Google TV replaces Android TV 2021, but what exactly is it? Meet the new smart TV software coming to Sony and TCL TVs this year.
Smart TVs from Sony, TCL, and a handful of other brands will look a little different in 2021 when companies switch from Android TV to Google TV. But why the change? What’s different about the new Google-branded platform?
While Sony’s smart TVs are the most visible to change, they are not the only ones. Other Android TV makers are also moving to the newer Google TV platform, as Google updates all of its TV software offerings.
So what is Google TV and why do you want it on your smart TV?
What is Google TV?
Google TV is the latest version of Google’s smart TV platform, formerly known as Android TV. In some ways, it is transformed because the underlying Android software is still what makes everything work.
With that said, there are several changes that come with the new name of the operating system that is more than profound. With updates to the look and feel of basic interface elements, such as the home screen, and improved communication between TVs, smartphones, and other devices, Google TV can feel like a big change from what you were used to with Android TV.
And if you think, ‘Have I not heard of the name? Because it feels familiar? ” So you are right. Google TV was the name of Google’s first product line for smart TVs and digital boxes back in 2010.
Why change?
Android, Chromecast, YouTube, and TV and movie content in the Google Play Store are all big names in the TV world. But this different software and hardware have never been a cohesive whole. At the beginning of streaming and smart TVs, it made sense and Google had room to try different things and experiment. But today’s TV landscape is much more established, and the new operating system is part of a pressure to consolidate these different experiences into something more cohesive, as the streaming world has become mainstream.
Google TV combines several of these elements. It’s the main interface for new Chromecast devices and now smart TVs. You can add things to your watchlist from your phone, share content between devices more easily and get a more personalized experience. And by integrating more closely with Google’s own paid live TV service, YouTube TV, Google wants to better establish itself as the complete solution for modern TV viewing.
In the next few years, you can expect everything Android to move to Google TV, whether it’s smart TVs, digital boxes, or streaming sticks.
What is different from Android TV?
While the transition to Google TV is as much a name change as anything else, there are several experiential and functional changes in Google TV that make it different from any version of Android TV that came earlier. The biggest changes have to do with user interaction, search, and sharing of information between devices.
We first looked at the Chromecast interface with Google TV Review. The main interface has been cleaned up a bit, with dedicated tabs for live TV and a “For You” tab that puts all your recommendations in one place. Other tabs provide quick access to movies, apps, apps, and your library of purchased and rented content.
The home screen has also been changed to prioritize content recommendations from your preferred streaming services. Hopefully, that means more program suggestions you want to watch and fewer ads for services you may not want to pay for.
You also get more coordinated suggestions on live TV offerings, whether it’s air programming or a live TV service like YouTube TV.
There is also a new “watch list” that allows you to bookmark programs from different apps to watch later. This is a persistent list that syncs across different devices, so you can add titles to it on your phone, browser, and any other device that lets you sign in to your Google Account.
Google Assistant is at the center when voice interaction is better supported. On TVs with remote field microphones (which include multiple Sony TVs), this means you can use voice search hands-free and use your Google-powered smart TV much like a Google Home smart speaker.
It has also improved the integration with all your smart home devices. If it works with Google Home, it also works with your TV. And if you have a device with a camera feed, as one of the best video doorbells, you can see that feed on the screen.
What are the benefits of Google TV?
All the things we love about Android TV will still be there on this new version, including the Google Play Store and its 5000+ apps. It includes all the major streaming services, such as Netflix, Apple TV, Disney Plus, and HBO Max.
The search should be predictably good – it’s Google after all – with an intuitive voice search that can easily pick up programs and movies or jump to a full web search if needed.
It adds support for multiple user accounts, which means you can have your own customized experience on the same smart TV that the rest of the family uses. With the words of our own Mike Prospero. “I will not get recommendations for Gilmore Girls, and she will not get the Fast & Furious franchise that appears on her screen.”
Child profiles
There are also child profiles, which allow you to create a child-friendly account on the TV. In that profile, you can customize things for your family and endure apps and recommendations that may not be suitable for younger users. It also allows you to set specific amounts of TV viewing time and turn it off at the intended bedtime.
Another bonus: Reportedly comes a “Basic TV” mode that effectively turns your device into a stupid TV. It shuts down all the connected stuff you need for smart TV use – like an internet connection for streaming, tracking content recommendations and ads, and (because your internet connection is down) disables Google Assistant. All you have left is live TV via a TV antenna or cable and external devices, such as media players and game consoles that connect via HDMI. Even the home screen is mostly removed, which gives you about as basic a TV experience as you will get on any modern TV.
Is there anything wrong with Google TV?
We’ve not had much of a chance to use the new Google TV software, so there’s a lot we do not know yet. Chromecast users have reported some bugs, such as apps not starting properly and the search being a bit clumsy, but we need to see if that is still the case when the first smart TVs come in for testing.
Apart from that, the biggest problem with this Google TV change may simply be that it is confusing. The new operating system is not like the old one, and it replaces Android TV while it is still pretty much Android in everything except the name and logo. In a product category that is so filled with jargon and branding features and confusing specification lists, simpler is usually better.
The good news? It seems to be Google’s ultimate goal with Android to Google TV change – a simpler, more coherent approach to TV and streaming. It can only take a couple of years before everything is on the same page.
Is Android TV still there?
The answer is “type”. Technically, Google TV is based on Android TV, so it’s kind of a name change more than anything else. In that sense, Android TV does not really go anywhere.
Older Android TVs – those using Android 9.0 or earlier – will still use Android TV in much the same way they always did. However, some newer Android devices, from 2019 and 2020, can be upgraded to a slightly different version of Android, one designed to look and feel more like Google TV.
It’s usually just a matter of whether your TV will be updated to a fresher version of Android. Some manufacturers will quickly print out updates, others may never get around to it. If you have an older Android-based smart TV or Android TV streaming stick, you can disable automatic updates to prevent the new interface from appearing.