Last month, the first signs of a test showed that Google let users install apps on their Android TV and Google TV from their phones. That test has now been completed and the option is now available to everyone in the Play Store. That is how it works.
Install apps from your phone on other devices
The way installing apps on your Android TV or Google TV device currently works isn’t very intuitive. We were therefore pleasantly surprised when we found out that Google was finally allowing a small group of users to install apps via their smartphone.
Now the Play Store has been updated, and anyone can install these apps on Android TV devices right away. Once you have found an app in the Play Store, you will see the screen below. You can immediately indicate on which devices you want to install the app. In my case you can do that on the phone, the Chromecast with Google TV or the Sony smart TV with Google TV built-in.
With this function, you no longer have to search for an app in the Play Store on the relevant devices, which can take a long time if you have to enter a long name in the search field. That goes a lot faster with Google Assistant. The feature is similar to that of Wear OS 3 . With that new version you can also install apps on your watch from your phone, and that works exactly the same in the Play Store.
Our beloved moderator Patrick saw the feature appear on his phone a few weeks ago and now it is available to several people in the editorial office.