Android TV 13 to Get New Multitasking, Accessibility Features, Google Reveals

Android TV now has over 110 million month-to-month energetic customers (MAU), Google revealed at its annual developer convention on Thursday. The firm has introduced a number of new options and instruments coming to the subsequent variations of Google TV and Android TV which might be aimed toward bettering efficiency and high quality, whereas bettering accessibility and enabling multitasking. While Google is but to disclose the discharge date for Android TV 13, the corporate lately offered entry to the second Android 13 beta for Android TV forward of Google I/O 2022.

According to a post on the Android Developers weblog, Android TV and Google TV are at the moment out there on units of greater than 300 companions globally — accounting for 7 out of 10 good TV OEMs and over 170 ‘pay TV’ (or subscription tv) operators. Android TV OS now has over 110 million MAU and provides over 10,000 apps, in line with the corporate. Google can be encouraging builders to combine platform options just like the WatchNext API (software programming interface) into their apps.

A brand new expanded picture-in-picture mode is coming with the Android 13 replace for Android TV
Photo Credit: Google Developers Blog

As a part of the Android 13 replace for Android TV, builders can use the AudioManager to ‘anticipate’ audio routes to raised perceive which playback modes can be found. The firm can be bringing enhancements to multitasking within the type of an up to date picture-in-picture (PiP) API, which makes use of the identical API as Android smartphones. Google first launched official help for PiP mode with Android 8. With the brand new, up to date PiP mode, customers will be capable of entry an expanded mode that exhibits extra movies from a gaggle name.

Android TV may also achieve help for a docked mode to stop PiP home windows protecting content material in different apps by seating them individually on the sting of the show. Meanwhile, a ‘keep-clear’ API will let builders specify essential elements of full-screen apps that shouldn’t be lined by PiP home windows. On the accessibility entrance, the OS will add help for various keyboard layouts together with QWERTZ and AZERTY, and customers will be capable of allow audio descriptions throughout apps.

With the upcoming Android 13 replace, customers can anticipate to see person and kids profiles, permitting for personalised suggestions for every viewer. The replace can be anticipated to convey help for utilizing a smartphone as a Google TV distant to maneuver round and management quantity, kind utilizing the cellphone’s keyboard or activate the Google Assistant. Users may also be capable of seamlessly solid content material to Google TV, a characteristic that has been supported on Android TV through Chromecast.