- Android TV users have spotted new discovery tabs in Play Next
- It’s a server-side update, not a firmware update
- Android TV has been replace by Google TV in retail products
Android TV is getting an update that brings it much closer in appearance to Google TV.
The update, which is rolling out to select Android TV users at the moment and which has been photographed by users of the r/AndroidTV subreddit, introduces new tabs at the top of the Play Next section: Top Selling Movies, Popular Movies and Shows, and Trending on Google.
If you’re a Google TV user this will look very familiar, as those tabs are part of the Google TV homescreen.
Android TV’s Play Next bar at the home screen updated with new tabs! from r/AndroidTV
Will your Android TV get an interface upgrade?
So far there’s no official word on which TVs are getting the update, but the Android TV in the photograph is running Android 9.0 so this appears to be an update at Google’s end rather than a software download. That means it should be universal.
Although Google has been phasing out Android TV since 2020, when it announced that Google TV would be the front end for its TV operating system going forward, Google has continued to make occasional updates to its older interface. For example, it gave the homescreen a bit of a makeover in late 2024.
It’s worth noting that when we talk about Android TV, we don’t mean the underlying operating system: that’s Android TV OS, and both Android TV and Google TV sit on top of it. This year’s version of the operating system will be based on Android 16 and Google TV will be getting a visual refresh, Eclipsa audio support, in-app calibration for streaming apps and more of Google’s Gemini AI.
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