to a USB device and then connect it to your TV. Once you have the .apk accessible through your local storage, head over to your Android TV and launch the File Manager app. Now navigate to the .apk file we just downloaded and launch it. Android will now initiate the installation process for this app and once completed, Discovery Plus will be installed on your Android TV. Now simply launch the app and login/signup to the service to access all your favorite content.

On Amazon Fire TV

All Amazon Fire compatible devices with Discovery Plus have been listed above. Ensure that your device is compatible to run Discovery Plus before proceeding with this guide.

Guide

Power on your Fire device and you should be taken to the home screen. Now use the search bar or your remote’s voice search to search for Discovery Plus. Select the app once it shows up in your search results. Now simply highlight ‘Get’ and select it. Amazon will now automatically start downloading and installing the app. Once the process is complete, launch Discovery Plus on your Amazon Fire device. Now sign in with your existing Discovery Plus account or use your Google ID, Facebook Account, Apple ID, or phone number to sign up to the platform. Once signed in or signed up, you should be able to watch all of the content offered by Discovery Plus.

On Apple TV

Apple TV installations are quite a straightforward process with minimal intervention required. Let’s take a quick look at the procedure.

Guide

Turn on your Apple TV and launch the App Store from your homepage. Now search for Discovery Plus. Select the app once it shows up in your search results. You can also use the voice search to search for the app. Select install on the Discovery Plus app store page. The app will now be installed on your Apple TV. The wait time depends on your Apple TV generation as well as your network speed. Once installed, simply sign up or sign in to Discovery Plus to access all of its content.

On Roku devices

Like all other apps on Roku devices, Discovery Plus shows up as a channel as well. You can download and install the app using this option to enjoy all of Discovery’s content on any Roku device.

Guide

Turn on your Roku device and you should be at your homepage. Now scroll the left sidebar on your left using your Roku remote and select ‘Streaming Channels’. You will now be shown a list of all the streaming channels available for your Roku device. Scroll down again and select ‘Search Channels’. Now search for ‘Discovery Plus’ using your Roku remote. The app should show up in the search results after you type in the first few letters. Select the app listing from your search results. Now select ‘Add Channel’ to add Discovery Plus to your Roku device. Once added, simply select ‘Go to Channel’ to launch Discovery Plus. Now login or sign up to Discovery Plus and you should be able to access all of the content offered by the service.

On Samsung Smart TVs

Samsung TV users can also enjoy Discovery Plus on their TV using the guide below. You will however need a Samsung account to complete the installation.

Required

  • A Samsung Account signed in to your Samsung Smart TV

Guide

Turn on your TV and select the search icon in the top right corner of your screen. Now simply search for Discovery Plus and the app should show up in your search results. Select Discovery Plus and you should now be taken to the app listing. Select ‘Install’. If you don’t have a Samsung account set up on your TV, then you will be asked to create one now. Else, if the account is already set up the app should start downloading. Once the process is complete, select ”Add to Home’ to ensure easy access to Discovery Plus. Now simply select ‘Open’ to launch the Discovery Plus app. You can now sign in/sign up to Discovery Plus to access all of their content on your Samsung TV.

On Xbox

Xbox also allows you to install all kinds of apps from the Microsoft store despite being a gaming platform. This helps mitigate the need for an additional device connected to your TV for your media consumption habits. Let’s take a look at how you can setup Discovery Plus on your Xbox.

Guide

Turn on your Xbox navigate to the ‘Store’ section on your far right. Now scroll to the far right and select ‘Search’ under the ‘Categories’ section. Now search for Discovery Plus in the store and the app should show up in your search results. Select the app from the search results and you will be taken to its store page in the Xbox Store. Select ‘Get it Free’ on your far right to install the app on your Xbox. Xbox will now display a disclaimer regarding in-app purchases available within Discovery Plus. Select ‘Confirm’ at the bottom to proceed with the installation. And that’s it!

The app will now be added to your queue and should start downloading automatically. The wait time depends on the background downloads currently active on your Xbox and your network bandwidth. Now simply go to your home page, select ‘My Apps and Games’, and launch ‘Discovery Plus’ from the apps section. Now sign in with your existing account or sign up to Discovery Plus to access all of Discovery’s content.

I hope you were able to easily set up Discovery Plus on your TV regardless of your device. If you face any issues or have more questions, drop them in the comments below.

Posted by
Mudit

Spectroscopic collection of human cells trying to pave a path via words.

7 Comments

  1. Hi,
    Last month I signed up for Discovery plus and activated on my Samsung smart TV, everything was fine until I did a factory reset on my TV yesterday. The result is when I try to login to Discovery plus on the TV, there is a 6 digit code what I need to use on my account again. So when I login on my Galaxy S20 there is not an option where I can type in the code..I can watch anything on my phone but cannot connect my TV anymore with that pairing code showing on the screen. Please help if you have any idea.
    Thank you

    1. Hi, did you manage to figure this out? I’m having the same issue

  2. How do you sign into Discovery with your cable provider information? It’s apart of my cable package and I am able to sign in on my iPhone but not on our Xbox one.

  3. Trying to do this on samsung TV. Set up an account but tv is asking to put in a code but there is nowhere on the app to enter it

  4. I signed up in winter and have Cincinnati Bell Dish. How do I connect?

  5. I I want active my fire TV

  6. I.m havin the exact same problem?? No assistance whatsoever.

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