Google is rolling out an update for Android TV that makes it look and feel much more like the Google TV “skin”, which is widely regarded as being more user-friendly.
The update was first reported by users on Reddit, and several posters on the r/AndroidTV subreddit have uploaded screenshots that show the appearance of new tabs at the top of the “Play Next” section on the main home screen, which will look very familiar to Google TV users.
The new tabs include “Top Selling Movies”, “Popular Movies and Shows” and “Trending on Google”. They’ve long been found on Google TV, which is part of the reason why many say it’s easier to navigate through and discover content compared to the Android TV platform.
Google hasn’t made any official statement regarding which televisions can expect to receive the update, but the image uploaded onto Reddit shows a model that’s running Android 9.0. As such, that suggests it’s a server-side update rather than a firmware download. If so, that could mean it will ultimately be a universal update that every Android TV user sees, though for now, it seems limited to a few countries.
It’s still pretty surprising, given that Google has apparently been looking to phase out Android TV ever since the Google TV skin first launched on the Chromecast with Google TV dongle back in 2020.
Google has since said that Google TV will eventually become the standard front-end for all Android TVs in future, but it has been making slow progress towards that goal. While most higher-end TVs that used to run Android TV now come with Google TV, we continue to see hundreds of mid-range and lower-end models launching every year with the Android platform. We also see that on many new projectors.
At the same time, Google continues to push out occasional updates for Android TV, with one of the most recent being last year’s homescreen refresh.
We should clarify that Android TV and Google TV are both essentially software front-ends that are powered by the Android TV OS, which itself is based on the operating system for mobile platforms.
Google TV is expected to get a major upgrade itself this year with the arrival of Android TV OS 16, with a visual makeover, support for the new surround sound format Eclipsa Audio, integrated calibration for streaming apps and more Gemini AI enhancements, with the chatbot set to replace the older Google Assistant.
So far, Google hasn’t said anything about Android TV getting the same new features.
