Every year a new version of Android arrives, and with it, usually a bunch of new features and changes behind the scenes. This year, with the launch of the first Android 12 Developer Preview, we also saw for the first time that the version is accompanied by previews for Android TV and Google TV. This is cause for excitement in itself, but the updates themselves do not really have much to offer.
Android updates usually do not have new TV features
I’ve been playing Android TV 12 for the past day, specifically the Google TV flavor. From setting to settings, I honestly can find nothing significant to tell you about, and it’s been the same since the inception of Android TV.
The last time an Android update delivered the most important feature and UI versions on Android TV was Oreo, when Google completely revamped the experience. Not much has changed since then. The next version, Android 9 Pie, was one of the bigger updates, but it still did nothing important. Google has made some performance optimizations, added autofill support (which has never been widely used) and added a new setup method that took a lot of work off to a nearby smartphone. The streamlined Settings menu was the biggest change facing the user.
Android TV 10 has added Project Treble, as well as some more performance optimizations. However, user-oriented this update did nothing. The same was true for Android TV 11, which saw virtually no adoption. The only notable changes for the update include low latency support, better game block support, and some improved TV features.
The simple fact is that the most some of the new features Google is offering to its TV platforms do not come from Android updates, they come from launcher updates, apps and other methods. It’s also a smart strategy, because many of the changes that users actually pay attention to can be rolled out without worrying too much about OEM partners.
Most of the latest stuff is behind the scenes
If you have not yet noticed a pattern at this point, most of the changes in the upgrade of Android TV platforms will be done outside the user’s view. Some people may encounter the adjustments, but most of the time it will be invisible. At least in the first Android TV 12 preview, which is new, Google described it this way:
And for the largest screen in the house, the first Android 12 preview for Android TV is also available. In addition to bringing the latest Android features to the TV with this preview, you can also test your apps on the brand new Google TV experience. Learn more at the Android TV developer site and get started with your ADT-3 developer set.
This is … not helpful.
Based on the timing alone, it is very clear that Android TV 12 will have a wider use, and this means that this update will probably be the first time that Scoped Storage has any impact on Android TV / Google TV. For the average user it will never matter, but those who want to sideload apps may experiencing problems, although we can not say that we have encountered anything to date. We also speculated that some tweaks to Android 12, such as HEVC transcoding, AVIF, multichannel audio, and more, could be felt on TVs running the platform.
As for Google TV based on Android 12, there was literally only one user-oriented feature I could find. On the “For You” tab, the home screen now displays a list of “Recommended Videos” powered by YouTube, complete with the logo. This is really nothing to get excited about, as Google could implement it with an app update to the new Chromecast. Honestly, they probably already did and we only see it by chance here for the first time.
More timely updates are the real reason for hype
Does that mean there is no reason for Android TV and Google TV users to get excited about Android 12? Absolutely not! The truth is that the most important Android updates are never has been a major issue for Android TV. The platform is usually one full version behind and has literally skipped the entire version of the operating system more than once.
Having an Android 12 update so early for TVs is a leap forward, and it’s also very important that the example we ran on an ADT-3 also packed the February 2021 security level. I do not want to build expectations, but it really does seem like updates are finally going to be a priority for Google with this renewed platform interest, and I have to say I’m so here.
When will Android TV 12 launch?
It seems reasonable to assume that Android TV will start rolling out 12 stable buildings around the same time as phones, which are planned at this stage around August or September. Of course, this does not mean that consumer devices like the new Chromecast, TCL TVs and others will get the update quickly, but we certainly hope that is the case.
We will continue to install new preview collections of Android TV and Google TV as they become available, so stay tuned as we report on important changes we find.
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