Android TV 12 Archives - Gizmochina

Android TV app installation via smartphone rolls out to more users worldwide

Sudhanshu — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 14:06:09 +0000

Last month, we reported on Google bringing the much-needed functionality that enables users to install apps on their Android-enabled smart TVs through their phones. However, the functionality was still being tested and was only available to some users.

Now, Google has begun rolling out the feature to a broader userbase. If this is the first time you’ve heard about this feature, here are its functionalities and advantages, as mentioned below.

Browsing apps on the Play Store on a smart TV is a hassle. Google is trying to fix this issue years after the release of Android TV by allowing users to install applications from their smartphones.

With the new server-side update, users can finally install an app on their Android TV devices from the Play Store on their smartphone. The option appears only for the applications that are available on Android TV. The only requirement is that the same Google account should be logged into both the smartphone and the Android TV device. The feature added a drop-down menu to the Install button on the Google Play Store, which shows a list of smart devices registered to your account. You can choose the device you want to install the app on from this list. This feature is similar to Google’s solution for the same issue related to Wear OS-enabled wearable devices.

The feature brings a breath of fresh air to the Android TV owners by tackling the problem of searching for on the Google Play store apps by typing in using the TV remote as well as the slower response times of TVs.

If you haven’t received this feature yet, you can manually update the Google Play Store on your device, or you might have to wait a few more days if the feature still doesn’t show up after installing the latest Play Store update.

Android TV 12 released, with 4K UI support, blurred backgrounds, and new privacy features

Sudhanshu — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 12:20:06 +0000

After the October release of Android 12 on the latest Google Pixel devices, the TV version of Android 12 has finally managed to exit beta testing. On November 30, the official release of the Android TV 12 was announced for developers, indicating that the update may soon go live on your smart TVs.

So what new features made it into the final cut for Android TV 12?

Android 12 TV change log

The Android TV 12 focuses on improving user interface elements when viewing the interface on the 4K TVs. Till now, the main interface was only rendered in 1080p and when selecting something to watch, it switches to 4K, causing some “lag.”

The new update brings new background blurring to “easily enhance the visual separation of different UI layers.” There’s also a new refresh rate setting for a “smoother viewing experience.” Applications can also check playback settings and change the frame rates based on what’s being viewed. Google is also including support for HDMI CEC 2.0.

Another significant feature coming with this new update is related to privacy control. Google is now implementing microphone and camera indicators that appear on TV. These are the same indicators found on smartphones when an app uses a camera or microphone. This feature is for those who don’t want the microphone or a connected camera always being active and will grant complete control over them.

Beyond Google’s announcements, we did find a few more minor tweaks to Android TV and Google TV that will come with Android 12. The biggest of these is a feature called “Quick Connect.” Available under the “Network and Internet” section, Quick Connect for Android TV generates a QR code that mobile users can scan. The scanned code on the phone will lead to the Android TV’s Wi-Fi connection page allowing users to handle the text input from the mobile itself.

If you are interested in trying out the Android TV 12, You’ll need an ADT-3 — Google’s development box for the platform — to get it up and running today. The update is available for manual download here.

Unfortunately, there’s no word of this update hitting Google’s Chromecast dongle, which is still running Android TV OS 10 and hasn’t seen any updates in a few months.

Android 12 Beta 3 brings native 4K UI, privacy controls, and more to Android TV

Jeet — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 07:17:04 +0000

Google has released the latest Android 12 Beta 3 which offers some new features. Along with that, the company has also rolled out the update for the Android TV platform as well with some interesting additions.

The Android 12 Beta 3 update for Android TV focuses on improving user interface elements when viewing the interface on the 4K TVs. Till now, the main interface was only rendered in 1080p and when selecting something to watch, it switches to 4K, causing some “lag.”

The new update brings new background blurring tools for developers to “easily enhance the visual separation of different UI layers.” There’s also a new refresh rate setting for a “smoother viewing experience.” Applications can also check playback settings and change the frame rates based on what’s being viewed.

Another major feature coming with this new build is related to privacy control. Google is now implementing microphone and camera indicators that appear on TV. These are basically the same indicators found on smartphones when an app uses a camera or microphone. This feature is for those who don’t want the microphone or a connected camera always being active.

The Android 12 Beta 3 release for Android TV is now available on Google’s own ADT-3 dev kit. As usual, there’s no indication from the company about when the actual Android TV devices will be upgraded to Android 12 in the future.

Google has also released the third beta of Android 12 for smartphones, which brings features like scrolling screenshots, enhanced auto-rotate, and more. It looks like the company is getting close to the official launch and the stable version of Android 12 could be released soon for all the users.