Support for Picture-in-Picture functionality is set to return to Google TV through the Android TV 14 update, but its capabilities will be limited to certain kinds of applications, according to a report by Android Police. Unfortunately, they don't include streaming apps.
Google first announced the return of PiP in May, saying it will only come to “qualified TVs”, and now new information has surfaced, suggesting it will be restricted to just four classes of applications.
They include communications apps, such as those that enable video calls and voice calls; smart home applications, such as doorbells and baby monitors; health monitoring apps like fitness trackers; and live news tickers that show the latest news headlines, sports scores and stock prices etc.
What this means is that PiP will not be available for major streaming applications such a Netflix, and not even YouTube. So users won’t be able to watch two movies or shows at once. Nor does it appear that it’s going to support other kinds of apps you might want to use while watching a TV show or playing a console game, such as a Twitch stream, or situations where you might want to watch a live football match and have a second running in a smaller window.
Worse, the relatively limited PiP functionality won’t be available on every TV, Android Police reported. That’s because the feature is constrained by hardware limitations – simply put, if your TV isn’t powerful enough, it won’t support the functionality. As such, cheaper Android and Google TVs will probably have to do without PiP.
On the other hand, PiP should still come to some of the best TVs money can buy, considering that brands such as Sony, TCL and Hisense all run Google TV on their higher end models. Of course, the new Google TV Streamer device will also get Google TV and support PiP.
Google has reportedly said that there will be some other limitations of PiP, which might be welcomed by users. For instance, PiP won’t allow apps to use the smaller window to display ads, and they won’t be allowed to trigger PiP without the user’s permission.
In other news, this time from Android Authority, it has been revealed that the discontinued Chromecast with Google TV dongle will be updated to Android 14.
Although the company is ditching its streaming stick in favor of the Google TV Streamer, it will continue to support the devices for the foreseeable future, and that includes a major new operating system update.
It’s a surprising announcement because Google traditionally hasn’t been that great about keeping older devices up to date. The Chromecast with Google TV dongle launched in 2020 with Android TV 10, and has already received one update, to Android TV 12. So the dongles will get features including PiP for home cameras, Energy Modes, Matter/Thread smart home hub support and more.
There’s no word when the update might arrive, and users should note that it won’t get all of the new feature coming to Android 14, as some are hardware-dependent, Android Authority said.
