Android 11 for Android TV is here.
Now, before you get all excited, it’s not about to show up on your television or media streaming box immediately. Chances are that you may not get it, depending on whatever it is that the maker of your TV or streaming box has planned. That’s the reality, sadly.
For those that will be lucky to have their devices updated to the latest version of Android, going by what we have seen in the past, that may take up to a year. Maybe longer, we hope not.
“Android TV OEM partners will be launching and upgrading devices to Android 11 over the coming months,” Google notes in a statement.
However, if you are planning on getting a new television set or media streamer and you are obsessed about updates then knowing about it might be of help.
Even then, there’s not much to share about the recent announcement that we haven’t already shared before.
Like we have noted before, there is a focus on making usability on the big screen is easy with the addition of Google Play Instant as well as the optimization of Google’s keyboard app, Gboard, for better use with TV remote controllers.
Many of the features that have made their way to Android 11 on mobile devices touching on performance and privacy are also making their way for TVs only that in this case they are more tailored for them. For instance, users can expect the same one-time permissions prompts that they are accustomed to on their smartphones and tablets to also show up on their TVs as Google tightens the belt on user privacy.
On the performance front, better memory management is to be expected. Better media playback thanks to an improved Auto Low Latency Mode and low latency media decoding and, for the gamers among us, better gamepad support, promise to turn our little home entertainment centres into full-blown mini-paradises.
