Google has a lot of news coming for the near future and has certainly not forgotten to continue the development of Android TV 13. The new version of the operating system of the American house can now count on a second beta that follows the first one in just a week.
The update introduces new functions and represents an important step forward in the development program in view of the release of the stable version of Android TV 13.
The release of the new beta is also an opportunity for Google to certify, with numbers, the success of Android TV. Currently, Android TV and Google TV can count on over 300 partners on a global scale with 7 of the top 10 OEMs in the Smart TV market and over 170 Pay TV services that fully support the ecosystem developed by Google.
Currently, there are 110 million monthly active devices using Android TV (including Google TV). This is a considerable increase from last year’s 80 million. Furthermore, Android TV can count on more than 10 thousand applications. So let’s see what the future holds for us with Android TV 13:
The new beta of Android TV 13 is available: new APIs optimized to improve the user experience and make life easier for developers
The new beta of Android TV 13 is enriched with several new features. It is, in fact, an important step forward in the development program that brings us closer to the release of the stable version. Among the innovations announced in these hours by Google for the new generation of Android TV, we find the introduction of new APIs that will allow developers to facilitate development work.
The new APIs will allow developers to more accurately identify user settings, ensuring the ability to maximize the user experience. Among the innovations introduced by Google, there is AudioManager which allows applications to understand the auto playback mode activated by the user by optimizing performance to the maximum. With MessiaSession, on the other hand, the system is able to react to changes in HDMI status thus allowing applications to activate energy-saving or pause content.
Improve accessibility with the new Android TV beta
The new beta of Android TV 13 gives a lot of space to accessibility, an increasingly important aspect for a complete software that is truly able to meet the needs of users. Google’s goal is to improve the way users interact with their TV through increasingly optimized and refined software tools. The InputDevice API can now count on support for different keyboard layouts thus allowing developers to take advantage of this feature for their own applications.
Also, note that for game developers there is also improved support for physical keyboards with the ability to reference keys based on their physical location. For users, there will therefore be the possibility of using QWERTZ or AZERTY keyboards without any problem, even with the possibility of correctly setting the key mapping in games. In terms of accessibility, moreover, the enabling of the audio description between applications should also be noted.
An eye for PiP mode for optimized multitasking even on TV
Another key element of the Android TV 13 project is represented by multitasking which, on Android TV devices, can only translate into an improved and optimized PiP mode to best meet the needs of users. Google has confirmed the arrival of an update for the Picture in Picture API. In this updated version, the API will be supported on Android 13 with the core Android APIs.
Picture in Picture on TV can count on the support of an extended mode that allows you to show more videos of a group call. It should be noted that there is also the possibility of exploiting an “anchored” mode that allows you to avoid overlaps between content on other apps. In addition, to further optimize the PiP, Google has introduced the keep-clear API. Developers can use this API to prevent overlay windows from hiding important areas of the screen. The system will be able to recognize these areas and move the PiP window to another section of the screen.
Google TV will become the go-to streaming app
Meanwhile , the Google TV app for Android is preparing for a new update with the aim of being able to start playing content from different streaming services through a single app. Google’s goal is to offer users the ability to use a single application (Google TV) to access the contents of various streaming services , to choose from on their smartphone and play on their Android TV device, without going through the app of the third party service.
This new feature will arrive in the course of 2022. For the moment, however, Google has not provided a list of applications supported by the new Google TV feature, limiting itself to providing an example of the service through content in the Peacock catalog. More details on how to use this new application function should arrive in the near future.
What’s new for Android TV and Google TV on video
The news coming for Android TV 13 are summarized in the new official video, just published by the Android Developers YouTube channel. There he is: