On the second day of its developer conference, Google revealed further details about Google TV and Android TV OS, where Android 13 Beta for TVs came out a few days before Google I/O.
The article cites Android TV OS, which currently has over 110 million monthly active devices, counting millions of Google TVs. Around the world, nearly 300 partners offer Android TV and Google TV, comprising 7 of the 10 leading smart TV OEMs, including more than 170 pay TV operators. Additionally, thanks to our developer community, we now have over 10,000 apps accessible on TV, with many being introduced frequently.
Google TV New features and tools on Android 13
- Profiles and kids’ profiles: a personalized space for everyone in your home, with recommendations etc.
- Virtual remote: Use your phone as your Google TV remote to type, navigate, adjust volume, and activate Assistant.
- Cast on Google TV: Cast media content from your mobile devices to your TV in real time.
Performance & quality: New APIs to help you better detect a user’s preferences and give them the optimal experience for their device. AudioManager enables your app to anticipate audio pathways and choose the playing mode. If you use MessiaSession right, Android TV can respond to changes in HDMI status to save power and pause video.
Accessibility: The InputDevice API now supports many keyboard layouts, improving user interaction with TV. Game makers can also reference keys by their actual location to enable QWERTZ and AZERTY keypad configurations. An accessibility setting lets people activate audio descriptions for all apps.
Multitasking: Many users make calls or monitor webcams in a smart home. Android 13 will support an enhanced picture-in-picture API with core Android APIs to improve multitasking. It also has a docked mode to avoid overlaying material on other apps, as well as a keep-clear API to prevent overlaying from covering up valuable content in full-screen applications.
Along with changes to the platform, new features like longer connections between Live tabs make it easier for users to interact with your content.
Speaking on the introduction, Shobana Radhakrishnan, Senior Director of Engineering – Google TV, said,
Today, there is more entertainment content available than ever before. In fact, our research shows a third of U.S. households now watch more than 25 hours of TV every week. As the role of TV continues to evolve, it’s our goal to build a tailored TV experience that gives users easy access to the entertainment they love.