Smart TVs from Sony, TCL and a handful of other brands will look slightly different in 2021, as companies migrate from Android TV to Google TV. But why the change? What’s different about the new Google branded platform?
While Sony smart TVs are the most visible to make the switch, they will not be the only ones. Other Android TV makers are also switching to the latest Google TV platform, as Google updates all of its TV software offerings.
So, what is Google TV and why do you want it on your smart TV?
What is Google TV?
Google TV is the latest version of Google’s smart TV platform, formerly known as Android TV. In a way, the move to Google TV is simply a makeover of the brand, since the underlying Android software is still what makes everything work.
That said, there are several changes that come with the new Google TV name that are more than superficial. With updates to the appearance of the basic elements of the interface, such as the home screen, and improved communication between TVs, smartphones and other devices, Google TV may seem like a big change from what you were used to with Android TV.
What if you’re thinking “Never heard of Google TV before?” you are right. Google TV was the name of Google’s first take on smart TVs and set-top boxes in 2010. (Remember the Logitech Revue?) Everything old is new again.
Why the change?
For years, Google has been participating in the world of smart TV and streaming, with Android, Chromecast, YouTube and TV and movie content on the Google Play Store. But these different pieces of software and hardware have never been a cohesive whole. In the early days of streaming and smart TVs, that made sense, and Google had room to try different things and experiences. But today’s TV landscape is much more established, and Google TV is part of an effort to consolidate these disparate experiences into something more cohesive, as the streaming world has become popular.
Google TV brings together several of these elements. It is the main interface for new Chromecast devices and now smart TVs. You can add items to your watch list from the phone, share content between devices more easily, and get a more personalized experience. And, by integrating more firmly with Google’s own live pay TV service, YouTube TV, Google seeks to establish itself better as the complete solution for modern TV viewing.
In the coming years, you can expect everything that Android will change to Google TV, be it smart TVs, set-top boxes or streaming devices.
What is different from Android TV?
While the move to Google TV is a name change as much as anything else, there are a number of experiential and functional changes made to Google TV that make it different from any previous Android TV version. The biggest changes have to do with user interaction, searching and sharing information between devices.
We took our first look at the Chromecast interface with Google TV review. The main interface was a bit clean, with dedicated guides for live TV and a “For you” tab that puts all your recommendations in one place. Other guides provide quick access to movies, programs, apps and your library of purchased and rented content.
The home screen has also been changed to prioritize content recommendations for your preferred streaming services. Hopefully, this means more suggestions for programs you want to watch and less service announcements you may not want to pay for.
You’ll also have more selected suggestions for live TV offers, whether it’s wireless programming or a live TV service like YouTube TV.
There is also a new “Watch List” that allows you to book programs from various applications to watch later. This is a persistent list that syncs across different devices, so you can add titles to it on your phone, web browser, and any other device that lets you sign in to your Google account.
Google Assistant takes center stage as voice interaction gets better support. On TVs with far-field microphones (which includes multiple Sony TVs), this means that you can use voice search hands-free and use your Google-powered smart TV in a similar way to a Google Home smart speaker.
It has also improved integration with all of its smart home devices. If it works with Google Home, it will also work with your TV. And if you have a device with a camera feed, like one of best video bells, you can see this feed on the screen.
What are the benefits of Google TV?
All the things we love about Android TV will still be there on Google TV, including the Google Play Store and its more than 5,000 apps. This includes all major streaming services, such as Netflix, Apple TV, Disney Plus and HBO Max.
The search must be predictably large – after all, it’s Google – with intuitive voice search that easily accesses programs and movies or skips to a full web search when needed.
Google TV adds support for multiple user accounts, which means you can have your own personalized experience on the same smart TV that the rest of the family uses. In the words of our own Mike Prospero, “I will not receive recommendations for Gilmore Girls and she will not see the Fast and Furious franchise appearing on her screen”.
There are also Child Profiles, which allow you to set up a children’s account on TV. In this profile, you can customize things for your family and delete apps and recommendations that may not be appropriate for younger users. It even allows you to set specific periods of time to watch TV and turn it off at the designated bedtime.
An added bonus: Google TV will have a “basic TV” mode that effectively turns your device into a dumb TV. It disables all the connected things that are necessary for using smart TV – such as an Internet connection for streaming, tracking content recommendations and ads and (because the web connection has been interrupted) disables Google Assistant. You will only have a live TV via a TV or cable antenna and external devices, such as media players and game consoles that connect via HDMI. Even the home screen is practically removed, providing a TV experience as basic as any modern TV.
Is there anything wrong with Google TV?
Well, we haven’t had much of a chance to use the new Google TV software, so there’s a lot we still don’t know. Chromecast users have reported some bugs, such as apps that don’t start properly and the search is a bit clunky, but we’ll have to see if that’s still the case when the first Google TV smart TVs arrive for testing.
In addition, the biggest problem with this change on Google TV may simply be that it is confusing. The new Google TV is not the old Google TV and is replacing Android TV, although it is still Android TV in everything but the name and logo. In a product category filled with jargon, brand features and inscrutable specification lists, simpler is usually better.
The good news? That seems to be Google’s ultimate goal with the move from Android to Google TV – a simpler, more cohesive approach to TV and streaming. It may take a few years before everything is on the same page.
Does Android TV still exist?
The answer is “more or less”. Technically speaking, Google TV is built on the foundation of Android TV, so Google TV is as much a brand overhaul as anything else. In that sense, Android TV is not going anywhere.
Older Android TVs – those that use Android 9.0 or earlier – will still use Android TV in more or less the same way as always. Some newer Android sets, from 2019 and 2020, however, can be upgraded to a slightly different version of Android, designed to look more like Google TV.
It is mainly a question of whether your TV will be upgraded to a newer version of Android. Some manufacturers will be quick to release updates, others may not even do so. If you have an older Android-based smart TV or an Android TV streaming device, you can disable automatic updates to prevent the new interface from appearing.