The free Flipps app can wirelessly stream movies on your big TV screen using your Android device. Sure many smartphones can do that with the mirroring technology but the Flipps app does this without the need for additional wires or software. The only thing closest to this was the Sony screen mirroring technology. Note: The Flipps app review is based on personal experience and testing. The app was tested on a Samsung Galaxy Note IV smartphone with a Samsung UN32H5203AFXZA LED HDTV (it’s a SmartTV). Unfortunately I didn’t get the time to do extensive testing on other SmartTVs as there is only one official Samsung Center near my place. The app worked fine on 4G LTE for only media streaming and well on WiFi network while projecting content on TV. Our Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars Google Play Rating: 4.1 out of 5 Stars The Paid Version:
Note: The paid version of the app is currently unusable and quite frankly useless. There is no content and a numerous bugs plague the app. I highly recommend that you steer clear of the $4.99 costing paid version of the app. At least until the developer releases a new patch.
How It Looks – 4.5 out of 5 Stars
I have to admit, I was not aiming to be impressed by the interface of this free streaming app. But it did surprise me pleasantly. The app comes with a very great looking interface which has a homely feel to it. There are some familiar elements to the design, some are from other movie streaming apps and some are from YouTube app.
All in all Flipps app does a great job of laying everything on the table. The only quirk I felt was that the app looks great on tablets but not so much on smartphones. Even though I have a fairly big phablet at my disposal, the app looked better on a 7 inch tablet.
Usability – 5 out of 5 Stars
Turn on the app and it will automatically scan for connected TVs. Ok let me explain how this app works. Your smartphone or tablet connects to the internet via WiFi connection and streams data from the servers. Be it a movie, a song or a TV show. Your SmartTV also connects to the same WiFi network as your Android device. The phone then transmits the streamed data via WiFi to your TV. I know it may sound a little bit confusing but it works out well in the end.
The app automatically finds a TV which is on the same network as your device and tells you that it has found a partner. Now you go on about your usual business of finding a good movie or show but when you click on play, you can select the TV as the output device. Now suddenly you are watching content on a big screen.
Speed and Quality – 4 out of 5 Stars
The streams are actually very good but do take some time to start. It was probably my bad internet though; people with access to good internet bandwidth will have no trouble at all streaming high definition content on their Android devices. Flipps app also does a great job of sending data to your TV with minimal hassle.
I tested the app for around 10 minutes and there were no problems faced at all, the content however was a little blurry on a full HD display. This is probably because the Flipps app streaming 720p quality videos which need to be stretched to accommodate a 1080p display.
The Actual Content – 2 out of 5 Stars
The app is all and good but the content is a lackluster. Don’t get me wrong there are tons of movies and videos ready for consumption but most of the good ones require you to login to another service.
The TiviHub is a free signup but as you know I personally hate giving my email to anyone. Once you do the signup, you will be able to watch 9 free movies a week. Nine movies are a lot, especially considering average user stamina I would have loved to get a bit more variety in terms of movies though. The video songs and sports coverage are good but we have Youtube for that!
What it Sees – 4 out of 5 Stars
In terms of what the app looks at on your device, Flipps does a good job minding its own business. The app can only access your accounts and know your location. This is actually quite a great bargain for a service which is impeccable and unique.
Conclusion:
Flipps app review explored some aspects of the app and hopefully it will give you a better idea of what to expect from the app itself. The app works really fine with any smartphone as long as both the TV and the device are connected to the same WiFi network. I’m sure in the future Android might come with native support of WiFI content streaming, Nvidia Shield tablet is already doing that with ease. With the advent of connected and unified device ecosystem, the future is not far off, until then we have the Flipps app to keep us entertained.
