Google is making a host of changes and improvements to its Android TV/Google TV platform that will show its effect on smart televisions from next year onwards. Android TV has always felt like a neglected cousin, with brands launching new products but not eager to focus on the existing models with newer updates that can keep them secure.
But all that could be about to change, with Google making wholesale changes at the code level, allowing people to store more apps without having to bother about their TVs slowing down. As you might be aware, Google has used Android Package Kit (APKs) for mobile and TV apps, but that could change with the debut of the Android App Bundle (AAB) in 2023.
Google realises that, unlike smartphones, smart TVs in most cases come with just 8GB storage which might force people to remove some apps before installing a new one. To make this hassle go away, Google introduced App Bundles in Nov 2020, and three years on, it will become the go-to standard for TV manufacturers.
This development has been confirmed by Google this week, and the good thing is the changes will be applicable to both new and existing TV models running on the Android TV platform. Google is giving app developers a six-month notice to redesign their apps to make them lighter. Having said that, Google believes the change from APK to AAB can be done by engineers in three days.
The company warns that any app which doesn’t meet the new standards will be hidden from the TV interface. In layman’s terms, all these changes could help smart TVs run longer, faster and assured updates keep them secure from possible attacks.
Google has been vocal about its need to revamp the TV platform but now it is up to the developers and TV brands to implement this for their products and provide them to the existing users as well.
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