If you are an Android TV user and you’ve been patiently waiting for an update to your tv, here is good news for you: you might not have to wait for long, anymore. Google recently announced on its developer website that Android 12 for TV is now available. This is coming just weeks after we saw the release of Android 12 to Pixel smartphones. And smartphone brands like Samsung have also introduced the OS to some of their devices.
At the moment, the Android TV 12 OS is only available to Google’s ADT-3 developer devices (only available to developers). For the rest of us, we have to wait till an official version is released. That said, here’s what to expect on your smart TV from Android TV 12 when it is released.
What’s New?
Major updates are coming to four (4) different areas:
Media
- Avoid motion judder during playback using refresh rate switching: Motion Judder happens when the frame rate of the content you are watching doesn’t divide evenly into the refresh rate of your smart television. Android TV 12 is bringing refresh rate switching to fix this.
- Certified API-accuracy for reporting display modes, HDR formats and surround sound formats
User Interface
- Background blurs using RenderEffect and in WindowManager
- The long overdue 4K UI support
- Accessibility settings for font sizes
Privacy & Security
- Microphone and camera indicators
- Microphone and camera toggles
- Device attestation via Android KeyStore API
HDMI & Turner
- Support for HDMI CEC 2.0: HDMI-CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) is a function of the HDMI standard that lets devices connected to your TV talk with each other. The aim of this feature is to increasing convenience for users. You can control multiple devices connected to your TV with one remote.
- Tuner HAL 1.1 with DTMB support and performance improvements
- Better protection model with Tuner Service
Finally, Google didn’t reveal any details concerning devices that will be eligible for an update to Android TV 12, neither did they mention when it will start rolling it out. We, however, expect it to be rolled out to consumers early in 2022.