Joan E. Solsman/CNET

Aereo, the cloud-based TV service, plans to release its first Android app in the Google Play store on October 22.

The app, a public beta, will be available to Aereo members in the seven markets where Aereo operates, working on phones, tablets, and other devices running Android operating system 4.2 or higher. Aereo members will also be able to connect a Roku box to their Aereo account using their Android device.

"We know consumers have been waiting a long time for an Aereo Android app and today, we're happy to announce its release later this month," Aereo CEO and Founder Chet Kanojia said Thursday in a statement. In late August, Kanojia had said an Android app could arrive as soon as September.

Earlier this year, the company laid out plans to expand from New York to 22 new cities in the US in 2013, but it has had difficulty keeping up with its planned pace. The service, which provides a dime-sized antenna that enables customers to access over-the-air programming, currently operates in New York, Boston, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Miami, Houston, and Dallas. Its planned launch in Chicago was delayed.

The company has been a thorn in the side of major broadcast networks like NBC, ABC, Fox, and CBS (the parent of CNET). The companies have sued Aereo, claiming that the service violates their copyrights. So far, courts have ruled in Aereo's favor, saying the companies have not been able to prove copyright infringement. But TV networks are said to be preparing an appeal to the Supreme Court.