You’ll be surprised to know how ignored the Android TV OS platform is. Google did release the new Android 13 update for its TV OS last year, but it likely hasn’t reached your TV, right? Well, get ready to not receive another new update as Google has officially announced that it’s “bringing” Android 14 to Android TV.
While Android phones have now received the Android 15 Beta 2 update, Google’s TV platform still lags a generation behind. Now, at least that generation gap will close a bit, thanks to Android 14.
So, what’s new with Android 14 for Android TV, you may ask? Well, the latest Android Developers blog post gives us a quick rundown of the new features. This comes on day 2 of the ongoing Google I/O Developer Conference. For starters, Google states how Android 14 will be helpful to the overall experience:
Android 14 for TV improves on previous OS versions so users get a snappier, more responsive TV experience.
Well, going from Android 13 to Android 14, the experience is bound to be more seamless. But, what stood out was that Android 14 will give users the ability to choose their TV’s energy mode. Here’s what it looks like:
As you can see above, you will get to choose between a Low energy mode, Optimized energy mode, and Increased energy mode. Don’t confuse it with the power modes on your Windows or macOS-running devices though. These energy modes are solely to “reduce a TV’s standby power consumption.” Nothing more, nothing less.
This will allow developers to remove a key issue with Android TV devices, that is, prevent content from playing when the TV input is switched or the device itself is switched off. This is a more-than-welcome feature.
In addition to this, Android 14 for Android TV OS will also bring a couple of accessibility features to the boxes. You’ll get to see color correction and improved text options that will also be easily accessible through remote shortcuts. In other words, improved user navigation.
Finally, you get to see picture-in-picture mode make it to Android TV at last, allowing users to multitask on their TV sets. This could also hint at Android TVs becoming more powerful multiview devices. The biggest problem is that most of the Android TVs today come with either 1GB or 2GB of RAM, delivering a rather laggy experience. In that case, to make use of the picture-in-picture mode, Smart TVs will automatically have to become more capable and come with better processors.
So, you’re saying that my old Android TV which is collecting dust in the corner will finally become usable? Probably not because the compatible device list will be limited. Still, it’s good to see Google update Android TV with some handy new features.
